A few years ago I took my motorcycle on a long ride in the Arizona desert. I was nearing the end of a very tiring 100 mile ride when the engine began to sputter. No problem, I thought, I’ll just select “reserve” on the fuel tank. I reached for the reserve lever only to discover that it was already there. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to limp an engine along that is in the initial stages of fuel exhaustion, but it can be quite a challenge. I swerved all over the place, bounced up and down, rocked back and forth – anything to try to slosh just a few ounces of fuel back into the carburetor so I could continue. Even 100 yards extra means a lot when the alternative is walking the bike home in the desert sun.
The bike finally died, 5 miles from home. In a final attempt to eek all I could out of the fuel tank, I laid the bike over on it’s side with the fuel valve down, I methodically and carefully sloshed all the fuel I could to the left side of tank and was able to start it up again. I rode home with the bike leaned to the left and was careful to go slowly over any big bumps lest I splash the minuscule amount of remaining fuel away from the tank outlet. I made it home without pushing the bike, but the last 5 miles nearly ruined the previous 95 mile stretch of pure enjoyment.
This is how we’ve felt the last couple of months as we approach the end of a 3 1/2 year term. We are in a ministry which doesn’t have any tolerance for fatigue and one in which we’re not allowed to be tired or make mistakes. Recently it feels like every day, or half-day that we have off of flight and radio duty is an opportunity to slosh more fuel into our tank so we can get through the next stretch. It’s in these times that Satan is eager to discourage us and knock us down. Please continue to pray for us and our strength in these final weeks. We have set our minds and hearts on finishing well, but we need your prayers now more than ever. There is still a lot of flying to do and a lot of decisions to make in the flight program before we can really focus on the decisions needed for moving to the States for 9 months. Bailey just finished her responsibilities with NTMA, one month before we leave Mindanao to head home. Brian will be finished on the 26th and spend a week getting ready to leave.
“A flameout refers to the failure of a jet engine caused by the extinction of the flame in the combustion chamber. It can be caused by a number of factors, including fuel exhaustion; compressor stall; insufficient oxygen supply; foreign object damage (such as birds, hail or even volcanic ash); severe inclement weather; and mechanical failure. Flameouts occur most frequently when the engine is at an intermediate or low power setting (such as during the cruise and descent phases of flight). Most of the time, they are recovered from uneventfully. To recover from a flameout, the pilot should ensure the engine’s fuel supply has been restored and then simply perform an engine restart.”