1314 Maurice Sonny Clavel Rd
Wauchula, FL 33873

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmment shows His handiwork.  Psalm 19:1 NKJV

The Twin engine Cessna 401 has officially been donated to Harvest Aviation. Tim, from King’s Wings, officially transferred the title to us, but the plane has not yet been delivered. We have spent several days and hours replacing five cylinders, reinstalling engine components, including both propellers, and giving the airplane a complete inspection. Mike England from King’s Wings will test fly the airplane, then take the airplane up an additional hour to break in the new cylinders. After these flights, a final inspection of the engines will be done to look for any oil leaks or other discrepancies. If all is well, he will ferry the plane to our airport in Wauchula. Because the 401 is not what we need to conduct charters and missions’ flights, we will sell it as soon as possible.

Harvest Board Member, Mike Burch, accepting the gift of the Cessna 401, pictured above, from the director of King's Wings

My trainer plane, the Piper Archer, has been under repairs since March. Piper issued mandatory inspections which ultimately require the removal of both wings. While we had the right wing off, we found some more cracks in the aluminum skin. It takes hours to remove a single skin panel, drill hundreds of matching holes in the new skin for riveting, then actually driving the rivets. The three mechanics, including myself, all have other responsibilities. As a result, working on the Archer gets squeezed in between other tasks that need to be accomplished. We are almost done with the right wing and hope to be able to reinstall it this week. Once installed, the left wing comes off. Please pray none of the extensive repairs will need to be done on the left side.

The maintenance team 

The new emergency cards for our Chieftain

Our pilot apprentice Matt Brimson and his wife JoLynn are hoping to get their camper in June and start making the airport their temporary home three days each week. Matt will continue to help in the hangar when he is not training with me for his private pilot license. JoLynn, a youth director by profession, will be developing curriculum and organizing visits from local youth groups. Harvest has had various youth groups come to our hangar in the past, and we are excited to see JoLynn use her experience in youth ministry to build the Harvest youth program.

We have had several young pilots contact and visit the Harvest hangar in the last two months. It has been a joy for me to sit with these young men and hear their stories. Though the flight experiences each one has differs considerably, they all share a heart for Christ and missions. Please pray for these young pilots as they seek God and His will for their lives. We believe this is all a direct answer to our prayers for more young people to get involved in the ministry at Harvest.

Darla and I celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary on May 30th. We chose to go tent camping, snorkeling and kayaking here in Florida.

Brian Smith, the director of Harvest, is scheduled for his Part 135 check ride June 12th. As soon as you read this, please stop and pray for good weather, a clear mind for Brian to answer the oral questions accurately and finally for Brian to conduct the flight above and beyond the standards necessary to pass the test. 

We have been coming together with staff, board members, friends and supporters each Friday since the middle of March. We have come to realize prayer is the cornerstone of Harvest. Since we began to meet and pray together, we have seen God answer many prayers. There have been at least two instances when we were shown God’s provision minutes after praying. Last week we prayed in the format of ACTS, Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. By opening up our time with adoration and confession, it helped remind me to whom we were praying. Our Father  is no less than The King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We are thankful for your prayers, both for us and for Harvest.

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.  Psalm 145:18

Please Pray for:

• The Brimsons as they transition to their positions at Harvest and continue raising financial support

• The check ride for our chief pilot and director, Brian Smith on June 12th

• The completion of the repairs on the Piper Archer training plane

• The sale of the gifted plane 
• Praise God for answering Friday staff prayers
• Praise God for providing Darla tutoring students so we have the  resources to visit our children throughout the summer
• Praise God for 33 years of marriage

If you would like to join our monthly  team of financial supporters, or give a one-time gift, you can click here, use the QR code at the right, or you can send a check to:

Harvest Aviation

1314 Maurice Sonny Clavel Rd
Wauchula, FL 33873

We are thankful for your friendship, and we are humbled by your financial gifts and prayer support.

Our mailing address:

1123 Bamboo Lane

Bowling Green, FL 33834