Sylacauga – Sylacauga Aviation Day, hosted by AERO Missions, drew a big crowd to Lee Merkel Field on Saturday, June 27. There were airplanes, gliders, and helicopters on display with several dozen pilots on hand to answer questions, along with numerous new exhibitors.
AERO Missions founders, John and Katie Stanczak, along with Public Relations Director Noah Brown from New Hampshire, greeted hundreds of guests in their hanger, sharing details of their organization.
“I’ve always loved flying and served as an airline pilot before God worked on my heart,” said Stanczak, “So, we created a flight-oriented global mission to reach isolated people in isolated places, sharing the Gospel.”
They provide missionary flight training, aviation field support, aircraft management, all with a focus on evangelism and church planting, “It’s an amazing adventure, based out of the airport in Sylacauga.”
They are currently hosting three for flight training in Sylacauga, with five total this year,
Also doing a bit of showing off for the event were regulars Air Methods/Lifesaver, the Civil Air Patrol, and the Sylacauga-based SOAR glider group. Joining in this year were Brown AERO flight training out of Alexander City, with services in Sylacauga, too. Birmingham Escadrille’s Commemorative Air Force brought a large vintage aircraft – a non-military DC10 cargo plane for visitors to board and tour. They also had all sorts of memorabilia and plenty of members on hand for conversation.
That’s what I consider the best part of the day,” said Stanczak, “getting to meeting people and having them spend quality time with so many interesting pilots from so many walks of life. God blesses what we do here, and we want to keep sharing it to open more doors.
bustedalabama.com 