Keeping Mission Aircraft Flying
Every airplane we work on at home helps us get grounded mission aircraft back in the air, serving the communities that depend on them.
Why this matters
In many parts of the world, an airplane is the only road in. When someone is sick, a village needs supplies, or a missionary family needs help, the nearest town may be days away. A small airplane turns that into an hour.
Those airplanes need the same care as yours. Mission teams often don't have enough hands, parts aren't available locally, and an inspection or repair that would be routine here can keep an airplane grounded for a long time. Every day it sits is a day a community goes without its lifeline.
We want to help change that. Our goal is to build Munson Aviation into a shop that can send skilled people to mission aircraft that need inspections or repairs, so those airplanes can get back to carrying hope where it's needed most.
How it works
The work at home makes it possible. Annuals, pre-buys, repairs, and condition inspections here in Southwest Michigan keep the shop running and give us the time and travel budget to help mission projects.
We go where we're needed. When a mission aircraft needs an inspection, a repair, or another set of skilled hands, we plan a trip to help get it airworthy again. Munson Aviation donates the labor and travel costs for this work.
We do the job right. Mission aircraft get the same careful inspection, honest communication, and complete logbook entries as every airplane in our C91 hangar.
What we bring
A&P with Inspection Authorization (IA): annuals, repairs, and return to service.
Savvy certified shop: we work from engine data and can help field teams make sense of theirs.
Cessna, Piper, classics, and experimentals: the kinds of single-engine piston airplanes many small mission aviation programs fly.
Inspections, troubleshooting, and repairs: AD research, sheet metal and corrosion work, records reviews, and 337 repairs and alterations.
Connected through AngelOne
AngelOne is a supporting ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It connects mission aviation projects with each other and with the people and resources they need. Through networking, its annual Elevate fly-in, short-term mission trips, and support for missionaries in the field, AngelOne helps pilots, mechanics, and mission teams accomplish more together.
We're part of the AngelOne community network, and it's one of the main ways we learn which mission projects need a mechanic's help. To learn more about their work, or to support the missionaries and projects they serve, visit angeloneaviation.org.
How you can help
Book your annual, pre-buy, or repair with us. Paying work at home is what makes mission trips possible.
Tell us about a mission aircraft that needs help. If you're part of a project, or know one with an airplane waiting on an inspection or repair, we'd love to hear about it.
Support the projects directly. AngelOne helps fund mission aircraft, parts, and trips for the projects in its network. You can give through angeloneaviation.org.
Pray for the work: for the mission pilots, mechanics, and communities who depend on these airplanes.
FAQ
Have you done mission work already?
Yes. One of the mechanics who works with us has traveled to do maintenance and upgrades on a mission Cessna 206 in the AngelOne network, and has also done upgrades on a mission training Cessna 172 here in the States. We're building the shop so we can do more of this work.
Who pays for the mission work?
Munson Aviation donates the labor and travel costs for mission aircraft work.
What aircraft can you help with?
Mostly single-engine piston airplanes, including Cessna, Piper, classics, and experimentals. If a project flies something else, ask and we'll tell you honestly whether we're the right fit.
I'm with a mission project. How do I reach you?
Call (208) 495-5590 or email alex@munsonaviation.com with the aircraft, its location, and what it needs.
Does mission work affect my airplane's schedule at home?
No. We plan mission trips around the work at C91 and will always tell you upfront when your airplane can come in.
Keeping airplanes flying, here and wherever they're needed
Every annual at C91 helps keep a mission airplane flying somewhere else. Let's get yours on the calendar, or tell us about a mission aircraft that needs help.