Monte opening the event with a prayer.

MMMM... Brisket, sausages, and all the extras.

Monte introducing Matt and Kim.

Sandy Michael (left) and Sue Snyder (right) listen with Dorothy Wied to her husband Glenn talk about God's grace.

Bluegrass gospel musicians Dale and Lauren Barron.

Brad Westom delivering his encouragements for Wings for Christ.

Keith Hull, sometime around 1970.

Student Venicio Salazar's daughter makes a new friend.

Wings for Christ: friends and family

Gracie Bird and Mercy Bird made an appearance on static display, since both airplanes are in the middle of maintenance projects. One airplane braved the forecast stormy weather (which never materialized) and was proudly displayed right by the highway.

Many friends of Wings for Christ were there, both old and new. One gentleman from Arizona even dropped in as he was driving by on the highway. He said he saw airplanes and people and just had to find out what was happening. Isn’t it awesome that when we follow God, we are part of one big family?

Pastor and advanced student Rick Cobb gave testimony of how gaining his private certificate at WfC has directly improved his ministry of mentoring pastors at small rural churches all over Texas. Beginning student Matt Dillon and his wife Kim shared the story of how God led Matt to Wings when Kim applied to the Baylor Graduate School of Music, allowing both of them to pursue their callings at the same time. A letter was read from long time Wings friend Max Boggs, who couldn’t attend, but was there in spirit. Rick Caywood brought his big rig 18-wheeler, which he uses to haul freight to food banks all over the country, out for display. He also shared tales of God’s mercy and grace when he and Monte Michael were stranded for three days in west Texas by an ice storm during a long cross country flight.

Also in attendance were Glenn and Dorothy Wied. Glenn and Dorothy came all the way from Galeana, Mexico, where they serve churches and families, for the event. We were blessed to receive encouragement and inspiration from their story of God’s faithfulness in their lives during many years of service.

We also heard from several sporting “unscheduled” speakers that Brother Monte cajoled into giving testimonies as well. Many thanks to Ron and Jackie Banks, Ron and Sue Snyder, Greg and Vicki Smith, and Joel New, who all told their stories of involvement with WfC.

A special treat was listening to some wonderful bluegrass style gospel music as we were led into a time of worship with Waco musicians Dale and Lauren Barron, who graced us with their amazing talents. You can listen to one of their songs by clicking here.

Keynote speaker Brad Westom, former Wings staffer and current Mission Aviation Fellowship pilot, shared how the Lord’s call on our lives is the most important part of any mission. Brad also encouraged us to keep Wings from becoming a hobby, but rather that we stay willing to respond and work hard on our calling here. He challenged us to find out first hand that when we are about God’s calling we find energy and joy that we would never find on our own strength. You can listen to his entire message by clicking here.

The event closed with Barbara Hull giving an excellent history of Wings for Christ and encouragement to keep up the work that God placed on her husband Keith’s heart so many years ago.

All in all, we had a wonderful day of remembering our past, thanking God for the friends we have made along the way, and dreaming about our future. God has been gracious every step of the way.

Missionary Aviation Fellowship pilot, and former Wings flight instructor, Brad Westom will be the keynote speaker, reflecting on his time at Wings for Christ and how it still serves him in his career at MAF. Glenn and Dorothy Weid, missionaries serving in Galeana, Mexico and Pastor Rick Cobb, of Journey Christian Community Church will also share about their experiences with WfC and their hopes for future partnership with us. Also present will be several current students who can share about their training and future plans.

Rick Caywood, a great friend to Wings for many years, is bringing his Big-Rig truck that he uses to carry food and other supplies to places in need all over the US and Mexico. Many folks from the local Experimental Aircraft Association will be flying in and there will also be a blue-grass gospel concert, starting around 1:45pm. Also available will be some time on our new flight simulator that was recently donated. Read more about that here.

Look for this sign just after the Highway 84 split on your right.

We’re looking forward to a great time and can’t wait to see you there!

During her annual inspection, Chief of Maintenance Joel New found some hydraulic lifters that were damaged, requiring a complete tear down of her Continental O-200 engine. Fortunately, when the crankcase was opened, no major damage was found. As is usual when the case is open, the cam shaft and crank shaft were sent out for inspection. The crank was fine, but the cam shaft came back red tagged and needed replacement, possibly relating to the damage lifters.

