AvHeaven

FINAL APPROACH

A message for pilots, patriots and fisherman of men.  May the Holy Spirit shine through our hearts and souls to profess faith, hope, and love to the ends of the earth by using a compass and other indicators to keep us out of the clouds and spiritually heading True North for  FINAL APPROACH.

Flying in heaven in our favorite aircraft.

What does Heaven look like? The ultimate airshow - EAA AirVenture-Oshkosh Airport in Heaven

This photo below depicts my Lord Jesus, mentor and Founder of EAA Paul Poberenzy, the president of EAA Tom Poberenzies Christian Eagle airplane and four generations of my families airplanes. Shown is my Grandpas 1949 Lincoln Page with Grandpa Frieman sitting in the cockpit; Dads Beechcraft Bonanza, Dads Mooney and Piper Cub; My Icarus V Powered Hang Glider (taking off and hanging from my arm pits) and TJ's Flying Circus logo is depicted representing my son TJ. There is a VTOL airplane and the flying cross represents Jesus. Yes I will be flying in Heaven. I don't know if I will be flying a Cirrus or have my own wings like an angel. But I do believe it will be 10X-100X better than Oshkosh AirVenture which is the greatest show on earth.

My Dad (RIP) invested in and owned Cirrus #7. 

 Pictured is a Cirrus on final into OSH-Heaven. 

The Bible says do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  

What is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2Cor. 4:18.  

In this final approach look straight ahead at Jesus.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, for whosoever believes in the son shall not perish, but have eternal life.

J 3:16 - probably the most famous verse in the Bible

Destination: Airports in Heaven

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all this? Isaiah 40:26 Isaiah made people look up at the heavens to use their imagination aright. The way each day (flight) will look to you all starts with who you're looking to. In every wind that blows, in every sign of the sky, there is a real coming of God to us if we simply use our imagination to realize it.

John 14:6

And Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life".  No one can come to the Father except through me 

I am EAA Member  #99884 and have flown my three-time Award Winning Best-in-Type1946 Ercoupe 415C into Oshkosh 30 times to camp under the wing with a different friend each time.  I had a sign on my Ercoupe propellor that said PLEASE TOUCH.  I have also flown into Oshkosh in a 1947 Straight 35 Beechcraft Bonanza.  It’s heaven on earth.  

 I am Young Eagle Pilot #04.  Technically I am the 2nd EAA member to fly Young Eagles.  YE Pilot #01 always belongs to the YE Chairman; YE Pilot #02 belongs to EAA President Tom Poberezny and another EAA member is YE Pilot #03.  Two Million Young Eagles have been flown in the last 25 years.  This is the most amazing and successful Youth program ever undertaken and kudos go to the 40,000 EAA Pilots and 1000 EAA Chapters who made it happen. 

Eph. 2:10 

Good Works For we are Gods workmanship created in Christ Jesus, to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do.

Using your skills and knowledge to point to the Lord Jesus. 

I could have been a role model for Jesus Christ but did not have a relationship with Jesus.  I could have influenced YE kids by saying a prayer before the flight and certainly after my flight.  I could have lead a prayer group after the flights for all pilots safe landings!  

My first Young Eagle became a pilot with a Helicopter rating and Airline Transport rating.  I had a big impact on him.  I was told he had my YE photo on his dresser until adulthood.  It's not about me (it was at the time).  It's all about Jesus yet I did not mention Jesus.  This Young Eagle could have learned to fly like an Eagle and Angel.  I missed an opportunity to make a Disciple of Christ through our EAA Network of Volunteer Pilots and Ground Volunteers.  All flights now include a prayer for a safe, inspirational and fun flight.  It would be most valuable to bring a kid to Jesus Christ and become a pilot. It would be a gift to a kid that just keeps on giving. 

John 16:24 

Assurance of Answered Prayer Until now you have asked nothing in my name, ask and you will recieve, that your joy may be full

 

I will teach Young Eagles that faith, hope and love are symbolized by the instuments altimiter, airspeed indicator and compass (in an Ercoupe) as faith, hope and love.  Love being the most important to keep you heading true north to reach your destination flying and destination spiritually through life.

