Where in the world is N211PH?

Bamako, Mali

4741 miles traveled and 1298 miles remaining

1:55 pm CDT - Arrival! - 86* F , clear skies, light wind

John and N211PH are safe on the ground in Bamako. The MAF pilots arranged a place for him to stay tonight and possibly put the plane in a hangar overnight. What a blessing! Pray for John to get some good rest and for clear traveling weather for the remaining two days of travel. Thanks for your prayer support!

12:10 pm CDT - John has made contact with a Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) pilot in the area and is expected to land in Bamako just after 2:00 pm CDT. On a humorous note, while flight testing the ferry tanks in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, I (Terry) intentionally ran the tanks dry to verify the behavior of the engine and also to confirm the amount of usable fuel in each ferry fuel tank. The engine never quit and the fuel supply was never completely stopped, but my attention was definitely drawn to restoring the fuel supply at the first sign of an empty tank. A few times now while John has been flying and we have been talking on the phone, he stops talking and then comes back. The last time, he said "How come I always run out of gas when you call?" Maybe I should not call him any more! Seriously, the plane is running well, and the pilot seems at ease and excited to be serving the Lord in this way. Praise the Lord for all those capable hands who have had a part in this momentous journey for Christ!

Missionary Terry Sharp had this to say about his visit with Brother John Douglas, "I had a good time with brother John, he’s a good man with strong convictions yet well-balanced in application of his beliefs. Very refreshing. I hope his stay here provided needed rest for the remainder of his journey."

9:22 am CDT - Direct to Bamako - John just made the turn over head Nouakchott, Mauritania. At his present speed he should arrive in Bamako, Mali, around 2 pm CDT.

7:00 am CDT - John called, and the visibility is hazy with blowing dust but otherwise, the skies are clear.

5:20 am CDT - The SPOT messenger is in an area of possible unreliability. I called John and all is well. When the SPOT does not report, we will communicate by satellite phone every hour. So if you are following him on the SPOT Tracker website, do not be alarmed if you do not see a report for an extended period of time.

4:10 am CDT - N211PH took to the air again. You will see by the routing that John is not going direct. He is skirting Western Sahara until Mauritania when he then turns straight to Bamako. As you view this posting first thing this morning, be sure to lift up Brother Douglas before our Lord in prayer.

"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD;
in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up."
Psalm 5:3

Where in the world is N211PH?

Still in the Canary Islands

John is staying in Gran Canaria today due to weather and flight planning issues. He is now planning on bypassing much of the desert that he would have been flying over if he had gone directly over Western Sahara to Bamako, Mali. As you see in the picture above, he is planning on staying near the shoreline until about halfway down the shore of Mauritania. This will add another 175 miles to the route, making it nearly as long as the trek across the Atlantic Ocean. John is in good company with Missionary Terry Sharp. I am sure this visit will be a blessing and encouragement to Brother Sharp.

Here are some pictures that John took en route:

Santa Maria, Azores (new tower)

Santa Maria, Azores (old tower)

En route between Azores and Canary Islands

God's Servant to Cameroon

Where in the world is N211PH?

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

3731 miles traveled and 2308 miles remaining

10:45 am CDT - Arrival! - 73* F , mostly cloudy, north wind

After John landed, the sound room technicians at our church were able to patch him through to our pastor and congregation. Pastor King was able to speak with him for a few moments while everyone else listened in! What a treat to have everyone join in together and have a part in the delivery of this aircraft for use in Cameroon.

God has brought a special team together to support this effort. Tom Needham is the missionary who built and will fly this aircraft in direct evangelism in Cameroon. John Douglas is the pilot who God is using to deliver the Sportsman. The entire Wings As Eagles team has assisted in building, maintaining, and improving the aircraft. Many vendors and volunteers have donated assistance, parts, and expertise. Supporters of Brother Needham have given a wealth of money and prayers to see the project safely through. Another ministry, Operation Renewed Hope, is helping raise awareness of the Sportsman to Africa project that the news may be known about what God is doing in Cameroon.

The delivery is not yet finished. Please continue praying and following N211PH all the way to the Needhams' home in Cameroon.

