Flying for Kosovo

Dear friends,
I would like to inform you that the initial research and analysis of the accident was finished yesterday morning. The investigation was conducted by a research group of five experts from the Sudanese Civil Aviation from Khartoum who took the remaining parts of the exploded cylinder to their laboratory in Khartoum.
Based on their analysis, it was confirmed that the main axis that controls the exploded cylinder was curved due to an enormous amount of pressure. That pressure also caused damage to a second cylinder as well. The investigators confirmed my initial belief that the engine had been damaged many places as a result of the accident conditions.
It is clear that my aircraft can not fly anymore with this engine. Now, I have two options to decide from: one is to completely dismantle the engine and repair only the damaged parts (remember, there are a lot of parts that need to be fixed) and my second option is to replace the entire engine (which would be the faster and more cost-efficient option).
Due to the make and model of our aircraft (remember it is a 1967 Cessna), repairs to the engine can only be completed in places like the U.S., Canada, Kenya or South Africa. Transportation of an engine, repair, replacement parts, payment of engineers and all other processes will be at a very high cost, which our mission cannot afford. Further, the duration of this repair, according to experts, would be at least a month (maybe longer).
The more reasonable option for me to replace the entire engine, which still needs to be ordered from the U.S., Canada, Kenya or South Africa. The engine can be brought and mounted within a week, and our mission will be able to continue lobbying in the remaining countries of Africa. This option will still be very expensive, but will be the cheaper of the two.

Throughout these past two years, there have been many times that our mission has suffered. Whether physically, psychologically or politically, I have managed to keep our dream alive and continue on. I could never have done this without the emotional and financial support that all of you have been kind enough to offer me. All of my efforts have been completely voluntary and I have now been to several countries as a result of your hope and dedication to our cause.

As a symbol of thanks and gratitude to all of you who have supported me morally during this time, I would like to bring to our baby plane to Kosovo in order to record the proof that our vision and our people has made a difference in the world. I want our aircraft, the plane that nearly took my life, to be a symbol of hope for our future generations. I want it to remind us all of the important contributions that we all can make in the name of our beloved country’s future. All of the sacrifices that you and I have made for this mission should be honored my friends and I wish nothing more than for the opportunity to greet you all with our plane upon return to our country.

Though I wish that our government could offer more help in this matter, it may indeed be left in our hands once again to make sure that our efforts succeed. Folks, we are so close to the end of this mission in Africa. It is now time that I ask for us to gather together again for this meaningful moment and do together what we cannot do alone.

I ask for your support in any way that you can give it. Whether it means sharing our mission with your friends and families, fundraisers, a small donation monthly, etc., or it might be a strong message to send if some of you actually wrote or called the Kosovo government officials to ask them why we have not received more help from them in order to complete this activity.

My friends, this is a mission that WE built, the people of Kosovo, Albanians and Albanian Americans. We contributed to it in whatever way that we could – I as a pilot, private funds and the ability to travel voluntarily and you all in many, many ways. For many reasons, this mission belongs to the people of our country. We have a government that should be working for our people. Now is the time to awaken the power within us and use our voices to pressure lawmakers to help us get our plane home, where it belongs. Where it will show proof that our dream is something to be proud of. When we finally get all of the nations needed in order to become an ‘official’ country, we will be able to look back and say to our grandchildren that we did it, WE did it. Together.

Warm wishes for you, from afar.

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Të dashur miq,

Po ju lajmëroj që dje në mëngjes ka përfunduar hulumtimi dhe analiza fillestare e aksidentit. Hulumtimi është kryer nga një grup prej pesë ekspertëve hulumtues nga Aviacioni Civil i Sudanit nga Khartoumi, të cilët i morën pjesët e mbetura nga cilindri i eksploduar për t’i dërguar në laboratorin e tyre në Khartoum.
Sipas analizave është vërtetuar që boshti kryesor që dirigjon cilindrin e eksploduar është lakuar prej trysnisë së madhe, dhe kjo trysni e ka dëmtuar edhe cilindrin e dytë. Ekspertët kanë vlerësuar që si pasojë, motori i aeroplanit ka pësuar në numër të dëmtimeve të brendshme.
Përfundimisht aeroplani im nuk mund të fluturojë më me këtë motor. Tani i kam dy mundësi: njëra është çmontimi i plotë i motorit dhe riparimi i pjesëve të dëmtuara (në këtë rast janë shumë sosh) dhe mundësia e dytë është ndërrimi i motorit të aeroplanit me një motor tjetër, që do të ishte opsion më i arsyeshëm dhe më i shpejtë.

Motori mund të riparohet vetëm në ShBA, Kanada, Keni apo Afrikë të Jugut. Transporti i motorit për riparim, ndërrimi i pjesëve, pagesa e inxhinierëve dhe të gjitha proceset tjera do të jenë me kosto shumë të lartë, kosto që misioni ynë nuk mund ta përballojë. Kohëzgjatja e këtij riparimi sipas ekspertëve është të paktën një muaj, por mund të zgjasë edhe më shumë. Ky mision gjatë tërë kohës ka vuajtur dhe ka pasur vështirësi të mëdha financiare, por falë vullnetit dhe vendosmërisë, kam arritur të lobojë në mënyrë vullnetare gati në gjysmën e planetit.

Mundësi më e arsyeshme për mua është ndërrimi i motorit të aeroplanit, i cili duhet të porositet nga Amerika, Kanadaja, Kenia apo Afrika Jugore. Motori mund të sillet dhe montohet brenda një jave, dhe misioni ynë do të mund të vazhdojë lobimin në shtetet e mbetura të Afrikës.

Si shenjë falënderimi dhe mirënjohje për të gjithë juve që më keni mbështetur moralisht gjatë tërë kësaj kohe, do të dëshiroja që ta sjellë në Kosovë motorin e dëmtuar, i cili gati ma mori edhe jetën. Le të mbetet në muzeun e Kosovës si simbol i sakrificës time, dhe sakrificës së gjithë atyre që punuan, vuajtën dhe dhanë çdo gjë që kishin për vendin tonë të dashur.

Ju përshëndes nga larg.

Kapiteni juaj,
James Berisha