1 John 1:9 

Assurance of Forgiveness  If we confess our sins and are faithful and just, he will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrightessness.

YOUR ATTITUDE

(Phil. 2:5)

It's a Bird ...No, It's aPlane ... No, It's an Attitude

Have this attitude in yourselves which was in Christ Jesus

Ask yourself (like during flight) Have I checked my attitude lately? Nose up; Nose down?  Teachers would call my parent during grade school saying that I was intellectually capable but I was failing; causing disturbance among classmates.  Teachers said I had a bad attitude.  An attitude is often expressed by our body language and by the looks on our faces, and what comes out of our mouth and it can be contagious.  Have you noticed what happens to people when one person, by his expression, shares a positive attitude.  Yeah, that's what I was thinking (Trump Rallies).  Thousands of people chanting at Trump Rallies "We love you, We love you" to President Trump.  Nobody shows up at Bidens Rallies because of his negative attitude (going to be a Cold, Dark Winter?).  A hardened attitude causes a closed mind and a dark future.

Choose a friend and evaluate his attitude and describe it.  What is the performance indicator as a result of his attitude?  Does it seem off cilter? Now do this for yourself.

A Boy asked his Father:- Dad what is the size of GOD?

Then the Father looked up at the Sky and saw a Plane and asked his Son:

What is the size of this Plane? The Boy replied:- it is very small. I can hardly see it. Then, the father took him to the airport and as they approached the plane, he asked: - Now, my Son, how big is this Plane? The boy replied:- Wow dad, it's huge! Then the father told him:- GOD's size depends on how close or far you are to him. The closer you are to him, the Greater and Greater he will be in your life!

Psalm 119:9,11

Gods Word  How can a young man keep his way pure?  By living according to your word.  I have hidden your word in my heart so that I might not sin against you.

Pilots Prayer

My dear Lord Jesus, I come to you now to be restored in you, renewed in you, to receive your life and your love and all the grace and mercy I so desperately need. I honor you as my Lord, and I surrender every aspect and dimension of my life to you. I give you my spirit, soul, and body, my heart, mind, and will. I ask your Holy Spirit to restore me in you, renew me in you, and lead this time of prayer.  In all that I now pray, I include [my wife and/or children, by name]. I cover them with your blood—their spirit, soul, and body, their heart, mind, and will. I ask your Spirit to restore them in you and include them in all that I now pray, acting as their Pilot in Command. Original prayer by John Eldridge. Now its a pilots prayer.

 Proverbs 3:5,6

 Assurance of Guidance. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him and he'll make your path straight

The airplane graphic below illustrates four forces to make an airplane fly or get to our destination - Heaven.  Like any ship an airplane must have a rudder or tail to keep you straight and level and a Propeller to provide thrust to get you off the ground and high on the Holy Spirit of Christ.

Airplane illustrates Principals to Glorify God to generate Lift.

1. The Tail represents Theology and like the Bible it keeps you on course.  Just reading the Bible and going to Church won't get you to Heaven.  The Pharisees had Theology and they never left the ground.  Many Christians in churches today will stay grounded on the ground.  The goal is to be grounded in Christ with a thrust get us up, up and away and landing on target - Heaven.
2. The Propeller or power plant  represents the Holy Spirit.  Jesus through the thrust of the Holy Spirit will rev up your engine and help you take off to reach an altitude to the Wild Blue Yonder for Christ.  There are Born Again Christians, high on the Spirit with their new church or group that don't actually read, study or work on their relationship with Jesus and they can end up going around in circle without a rudder.
3. The Left Wing represents Dependance on God.  We must acknowledge and accept his Grace.  God's purpose is that we depend on him and his power now.  God's Grace creates Lift to break away from stress, worry and anxiety.  Grace enables us to live feerlessly through dangerous times.  
4. The Right Wing enables us to do the work and have the Discipline to fly a straight and narrow path (Obediance).  God doesn't fly the airplane.  The pilot flys the airplane.  Power of the pilot through Hope and Faith provide lift by living at our full potential.