6:05 am CDT - John called on the satellite phone to report that it is a beautiful day to fly! The folk at the Santa Maria airport said there is always some wind in the Azores, but this morning was calm and perfect. The weather is 70* and clear. ETA for Gran Canaria is 10:41 CDT. Thanks for praying for him.

5:17 am CDT - Here we go again! N211PH departed Santa Maria, Azores, for a 5+ hour flight to Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. The weather looks great, and John sounded rested this morning. He will be visiting with Missionary Terry Sharp. Brother Sharp is excited to host John for the day and will cherish the fellowship.

Where in the world is N211PH?

Santa Maria, Azores

2998 miles traveled and 3041 miles remaining

1:25 pm CDT - Arrival! - 70* F , clear skies, light wind
This is the halfway point of the journey, and today was the longest leg of the trip. Only 4 more days of flying remain. I have not talked with John yet, but I expect to communicate with him as soon as he clears customs. Later tonight we will plan for tomorrow. All for the glory of God!

10:51 am CDT - N211PH is now inside Santa Maria, Azores, airspace and has less than 430 miles remaining before landing. John is on schedule for landing before 2:00 pm CDT.

8:28 am CDT - N211PH is over halfway to the Azores. John has reported in using the SPOT as well as relaying position reports through airlines flying over "the pond." He is expected to land in Santa Maria around 2:00 pm CDT. Enlarge the image above to see the SPOT where he last reported.

5:07 am CDT - N211PH departed St. John's at 3:52 CDT bound for Santa Maria, Azores. John called me before he left and was very encouraged by the weather and outlook for today. I just made his hotel reservation in Santa Maria, Azores. The latest SPOT report showed him to be nearly 200 miles off the coast of Newfoundland with around 1200 miles to go.

Where in the world is N211PH?

St. John's Newfoundland, Canada

1626 miles traveled and 4413 miles remaining

John left Pawtucket, Rhode Island, @ 12:20 pm EDT and flew 5 hours to St. John's, landing at 7:00 pm Newfoundland time. The flight was smooth with up to 55 knot tailwinds for some parts of the flight. He is resting now for the longest leg of this journey tomorrow. Please pray for smooth air and tailwinds.

On the curious note, John is wearing a dry suit for the overwater portions of the trip. I would like to see a picture of him stuffed into the suit and then stuffed into the Sportsman! He said that it is quite a large piece of garment. It was hard finding room to store it in the plane on the flight today because of its size!

We had a special time of prayer for this ferry flight at our Wyldewood Baptist Church Mission Conference. Thank you for joining us in lifting John and the Sportsman before our Heavenly Father.

"For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."
Psalm 91:11-12

Where in the world is N211PH?

Pawtucket, Rhode Island

759 miles traveled and 5280 miles remaining

John left Oshkosh at 8:45 am this morning and flew to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, where he will attend a course on crossing the North Atlantic Ocean with veteran ferry pilot and flight instructor, Ed Carlson. Ed has a website FlyThePond.com. John has gathered a lot of information, but this course will help him interpret the weather systems and also give him some additional equipment and information tools to make this journey more uneventful. I talked briefly with John after he landed, and he was already meeting with Ed.

Praise the Lord! I just got word that the visas are now completed. They are being FedEx shipped to John right away. He should have them tomorrow, Friday, morning. Next stop - St. John's, Newfoundland.

Click here to view a gallery of pictures chronicling the building of this plane for the Lord.

Where in the world is N211PH?

Oshkosh, Wisconsin

0 miles traveled and 6039 miles remaining

Yes, still in Oshkosh, but not for long! By the way, you can click the picture for an expanded view of the route and current location.

Today was spent in final preparations for departure tomorrow morning. The windshield is clean, the oil is changed, the plane is washed, and the tanks are full of gas. Packing will not be finished until the airplane leaves ;-) Departure time is scheduled for 8:30 am. John will fly to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and then attend a one day seminar on flying across the North Atlantic. The visas are not yet in hand, but they will be mailed, hopefully tomorrow, to a location along the route.

John and I laid out the charts for the flight across Africa and marked his route. His route could have taken him directly over a 13,000' volcano in Cameroon! He will go around this cauldron, not over. What a trip! Thank you for praying in advance for a safe, fruitful, and uneventful journey.