Missionary aviation groups offer youth summer camps
Anniversary of missionary aviator Nate Saint’s death remembered
Seventy years after pioneering missionary pilot Nate Saint and four fellow missionaries lost their lives following their calling, the organization Saint served is among a few groups offering summer camps to train and inspire a new generation of pilots to follow in Saint's footsteps.
The journey of a mission pilot begins with faith and requires training and preparation beyond the aeronautical—along with a dose of ingenuity.
Saint was a missionary to Ecuador with Mission Aviation Fellowship. He teamed up with four other missionaries to try to reach the Waodani tribe who lived in isolation in the Amazon jungle. Saint began the conversation with a Piper PA–14 Family Cruiser that he would fly in a tight circle while lowering a bucket to the ground on a rope. Far below, the bucket spun in place and could be easily caught in hand, and the tribe accepted Saint's offered supplies. Eventually, they began to place items in the bucket to send back to Saint.
Saint’s life and death were detailed in the book, Jungle Pilot: The Story of Nate Saint, Martyred Missionary to Ecuador, and 2005 movie, End of the Spear. For decades, his story has inspired many to pursue missionary aviation to use airplanes to reach remote parts of the world.
Missionary organizations are offering summer camps to introduce interested youth to this form of aviation.
JAARS (Jungle Aviation and Relay Service) is a missionary group that uses airplanes, boats, and off-road vehicles to support Bible translation and missionaries in remote areas. Based in Waxhaw, North Carolina, the group offers Camp Aero for teens ages 15 to 18. During the camp, participants stay in the JAARS village and learn about missionary aviation and Bible translation, as well as receive ground training and flight time. Campers also will receive time in a flight simulator, ride along on a flight, get the opportunity to fly an airplane, and gain hands-on experience in aircraft maintenance. The camp runs June 14 through 19, and applications are being accepted. According to JAARS, the cost of camp could change each year; in 2025, it cost $950.
MAF, the Idaho-based group that Saint served with, provides “aviation services to more than 400 mission agencies, churches, and humanitarian organizations around the world.” MAF runs an Aviation Adventure Camp for youth ages 16 to 18. Campers are transported from the group’s headquarters in Nampa, Idaho, to Cascade, and they receive flight time with certificated flight instructors. The camp, which runs July 5 through 11, costs $975. The group is currently selecting 2026 campers, but is still accepting standby applications as well as applications for 2027.
Mission Aviation Training Academy, which trains Christian pilots for missionary aviation, hosts a summer camp in Arlington, Washington. Youths ages 14 to 18 receive 17 hours of ground and flight training and learn about the challenges of missions in remote areas and aviation as a support ministry within missions. Camp is scheduled for July 26 to 31, and the application window is scheduled to open in early February. It costs $700.