The first airplanes like the Wright Flyer and early Biplanes were open-air cockpit without a roof or a windshield.  The cockpit or front panel quickly gained new purpose when flying from point A to point B to hold various instruments which have changed over time.  Instrument panels have changed over time and thanks to onboard computers and audio and visual displays, a dizzying array of feedback is provided. The Piper Cub depicted in photo, like my Ercoupe, has the minimum intruments; airspeed, altimeter and compass and the jet is stacked for flying instrument flight rulles, IFR.  Both airplanes will get you cross country. 

Instruments that indicate Spiritual Faith (altimeter), Hope (airspeed), and Love (compass).

 

I'm sure the Wright Flyers, the Father of Aviation would be stunned by the amount of feedback provided via modern intrument panels.  All the indicators are not just for show and each one has a purpose to make us safer and more efficient pilots.  In that spirit, an analagy can be made for spiritual life.  What's our spiritual speed?  Are we traveling with adequate amounts of spritual fuel?  How far have we come on our journey?  Are we traveling in the right direction?  Truth be told, some of us may pay more attention to our instuments in the cockpit than we do our own spiritual indicators; faith, hope, love, and more.

Jesus, take away the fog and the clouds and help me see . Guide me. . . give me eyes that really see.

1. 

What Do You See In Your Clouds? "Look, He is coming in the clouds." Rev. 1:7.

In the Bible clouds are always connected with God.  Clouds are those sufferings or providences, within or without our personal lives, which seem to dispute the rule of God.  It is by those very clouds that the spirit of God is teaching us how to walk by faith.  "The clouds are but the dust of our fathers feet."  The clouds are a sign that he is there.  What a revelation it is to know that sorrow and bereavement and suffering are the clouds that come along with God and Heaven.

Mat.6:33

 Putting Christ First. Seek first his Kingdom and his rightessness and all these things will be given to you as well.

Jesus rides on the Wings of the Wind

There are 4 winds of God.  North is the Love of God. East is the Grace of God.  South is the Promise of God and West is the Image of God.  We need all 4 forces of the airplane to mauever through the 4 winds of God and fly straight and level without getting off course.  We can't see the wind in the air and most times in real life.   

The question of getting to a particular end, a desired goal; He is not interested.  The question of getting to a particular end in life is mere incident.  What we call the process, God calls the end.  

If we can fly straight and level and unperplexed, that is the end of the purpose of God.  It is the process not the end which is glorifying to God.  Our training and preparation is what God calls the end. God's end is to enable me to see the winds amongst the clouds or chaos of life just now.  Obedience is the end and provides a smooth flight and perfect landing spiritually.

Phil. 4:13
His Strength  I can do anything through him who strengthens me.

I purchased this yellow hang glider and I know I am saved because God saved my life.  Their are no degrees of salvation.  You believe Christ is your savior, you're saved.  There are degrees of spirituality and sanctification and I have to work on this through life like you have to know true north when flying across country.

Standard 18' Jobe hang glider 1972.  Friend Dave carrying back up the hill.

I purchased this 18' Jobe Ragallo hang glider right out of high school in 1972 from Boris Popov in St. Paul, MN who was working out of his parents' basement.  I was one of his first customers.  He sold standard Ragallo hangliders and had just begun a dealership for Easy Riser kits.  He sent me to Edina high school in Edina with his instructor who just bought his own hang glider a couple weeks before me and I ran down a sloping hill 2 or 3 times and that was my training (about an hour).  

 I drove across town to Mendota Heights which was the nearest to my home and tallest Mississippi River Bluff right across from the Schmidt Brewery, looking east at Downtown St. Paul, MN.  I had my friend Tony Loes step down on a bobwire fence and jumped over it and off the cliff.  It wasn't a safe take-off spot.  I miss judged the 4 to 1 glide ratio and crash landed in a crick, broke a pole, hurt my ankle, but I was alright.  After some minor repairs to the hanglider I decided to find a regular hang gliding area 75 miles from home in Hager City, WI.