Volunteer mechanics Joel New and Ron Banks working on the case.

With the assistance of maintenance volunteers Ron Banks and Brent Boyko and student pilot Matt Dillon, Joel put the crank case back together and is now ready to hang the engine back on Gracie. There will still be some more work after that task is complete. Engine accessories, exhaust, and cowling will come next. And then a few last details on the annual inspection that began back in March.

Ron Banks teaches Jeff Harper, Matt Dillon and Monte Michael how to clean engine parts on a hot Saturday morning in July.

Our students haven’t been idle during the extended break. Advanced student Rick Cobb has been very gracious to lend his Cessna 172 to Private Pilot student Matt Dillon many times. Matt has been able to continue his cross country training during Gracie’s down time. Thanks Pastor Rick!

While the summer heat rages on, Joel and his crew of volunteers continue to work hard to return Gracie Bird back to service. If you want to volunteer to help out, Call Kelly Filgo at 254-652-2830 for more information. You do not need to be an experienced mechanic to help with these next steps and we could really use the help.

“Here is a summary of what Todd Lovett and I did. We departed March 1 from XA85, Cougar Landing (near China Spring, TX), at 8:30 a.m. in a plane that is much more experienced in going to Mexico than me, N7530T, Pastor Charles Henry’s plane.

Somewhere over Mexico. There aren't many good alternate landing spots down there!

We flew to Cotulla, TX, KCOT, refueled, and left for Saltillo, MX around noon. We arrived in Saltillo, MMIO, about 2 hours later with a warm reception from the Mexican authorities. Everything went smoothly, and the authorities were very helpful with this first-timer. After a 2 hour check in process, Glenn & Dorothy Weid picked us up and off we went to the real work. First stop was Pastor Eulogio’s home, where we were shown tremendous hospitality. Then Eulogio showed us the work he is involved with, 3 church plants, the beginnings of a medical clinic and orphanage, a soup kitchen and distribution of rice and beans.

One of the many small churches we visited in Galeana.

A very hospitable family and their home in Galeana.

After that amazing experience Glenn took us to their home, 2 hours driving time to Galeana. Dorothy was amazing, with such a sweet spirit and so gracious. In spite of her health problems she prepared meals and washed our clothes. Glenn took us to several churches in Galeana where Todd and I were given opportunities to testify and speak. Then each day we went to different mountain village churches, Agua Blanca, San Francisco, Solera, Buena Vista. Each village was filled with gracious people hungry for God.

After several days of ministry with Glenn, we went back to Saltillo, where we stayed with Don and Rosy Maggard. Again, we experienced amazing hospitality. One last stop before we returned home was Adrian Rivera’s church that is 1 year and 3 months old.

On March 10, with a beautiful weather window and tremendous memories of wonderful people, we left MMIO, Saltillo at 8:30 a.m. We stopped at KLRD, Laredo, TX to go through customs, which went very smoothly. After refueling we departed and flew home to XA85, Cougar Landing.

This mission trip happened because of the way God knitted together several relationships and opportunities associated with Wings for Christ. My flight instruction from Monte Michael, the plane I purchased from Charles Henry, connections made with former WfC student Glenn Weid and his wife Dorothy, and the mission perspectives gained during this trip to see the opportunities Wings for Christ has helped open for us.”

Wings for Christ wants to let Pastor Rick know that we have been so blessed by his time with us as well. It is so exciting to see how God puts the right people together in order to further His kingdom. We look forward to supporting Rick’s ministry work through aviation for many years to come.

Pastor Rick reports no problems with the C-172 (formally Pastor Charles Henry’s craft), that Joel New just delivered back to him out of Annual inspection and they are very excited to be ministering with Glenn and Dorothy and developing ministry outreach for his church, Journey Christian Community of China Spring.

Todd Lovett and Rick Cobb with Rick's 1959 C-172A

Rick and Todd will meet former WfC student Glenn Weid in Saltillo, who will drive them back to his home in Galeana, about two hours to the southeast. Once there, the men will visit many area towns and churches, give their testimonies, and look for ways that Rick’s church, Journey Christian Fellowship in China Spring, TX, can be supportive to area missions.

