1314 Maurice Sonny Clavel Rd
Wauchula, FL 33873

And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it".

Isaiah 30:21 NRSV

The big news is that Brian Smith, our chief pilot and director of Harvest Aviation, has successfully completed the oral exam portion with the FAA. Brian
prepared for endless hours, and his success in passing the oral portion of the exam is a testament to God’s faithfulness, Brian’s dedication, and your prayers.

Unfortunately, by the time the oral was over, the weather became unfavorable for the flight portion, so that will be accomplished prayerfully sometime in July. When the flight exam is passed, only one barrier remains between Harvest and Part 135 Certification. That barrier is the conformity inspection of our Piper Chieftain.

The Chieftan is ready for inspection

It is nearing time for the FAA to look over the records and logbooks for the Chieftain to be certain that the aircraft “conforms” to all of the various regulations that govern the maintenance of a commercial aircraft. Conformity includes what repairs have been made, what parts have been replaced and by whom the work was accomplished. In addition, all replacement parts must have a paper trail that certifies that they were manufactured in accordance with strict standards. This is no small task, and our head of maintenance, Andres, has been working tirelessly to make sure everything is ready for inspection.

In addition, the FAA has the option to come see the plane, or require us to fly the aircraft to their location for a physical inspection. Currently, we are still under the jurisdiction of the FAA office in Pennsylvania, but they have the authority to allow the Tampa office to inspect. We are praying this will be the case to save Harvest time and money. We are also praying that the conformity check can be scheduled in the very near future.

The Piper Archer 

The Archer that I utilize to train pilots is coming along, but we still have about three weeks of work to go. The right wing has been repaired and reinstalled. In June, the landing gear was also removed, inspected and reinstalled and the hardware has been replaced with new. We are preparing the left wing for removal and inspection.  We hope to remove, inspect and reinstall the left wing all in one day. We are anxious to get the plane back together and flying, as Matt Brimson will  be at the hangar three days a week to help in the shop and to continue his flight training.  Matt will be helping to get the Archer ready, as he is definitely eager to start flying.

The right wing newly installed on the Archer

The Cessna 401 donated by King’s Wings is now at Harvest!
Though we spent several days at North County airport putting on new cylinders and readying it for flight, King’s Wings donated all the parts necessary to get the airplane back in the air. The work our maintenance team completed was minimal considering the blessing the plane will be to
Harvest. The Cessna 401 is not a good fit for the type of flights we will be conducting, and both engines are near the time for overhaul, so we will be selling the plane to help recoup expenses for the Chieftain's engine. The plane is now sitting on Harvest’s ramp in Wauchula. We are readying the logbooks so that it can be sold soon.

Board members, staff and friends of Harvest come together each Friday to pray. We continue to see God answer prayers!

Please Pray for:

• The conformity check to be completed in Tampa

•  The check flight for our chief pilot and director, Brian Smith

• Completion of the inspection and repairs on the Archer training plane

• The sale of the Cessna 401 
• Praise God for Brian Smith completing and passing the oral portion of the exam
• Praise God for Gerald, Rios, and other young men and women who are exploring the posibility of mission aviation
• Praise God for our financial supporters and prayer partners

Darla and I continue to be amazed at God’s faithfulness and your generosity.  We have new monthly donors  even since our last newsletter.  Therefore, because of our current recurring commitments and one-time gifts, I have been able to reduce my math tutoring schedule to Friday mornings only, freeing up additional hours that I can work at Harvest.  Darla will continue to tutor three days a week.

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