Front page of hanglider Club contract

Pictured below is my friend, a college student, who wanted to try my hang glider.  We found another smaller sloping hill in Mendota Heights, MN while the DOT was overcoming environmental hurdles building the 494 Freeway interchange.  I started taking girls out to this 494 site and letting them fly my hang glider with me as their instructor.  Most landings were crashes.  No-one ever got higher than they cared to fall.  But my hang glider got beat up over and over.  I started a hang glider club and became the Normandale Junior College Hang Glider Club President and had the school supply me with the funds to build a Normandale Junior College hang glider so I could train students on the school hang glider.  More to come .............

Training a student on my 18' Jobe wing.

 I used my hang glider to make drawings and measurements and built the Normandale J.C. hang glider below.  We completed the build and I am testing it at the South St. Paul Gravel 
Pits that are maybe 50 foot high.  You may notice that the home made hang glider is mushing more like a parachute than flying like a glider.  Also, notice the rear billows in the sail appear to be pretty big.  I went back to the workshop, removed the sail, re-sewed the sail with a smaller billow by guess and by golly and re-installed the sail.  I took the new sail (hang glider) to the standard hang glider bluff without testing it at the gravel pit first.


School Notebook - Normandale JC Hanglider drawings

You could say theres some math and science in notebook

SSP Gravel Pit

South St. Paul Gravel Pit 1973 test flight

I migrated to Hager City, WI where Hang glider pilots first started flying in our area.  Boris Popov bought the land and was planning on building tram to take hangliders up the bluff.    I climbed the bluff for an hour and and jumped and flew down for a 1 minute or lass flight. I never became good enough or brave enough to soar along the ridges where friends were flying for as long as they could catch the updrafts from the bluffs.

1 John 5:11,12

And this is the Testimony, that God gave us eternal life. This life is in his son.  Whoever has God's son has life, whoever does not have his son does not have life.

CRASH in Hager City, WI.  I'm DEAD.....

I believe in Jesus Christ as my almighty savior because in 1973 I was falling to my death and God stretched out his hands and I was saved from jumping off a Mississippi River Bluff in Hager City, WI across from Redwing, MN.   The photo depicts the exact flight take-off  point at the popular hang glider bluff.  I was in Junior College.  I partied quite a bit my first year of college and routinely went to weekend parties smoking the bong and drinking from the keg Friday nights.  I would go hang gliding on Saturdays.  God was definitely trying to tell me something about my behavior.  I also did an independent study at Normandale J.C. on the New Testament; Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John at Normandale J.C. and was getting to know more about Jesus.  I got an "A" for my grade but really didn't get it.  I didn't really have a relationship with Jesus yet. But I know damn well he saved me anyway from dying in that hang glider crash.    THIS IS A TESTIMONY.  I am saved.

1 Cor 10:13

Assurance of Victory  No temptation has over taken you that is not common to man; God is faithful and just and will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear, but will provide a way out so that you can bear it.

Friend jumping off Hager City where I flew on weekends.

I took the hang glider to Hager City, WI to fly (it bears repeating) without re-testing the glider on the small gravel pit hill in SSP.  Well needless to say I jumped off the Hager City, WI bluff, pushed the trapeze bar out to go up but I was falling straight down.  My arms were stretched out as far as they could go and I 'm not flying, I'm falling.  I'm going to die.

I was in a dive and was falling 250 feet off the cliff to SPLAT on the hillside or field below.  Pilots at the top of the hill and at the bottom were sure I was a lump of dead meat. 
They were all thinking the same thing I was - "oh Shit".  In those early days everyone watched everybody's take-offs and landings.

For a second I was afraid because I was going to die and there was nothing I could do.  Then ...  A force of peace came over me.  It felt like God had his two hands holding me and the glider still.  I wasn't afraid while falling because I would be in heaven.  I really, really felt peaceful while falling, not flying to my death but to heaven.  There wasn't enough time for me to say I'm sorry God or repent.  It just happened so quick.  God saved my life. I struck and fell into a small tree halfway down the side of the cliff and I ended up hanging in it yelling "I'm OK".  The glider was completely destroyed and the sail crumpled up like tissue paper and every aluminum pole was broke.  No-one believed I survived.  I promised God I will never smoke pot again because it was probably going to kill me.  God without using his voice said straighten up boy.  I believe!

