Last week I was in Nampa, Idaho doing my technical evaluation with MAF. I'll cut to the chase now; I got a positive recommend. Thank-you all for praying for me!
It was a lot of fun, but also very stressful. It all started when my flight out of Winnipeg got cancelled. Unfortunately the soonest they could get me to Idaho would be the evening the next day, but I had to be starting my evaluation in the morning! Thankfully the folks at MAF are super flexible and understanding, and we were able to fit everything we needed to do in four days instead of five.
But the Lord has a hand in everything, and as a result of that flight cancellation I had a chance encounter with a missionary working in Winnipeg, and was greatly encouraged. And to then, as if that wasn't enough, I was able to have lunch with an good friend of mine from my Thompson days!
Well, finally I made it down to Idaho and began my evaluation. The TE consists of three flights in a 206, and a flight (broken into two parts) in a flight simulator. They not only want to see that I have skill as a pilot, but also that I am a teachable pilot.
The flights were a lot of fun, but also very stressful. They intentionally don't give any feed-back after each flight, so you have to put mistakes behind you and keep pushing on.
Finally, Friday came, and I went in to debrief and find out what they thought. It was scary walking up those stairs to talk to them, all I could think about was all the mistakes I made! But thankfully they saw more positives than I did, and so I walked out of that office greatly relieved.
Now I have the next step in my application process. MAF has sent me a mountain of questionnaires asking about my mental, physical, and spiritual health that I need to answer. It's gonna be a bit of work.
Thank-you all for your prayers, please continue to pray for me as I continue to work towards ministry.
Blessings,
Dominic
The Cessna 206 that I flew while in Idaho. MAF has added extra fuel tanks to the wing, allowing it to take off on very short strips. On the left is a picture of that 206 next to a caravan; the kind of plane that I fly here in Red Lake.