Rick’s flight instructor, Monte Michael, is excited for his student and knows that he is ready to go. “This is a ministry milestone that really is a culmination of what we are about here at Wings For Christ. I am so excited about this ministry extension of the vision and mission that Jesus has so graciously allowed us to be a part of.”

Pastor Rick has also taken his plane on several trips to west Texas to visit with pastors at new church plants. We are so glad to continue to be part of his training and pray for a safe journey to Mexico.

Let me explain…

About a year ago, the folks at Google added our airport to the area map of Waco. Ever since, we have been getting lots of calls from people interested in what we do. On February 26, 2011, some of those people came to visit the airport, learn more about us, and take a ride in Gracie.

Holly, Hannah, and Brittany, three friends from Liberty Hill, Texas, founded and co-write a blog about being twenty-something Christian women and what an adventure it is to seek God and live out faith every day. The blog is called “faith in between” and you can link to it here.

Hannah, Brittany and Holly posing with Gracie.

They were going to be driving through Waco on their way home from a women’s conference (or “feminar” as they called it) and spotted the airport on Google Maps. Visiting a mission flight academy was just the kind of thing they wanted to share with their readers, so after a few emails were exchanged, everything was set up for their visit, which would include a ride around the area in our Cessna 150 trainer.

Unfortunately, the weather was a little grim, with low ceilings. Not wanting to get caught away from the airport if things got below minimums, we kept the flights to the WfC pattern. The good news was that the air was like silk. Brittany and Holly had never flown in a small plane before, so a smooth ride was welcomed.

A fast pass over the threshold. You get a good idea of how close the highway is to the runway.

Flaps down and preparing for the flare.

Holly and Kelly. She looks a little excited!

Holly was very excited to go on her first small airplane ride and said she would tell her pastor back in Liberty Hill, who is a pilot himself, all about the visit. Hopefully we will create a long lasting connection with our new friends.

Thanks, Google Maps!

2010 was a great year at Wings for Christ, and we are so thankful to have been able to serve the mission aviation field as we joyously work where God has called us.

As evidenced by the massive need to move people and provisions into Haiti after the devastating earthquake in January of 2010, aviation plays a vital role in mission work that affects millions of people worldwide. We had the privilege of assisting mission pilot Kelly Hein, who flew several trips to Haiti in the months after the earthquake, by coordinating some local fund raising for him. Any way that we can serve mission pilots, we are happy to help out.

At Wings for Christ, we exist to prepare a new generation of pilots for the mission field and serve our Saviour with our talents and treasures. In 2010 we had the privilege of working with two primary flight students in our program.

Rick Cobb, Pastor of Journey Christian Fellowship in China Springs, received his Private Pilot ticket on July 12. Since then Rick has flown his own airplane all around Texas as part of his ministry to pastors of new church plants. In just a few weeks, Rick will be flying to Saltillo, Mexico to meet missionary and WfC partner Glenn Weid for two weeks of service in nearby Galeana. The trip will also serve as a learning experience in dealing with international flight rules and flying in unfamiliar areas. We are hoping that this trip will serve as a model for introducing advanced students to flying in other countries. Soon, Rick will have enough flight hours to start working on his Instrument Rating. Please be in prayer for Rick during his trip.

Matt Dillon, who works as a junior engineer at RAM Aircraft in Waco, began flying with Wings in June. Matt has been progressing steadily with his training, soloed for the first time on October 20 and just recently began his cross-country dual instruction. Balancing a first job out of college, moving across the country to start his flight training and having his wife Kim in graduate school at Baylor takes a lot of concentration and energy. Please be in prayer for Matt as he continues his training. When the Lord calls, Matt and Kim plan to enter the mission aviation field full time.

Of course, there are lots of other things going on to support the students at Wings for Christ…

You can’t have flight students without a flight instructor! Monte Michael, or Chief Pilot and Mission Coordinator, is that person. Monte has trained many students over the years, but most importantly, he also mentors our students and prepares them for the mission field in ways that a traditional flight school instructor could never provide. Monte isn’t just a great teacher, he is a great friend.