 Mark 5:19

 WITNESSING. Go home and tell your family what the Lord has done for you and how much Mercy he has given you.

CRASHED AND BURNED

Ercoupe N3469H Crash-talk about Mercy!

1975 I was 21 years old.  It was a perfect 70 degree summer day.  I pulled the Ercoupe out of the Hangar at Lake Elmo 21D.   A kid that had been trying to get a ride with me for months caught me at the right time and asked for a ride.  I gave him his first ride in an airplane.  We taxied to take off area and did normal run up with checklist.  THIS IS A TESTIMONY.  I am saved.

Ercoupe 3469H

Pushed full throttle and cleared the end of the runway at maybe a 100 feet.  Climbed to maybe 200 feet and the engine failed.  I checked gas (again) pulled carb heat and only had time to keep the wings straight and level to crash in the corn field a half mile off the end of the runway.  I am a hang glider pilot so my instinct was to push the nose down and mush to the ground.   Many pilots would try to slow down by keeping nose up and stay aloft but  stall.  An Ercoupe is a fast glider.   We hit the corn field between 60-80 MPH.  The corn was 6 feet tall and we thumped and stopped in a space smaller than a tennis court.  We were both shaken up but alive.

pocket sized fire extinguisher - what was I thinking?

My passenger immediately saw some smoke rising from the cowl and he instrinctively busted out the windows, climbed up on the wing and started running back past the tail.  I put my nose in his butt and followed him and ran.   We both thought the airplane would blow up like in the movies.  Most cars that hit telephone poles at 65 MPH end up getting towed but they don't blow up except in the movies.   I stopped 30 yards away from being out of breath and I yelled to my friend "I have a fire extinguisher"  I started running back to the airplane and for some instinctive reason this kid runs after me saying "Scott, No, no".   He tackles me 15 yards away from the plane and we both fall to the ground.  The Ercoupe blew up like in the movies.  The entire cockpit where the fire extuinguisher was is gone.  Poof like when you poor gasoline on a bonfire.

I never saw the kid again.  My Parents, Police, Firefighters, airport guys all shaking their heads in disbelief that I survived once the airplane fire was put out by the firetrucks.   Someone must of saw us go down because firetrucks were on scene right away.   Little did they know that I survived twice that day.   I don't remember if I told anyone I was running back towards the plane when it blew up.  Thank you God for saving me physically.  I'm still at the time decades away from being spiritually disciplined.  I'm sure I joked around that God saved me but at the time was never in prayer and never asked God why he saved me twice that summer day.

Ercoupe 3469H was destroyed and the FAA investigated for several weeks.  They determined it was carberator ice.  Lucky for me there was no pilot error. 

Award winning 1946 Ercoupe 415C

 I got some insurance money and my Dad flew me out to Michigan to buy another Ercoupe 2701H for $5000.  It became a three time Best-in-Type Award Winner at Oshkosh and National Award Winner amongst 100 Ercoupes.

My Ercoupe 2701H instrument panel

  I flew into Oshkosh once with Ercoupe 3469H and 30 times with 2701H with an almost original restored cockpit.  God had a hand in some of those adventures too.  More stories to come......

CRASH GORDON

Still Hanging in there! 1977

Crash Gordon, Still Hanging in there! That was the local Twin Cities News Paper Headline.  It was another windy day.  The local sports newscaster called me at work and asked if NBC could video me and my powered hanglider he heard about for tonights news.  I said suuuuure.  See more of story and photos here: http://scottolson.name/bio/IcarusV.htm

Scratch built IcarusV hanglider; early 1970s paint job.

Crashed on local TV in a corn field and knocked out on impact.  Two truckers saw me go down, went into the cornfield, dragged me out of the corn field and brought me back to the airport.  I love Truckers.  I love God for bringing truckers to the rescue.  Video(s) coming soon....

Oh, I recently crashed my Minivan on I80 near I35.  God kept me alive in a 5 car pile up.

Start each day as an Adventure with God as your guide.  

The safest place to be in the road or on final approach is by God at your side.