RUMFORD — People interested in aviation are urged to attend the fifth annual Missions at the Airport on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 18 and 19, at Phil Zinck’s airfield between Route 2 and the Androscoggin River.
Sponsored by the United Baptist Church in Peru, the First Baptist Church in Mexico, Praise Assembly of God in Rumford, and the Dixfield Common Baptist Church, the event will be presented by JAARS, which is the technical support arm of the Wycliffe Bible Translators.
“They are people who have flown into remote areas all over the world,” Brenda Swan, Missions at the Airport chairman, said Thursday afternoon at the Peru church.
“Those guys who are pilots have 20 years of experience and they come here to demonstrate what they do and the technology they use. This is a chance for people to come and chat with these guys. They like to talk with anyone interested in getting into aviation.”
According to the JAARS website, their Missions at the Airport team travels around the country, bringing aircraft, technology displays and missions materials.
They are expected to do demonstrations using their Robinson R-44 helicopter and Helio Courier Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) aircraft. Swan said they will also give rides around the area in the aircraft and charge $20 per person for the STOL plane and $25 per person for the helicopter. The flights, which are weather dependent, usually last 8 to 10 minutes.
Riders must sign a liability waiver, and children and teens under 18 years old must have a waiver signed by a parent or guardian.
Swan said that while there won’t be any preaching at the event, the JAARS pilots are available to speak at area churches and schools.
“They are pilots first,” she said.
The event, which also features live music, is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 18, and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sept. 19. Refreshments will be available.
The pilots will fly into Rumford on Tuesday, Sept. 14, from a Missions at the Airport event being held on Sept. 11 and 12 at Chamberlains Farm in Essex Jct., Vt.
Swan said the Rumford arrival is earlier than usual, presenting some opportunities for talks at schools.
“If anyone has the desire to see them privately, they can call me at the church,” she said. That number is 562-7167.
“One year, a fellow hired them to take him on a longer flight over the area than they offer during the event.”
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