Our mechanic volunteers (Ron, Joel, Brent, Mike, Rachel, Larry and lots of others… Thank you!) have been working hard to keep Gracie Bird, our Cessna 150 primary trainer, up and running. Gracie received some upgraded radios last year and is now an instrument rated aircraft, allowing advanced students to get instrument training while still flying an economical (i.e. easy on av-gas) airplane.

Work has progressed on our restoration of Mercy Bird, a 1966 Mooney M-20F. There are still a few modifications to the instrument panel left and some fuel tank sealing to be done, but Mercy will be flying again soon and we will be able to offer complex endorsement training to our advanced students and use her for longer range mission work again.

Another thing that has been overhauled at Wings for Christ is our presence on the Internet. We have committed to better communication with our ministry partners and are taking a technology based approach to achieve our goals. By giving you the ability to access the stories and news of Wings for Christ directly, you are in charge of how much information you receive. Also, we reduce our operating costs by reducing the number of mailers and other printed material we use to communicate with you.

Our technology volunteer, Ellen Filgo, completely revamped our website in 2010 and created a Facebook page and Twitter account for us. The website is your best option for staying current with the happenings at Wings and you can even sign up to receive a message every time we update the site (Look at the top of this page). If social media is your thing, be sure to “like” our Facebook page and subscribe to our tweets. Just search for “Wings for Christ International” on Facebook and “@wingsforchrist” on Twitter.

However, nothing can replace face-to-face contact and that is still our favorite approach to building relationships. We would love to have a cup of coffee and a live conversation with you any Saturday morning that you can come by. We meet at 9am at the airport for a weekly prayer meeting, northeast of Waco, just off Highway 84 at the Mexia split.

Speaking of creating relationships, we had some public outreach in 2010 as well. In October we attended the Reklaw Fly-In and held a worship service on Sunday morning in the gazebo. We made lots of new friends and spread the news about the WfC mission. In November we revived the traditional Wings for Christ Fly-In and even had some of our new friends from Reklaw fly and drive in from as far away as Tyler, TX. Student Matt Dillon’s parents came all the way from Duluth, MN! All in all, we served 50 hamburgers to hungry supporters and people wanting to know more about Wings for Christ.

On a final note, this year also saw a modernization of our record keeping at Wings for Christ. We are now using a very affordable web-located database service to track our ministry partners’ activity. Over time, this will allow us to better communicate with our partners and gather data for grants from ministry related foundations. Another feature that we are excited about is the ability to take donations via debit or credit card. Many people have asked for this feature and we will be able to offer that service economically and easily in 2011. If you want more information please email Kelly Filgo at kelly.filgo@wings-for-christ.org.

To close, I want to thank you again for your support in 2010 and look forward to your continued partnership in serving Jesus Christ through aviation in 2011. Please keep the ministry in your prayers as we can do nothing without our Lord at the forefront.

Sincerely,

Kelly M. Filgo
Director of Development
Wings for Christ International, LTD

Please join us this Saturday, November 13, from 11:00am to 2:00pm for a casual gathering at the Wings for Christ airport. We will be serving hamburger plates for a suggested donation of $5 (just to cover the cost of the lunch) with drinks, chips, fruit and dessert. We should be in store for some fantastic Fall weather, so come on out and enjoy it with us.

We would love to spend some time with you this weekend, getting caught up, showing you around the airport, playing some games, reliving some great flying memories, and worshiping our Lord in song and fellowship. You can fly, drive, ride a bike or even hike (some of you, anyway). And you may have a chance to go for a ride in Gracie Bird, our Cessna 150 primary trainer.

I would encourage you to take a break from whatever busy schedule you may have and come enjoy the good cheer and fellowship with other friends of Wings for Chris this weekend. You won’t be sorry! And the Baylor football game doesn’t start until 7pm, so you’ll have plenty of time before it starts.

The Wings for Christ International Flight Academy airport is located northeast of Waco on US Highway 84, right at the Mexia/Corsicana split. Click here for more detailed information about the airport.

Please respond to this email if you want to come over for lunch on Saturday, so that we can plan accordingly. May you be blessed, whatever your plans for the weekend. We hope to see you there.

In Christ,

Kelly Filgo
Development Director
Wings for Christ International Flight Academy