Most credible missionary aviation organizations require a minimum standard of:

- Instrument-Rated Commercial Pilot with 400-500 flight hours

- FAA Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic Certificates with at least 2 years of experience

- Some level of formal Bible /Ministry coursework completed

- Able to pass technical evaluation (TE) in flight and maintenance and, successfully complete pilot and maintenance standardization and other pre-field evaluations and training

- Debt-free, typically, and willing to raise one’s own financial support in order to serve

There are many paths to a career in missionary aviation, including:

- Collegiate Aviation Degree Programs

- Military Service

- Commercial Flight and Maintenance Schools

- A Local Airport (FBO) Flight School

But, probably the best path is through:

- A Missionary Pilot/Mechanic Apprenticeship

Obtaining all the required flight and maintenance ratings and experience is probably a 5-year process. The time typically required for raising financial support and receiving standardization training, as well as language, cultural, and other pre- and post-deployment training, can be an additional 3-4 years. Understand that this is a long term commitment!

Instead of going to school to prepare for ministry, an apprenticeship is more of a hands-on mentored approach in which you prepare for ministry by actually being immersed IN ministry. This allows you to have an immediate impact WHILE at the same time being mentored by veteran missionaries who will prepare you technically, spiritually, emotionally, relationally, and financially, for REAL-WORLD missions. Once accepted and funded, this becomes your full-time job.

MAG is not a “flight school” but an operational, front-line missionary aviation organization working in Central America, that has intentionally built extra capacity into its U.S. Training Department in order to accommodate the preparation of Pilot/Mechanic Apprentices.

Typically, if starting from ”zero”, an approved and accepted applicant will enter into a DEPUTATION phase of coached partnership development (support raising) before beginning the MAINTENANCE TRAINING phase at MMS Aviation, our partner organization in Coshocton, OH.

After completion of the FAA Airframe and Powerplant certifications (30 months), you will move into the PILOT TRAINING phase (24 months) at MAG headquarters in Burlington, NC.

Your training costs, as well as your paycheck, are covered through funds donated by your support team, so no debt is incurred. And, that support team will transition with you to whatever final “sending organization” you transition to upon graduation.

A graduate from the MAG apprenticeship will be a fully prepared, funded, and “deployable” professional missionary pilot/mechanic with 5 years of practical experience in missionary aviation and aircraft maintenance. The graduate will have logged a minimum of 400 flight hours, including “mission-specific” training in mountain and terrain operations, 50 hours in a high-performance Cessna 206 field aircraft, and at least 10 hours of international flight operations. We will even coordinate with sending organizations to customize advanced training to better meet their mission requirements.

The ultimate goal is NOT simply to get you licenses and ratings, but to WALK with you and your family on your journey, including your personal spiritual journey, seeing you make it successfully ALL THE WAY to the mission field or ministry assignment God has for you!

YES. There’s a lot more to MISSIONARY AVIATION than just flying airplanes!

No one should think that “Because I’m not a preacher or church planter, I can’t be a missionary”. Or, “Because I’m not a pilot, I can’t be in missionary aviation”.

Ministry in general, and certainly aviation ministry, is impossible without a host of critical roles. We need people gifted in administration, finance, construction, media, communications, maintenance, engineering, medicine, and member-care, just to name a few.

You should begin in PRAYER, and by seeking the counsel of your pastor, spouse, family, and friends who know you best. If everyone affirms this path, you should fill out the initial INQUIREY FORM below. Someone from MAG will contact you and talk with you about how best to proceed based on your particular situation, calling, and goals