Mission aviation will be on the world stage at AirVenture 2009. Each year, the EAA selects three aspects of aviation to be featured at the “world’s largest aviation celebration.” In 2009, humanitarian aviation will be in the spotlight. The overall feature is comprised of mission aviation and public benefit aviation (PBA). The EAA desires to “showcase the breadth and depth of good works accomplished by general aviation throughout the world.” Public benefit aviation includes the people and organizations (such as the Air Care Alliance) who are dedicated to community service.
In 2007, some friends of mission aviation approached the EAA with the idea of featuring mission aviation at AirVenture. The EAA was open to the idea and invited IAMA (the International Association of Missionary Aviation) to submit a preliminary proposal. At the 2008 IAMA conference in Spokane, the concept was discussed by the attendees at large and a plan was rapidly drafted for the EAA’s consideration. It was an energetic time, as never before had mission aviation been given the prospect of such large-scale visibility.
Just before AirVenture 2008, the EAA approved the mission aviation feature. When IAMA members converged at Oshkosh in July 2008, we realized this would be a huge undertaking, requiring an extraordinary amount of time, energy, and resources. Being a virtual organization, with no executive director and a part-time board, IAMA faced a serious challenge. But as God so marvelously does, He provided two very-capable people to serve as project managers, Rob and Teena Ray.
Rob quickly called daily meetings and began the process of creating the mechanisms needed to get things moving in high gear. Also with us at Oshkosh in 2008 was Bob Warner, a former EAA staff member appointed by the EAA to head up the overall feature. The EAA, being an organization made up of people interested in general aviation, wanted to expand the original concept from just mission aviation to humanitarian aviation, and thereby include the public benefit aviators. Given this mix, IAMA decided its slogan would be “Fly4Life” and a logo was designed incorporating those words. The EAA liked the concept and asked if they could use it for the entire feature.
With the Fly4Life theme established, IAMA began developing a plan for the Fly4Life Tent. This tent will be provided compliments of the EAA and will be furnished by IAMA with panels explaining mission aviation. The “Life Tent” will use photos and video to tell what mission aviation is, what it does, and why it’s done. The material will dovetail with the EAA’s humanitarian emphasis. The PBA organization will also have a tent adjacent to the Life Tent, at the edge of AeroShell Square on the AirVenture grounds.
The stage is being set….
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