Chuck and Chris Daly
Missions • Global Missions • Local Missions • Short Term Missions • Conference
About
Chuck and Chris Daly live in Waxhaw, NC where Chuck is the Director of Aviation. Aviation provides aviation services to JAARS and Wycliffe and see that the worldwide field operations of JAARS have the necessary equipment, personnel and support services. The Daly’s have three children; Matthew, Alaina, and Alexandra.. Chuck_Daly@sil.org is their email contact and the phone, 704-843-4479
Audio
Chuck Daly, JAARS Aviation Director, tells about growing up as a missionary kid in Mexico and seeing Bible translation first hand. Chuck tells about his experience of serving as a mission pilot and the need for mission aviators.
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Chuck Daly, director of JAARS aviation, and Steve Ottaviano, assistant director for flight standards, talk about the Kodiak aircraft recently received by JAARS. The two also recount their experiences as mission pilots.
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Recent Update
JAARS pilots flew the Samaritan’s Purse Kodiak to Haiti Thursday February 4th. They joined the Mission Aviation Fellowship operation in Port-au-Prince, and the next day began relief flying. Each day they move food, water, medical supplies, and relief personnel to wherever they are needed. JAARS pilots will rotate about every three weeks to keep up the flight operations as long as they are needed.
Sam’s Purse and MAF Kodiaks in Port-au-Prince
Meanwhile, Chris’ brother-in-law Rick, who is the CEO of Joy in Hope www.joyinhope.org, a non-profit that runs an orphanage in Jacmel, Haiti, called Chris earlier this week and asked if she would accompany him and Chris’ sister along with one other lady for a week. They will help primarily with the many babies who were orphaned and food packaging/distribution while Rick plans for the long-term relief needs. We need to confirm her plans to go by Sunday (tomorrow) since the trip begins a week from Monday. Those who have been praying about this with us have encouraged Chris to go, but we have not committed to it yet since we don’t have the funds for airfare, about $800.
In March Chuck will be going to Melbourne, Australia again to meet with the leadership of the Australian Centre for Mission Aviation, a school with whom we have been partnering for about 10 years. We will be working to clarify the partnership between Mission Aviation Fellowship, JAARS, and the Bible College of Victoria as well as work through some critical management decisions. We will also be spending some time working on the flight curriculum, attempting to blend the best aspects of the Australian and American training systems into something better than either system alone.
From Melbourne he will catch a flight to the Solomon Islands where he will be meeting with colleagues there to figure out the next steps in solving the many transportation problems that are hindering Bible translation work there. A survey of the islands has already revealed the need for dedicated boat and air services, but the challenge will be to figure out how to establish an economically sustainable service.
Recently I was asked to answer the question, “What’s it like being a JAARS pilot?” If you want to see my answer based on my experiences below.
Q: What’s it like being a JAARS pilot?
A: Early morning preflights, loading the airplane, tying down the cargo, loading the passengers. Dealing with bad weather enroute. Always maintaining an awareness of what the alternatives are if the weather goes bad at your destination. Listening to the crackle and crash of the HF radio while straining to understand the weather reports, fuel availability, or changes to the schedule. Making position reports
regularly in case something goes wrong. Landing at your destination and changing the load, removing or adding seats in whatever combination is needed for the next leg of the flight. Rolling out a 55 gallon drum of fuel, standing it up, and hand-cranking the fuel into the wing. Hot and sweaty.
The challenge of landing on a short, steeply sloped airstrip on the side of a mountain. Reviewing the homemade chart with all the information about that airstrip. Looking over the runway for people, obstructions, animals, surface condition. Taking careful note of the wind, planning your touchdown zone, and planning the approach, including identifying the committal point, the latest point you can safely do a go-around without running into terrain. Making sure you are on a stabilized approach - on glidepath, on speed, correct power setting, correct rate of descent. Not looking at the far end of the runway, because it will make it look too short and will psych you out. Reminding yourself when you are
committed to land, knowing that if something goes wrong after the committal point you have to land regardless of the consequences. The feeling of accomplishment when you make a successful landing.
Unloading and loading again. Hot and sweaty. Making sure you don't forget the mail. Handing a cold Coke to the missionary as a way of encouragement, asking them how it's going, praying with them. Repeat all of the above a couple of times before heading home, but get rained on at least once so you are soaking wet on the flight home.
Climbing to 14,000 feet with an oxygen mask on because the weather has continued to deteriorate as the day has gone by and you have to get high enough not to run into the mountains while flying through the clouds. Geting chilled because of the cold and the wet clothes. Finally remembering to eat lunch. Landing at home base, reminding yourself not to let your guard down and have an accident at the end of the day when you are tired. Postflighting the airplane and planning the next day's flying.
Spending the night in a village - whether unplanned due to weather, delays, or a mechanical problem, or planned from the start. Eating whatever is available, sometimes delicious, sometimes not. Sleeping under a mosquito net, either hot and sweaty or too cold. Helping the missionary or the locals with a mechanical problem - fixing a lawn mower, repairing an HF antenna, doing some carpentry. Getting bitten by flies, mosquitoes, gnats, chiggers, and who knows what else. Dealing with people who are
unhappy because they don't understand why you can't take all their stuff, or take one more passenger even though there is an empty seat. Teaching someone how to sit in an airplane seat and buckle and unbuckle their seatbelt. Smelling sweat, smoke, and other things less pleasant in a cabin without adequate ventilation. Hot and sweaty.
Surveying airstrips to make sure the runway charts are accurate. Hot and sweaty, getting bitten by chiggers which you know will itch for the next two weeks. Using a machete to cut the grass on the airstrip before you can take off again. Planning a new runway, and helping the people of the community cut down trees, dig out stumps, level and pack the ground, and dig drainage ditches. Hot and sweaty. Figuring out how to load the airplane with more than should reasonably fit while keeping it within weight and center of gravity limits. Loading lumber, roofing iron, the kitchen sink, or other buliliding supplies, refrigerators, motorcycles, generators, mattresses, food, toilet paper, mail, and anything else you can think of. Loading people with broken limbs, snakebite, machete or other wounds, high fevers, cancer, or malaria and taking them to the hospital. Delivering food and medical supplies to people whose lives have been devastated by floods or other natural disasters.
Seeing the tears of the people as the missionary gets in to the airplane to leave on furlough - life is so uncertain in remote areas they know they may never see them again. Seeing the joy on the faces of the people as they welcome the missionary returning from furlough, the family member who has been gone, or the loved one who left deathly ill and is returning healthy again. Hearing the wailing of the people as you land with the body of the person who didn't recover.
Seeing the joy on the faces of people who are holding a copy of the scriptures in their own language for the first time. Watching people crowd around the ones who can read so they all can hear. Shaking the hand of a brother in Christ who was once a noted warrior, but whose life has been transformed by the power of the gospel and who has been to the villages of traditional enemies, only instead of carrying weapons on a mission of hatred and revenge, has carried the message of love, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
Travels B by Chuck Daly JAARS Director of Aviation The
6205 Kelly Lynn Ct
Waxhaw, NC 28173
Phone: 704-843-4479