No instrument training

Darrel Bird, Oregon

 

A few years back two people rented a small plane at Sea-Tac destined for a small town in western Washington.

 

 They had the training common to day pilots, with no instrument training for landing an aircraft in the dark, little did they know, that this trip would soon turn deadly. Things began to sour right off the bat, as someone had forgotten to turn on the emergency beacon in the plane, perhaps trusting the rental company; they failed to check it during preflight inspection.

 

The desired destination has a mountain range that runs along side the Columbia River along the landing strip of the little air port.

 

They left, estimated about 3:00 PM for the short flight, by the time they got to the town, the cloud cover was extremely low, the fog had moved in, and it was “soupy” clear to the ground.

 

I remember hearing the plane as it came in from the direction of Seattle because it sounded very low as it circled overhead and then headed back toward Seattle in the late evening.

It was almost dark and I settled in for T.V. and a snack. I soon forgot about the plane, although an inner alarm went off about the strangeness of plane coming so close, but not landing.

I looked but could not see a plane and the sound was soon swallowed up in the low cloud cover.

 

Being affiliated with the local S.A.R. unit (search and rescue) later that night I got a call to be ready, a plane was missing, The S.A.R unit looked for the plane for nearly three days and nights figuring they would have followed the I-5 corridor.

 I spent time on the search and it began to look bleak for the crew of that plane. After an extensive search, and getting desperate, the S.A.R. unit called Ft. Lewis Army base for help. They sent down a crew of Army Rangers to assist in the search, and they found the plane on the side of the mountain, both passengers were dead. One had died of hypothermia not more than two miles from the I-5 freeway.

 

If the emergency beacon had been turned on, we could have found them easily and quickly.

 

 If one of them had an instrument rating, they could have landed easily. But without the instrument training the pilot dared not come so low to that mountain, I am fond of calling nosebleed hill.

 

Our Bible is our “instruments”, as we make the short flight through this place called earth, destined for another place. The terrain and visibility is sometimes treacherous, so we desperately need a good “grounding” in the word and the Holy Spirit is our “Beacon”. He gives out a continuous signal “This is the way, walk ye in it”, and always pointing to Jesus and His Word, our compass.

 

With a combination of these, training in the word, and the Holy Spirit guiding us, we are equipped to make the flight.

 

Although the clouds are lowering, the days foggy, and dangerous terrain on every side, we can safely navigate our way, trusting our instruments, Gods Word, and trusting the Holy Spirit who lives within. Not only that, we can rescue others who have no training.

 

When the days get cloudy and uncertainty overtakes us, we must trust that Word, we can’t trust our senses. Many times we can’t tell which is up or down, and without the Word we become lost and confused if we listen to the voices in the world.

There are so many voices telling us they have the solution, like theologians shouting great swelling words, some good and some not so good. The bible tells of itself in Timothy II 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

Timothy II 3:17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Our final trust must be in the word of God, it is our “instrument” and we are not left without comfort, the Holy Spirit never sleeps.

 

Ephesians 4:14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

 

Today with our mass communications, the various doctrines blow across this land with hurricane force strong enough to blow one completely off course, and into the side of a mountain, were it not for our good “instrument” the Word that is the source of good doctrine.

 

With our mass communications, fast moving modes of transportation and voices constantly demanding our attention, through cell phones, computers, T.V. signal lights, crowded streets and freeways it becomes even more important to spend time in Gods word. Always brushing up on our training, staying fit in season and out of season, and there’s not much “out of season” in our day and times.