International (MNN)–Mission Aviation Fellowship, one of the largest missionary flight organization in the world, says it needs about two dozen pilots and mechanics to provide aid to the more than 400 Christian organizations that depend on their services.
The need for missions pilots and mechanics for missionary transport, medical transportation, or Bible translation, is ongoing.
The problem is getting the needed personnel to the field. Christian Aviation Ministries’ Josh Billington says his own experience made him realize that without help, aviation ministry might be facing a serious shortage.
There are two challenges pilots-in-training face, he adds. “Individuals who are just starting out and need money to get through so they can reach the mission field, and individuals who are sort of ‘caught’ in the midst of training and not being able to continue because of the debt. That would be the grant side of things.”
Billington says training is cost prohibitive–around 40-thousand dollars. That’s why CAM was started. “Right now, we’re in the process of raising funds to build up funds to be able to give to people in the form of grants or scholarships so they can train for missionary aviation.”
Once the student graduates, Billington explains, that the student continues to report on their progress and with which mission organization they will participate. That organization is then sent an agreement obligating them to report annually on how that student is impacting their ministry.
CAM hopes to raise enough money to fund 100 scholarships over the next two years.
