Brigade Air

By the year 2030, there will be over one billion people on planet earth that do not have access to an all weather road. Due to earthquakes, tsunamis, war, and endemic poverty, there is no expectation of developing infrastructure for these people in the foreseeable future. To reach these people groups, missionary and humanitarian organizations, since the end of WW II, have been building airstrips in these remote areas and use specialized aircraft to fly missionaries and equipment to meet the group's physical needs and to present the gospel. In these remote locations beyond the paved road, there is no easy access to local services. These teams need equipment, medicine, medical evacuation and mail to be supplied by air. Instead of taking days or weeks to travel by a land route such as a jungle trail or river, and enduring many related hazards, a missionary pilot can often fly an aircraft to the bush location and deliver required supplies in a matter of hours. Since the 1940's, missions aviation organizations have recruited candidates from the 'low-hanging fruit' of military and airline retirees typically. In recent years, changes in the economy and culture, the airline industry, and the reduction in military forces has resulted in these sources being greatly diminished. Today, we must 'plant seed' in young people's hearts and minds and engage their families in the process early on, in order to purposefully grow future recruits into this vitally needed area of global service. We aim to help stem the tide of short-fall in available missions aviation candidate recruitment.

In order to accomplish our mission, we educate, inspire and challenge approximately 150 youth age 14 - 18 at highly focused summer aviation camps each year through our summer Mission Aviation Adventure Camp program. We compile and share our recruitment data with partner organizations and schools and increase the number of humanitarian and missionary technical students available for training. We form strategic partnerships with Christian camps, universities and schools, mission sending agencies, pilot organizations, local airports, and aircraft owners. We educate youth on the challenges and needs in technical missions, through our mentoring curriculum used in over 70 churches, home schools, Christian schools and pilot organizations. We lease, borrow, own and maintain aircraft to be used at our summer camp programs. Upon completion of a camp week, we connect our campers with partnering schools and sending agencies who then provide them with guidance and training. We raise funds from individuals, major donors, churches, businesses, foundations and community benefit organizations. We produce printed mentoring curriculum for use at our camps and mentoring clubs. We maintain an office for administration, promotion and find-raising. We promote programs through print, media and web. We recruit and train volunteer staff pilots and mentors to teach and administrate at camp programs. In addition to the summer camps and mentoring clubs, Brigade Air has had a networking presence at the Oshkosh Air Venture for many years, the AOPA Aviation Summit, the Teterboro Wings and Wheels Expo, the Christian Camp and Conference Association convention, and other events. In 2008, a four-page article was published about Brigade Air in AOPA Pilot magazine, the largest circulation aviation magazine in the world. Other areas of influence and promotion strategy includes Moody Radio Network interviews, articles in various newspapers, and reports on television news broadcasts.

Bruce Wolff, the Executive Director, served as a missions pilot for seven years prior to starting Brigade Air, and maintains his qualifications as a commercial pilot, flight instructor and aviation mechanic. Bruce has a background in business and industry, and authored the Brigade Air curriculum used in approximately 70 churches, home schools, and Christian schools around the US. During its first ten years, Brigade Air relied completely on loaned airplanes for the flight activities. In September, 2010, a Cessna 172 was donated to Brigade Air, and completely renovated thanks to project contributions by Samaritan's Purse, Mission Aviation Fellowship, MMS Aviation, PS Engineering, Blue Eagle Aviation, Moody Aviation, Lightspeed Aviation, Preferred Air Parts, and others. The plane was dedicated in May, 2011, and flew its first camp in June, 2011. Through the 2015 summer camp season, Brigade Air has educated over 3000 campers in a total of 140 summer camps. The weeklong camps have been conducted in twenty different states, two Canadian provinces, and four foreign countries. Brigade Air Camps provide teens with their first hands-on experience flying a real airplane. They not only experience the thrill of flying, but also learn about the potential joy of serving the Lord through a career in mission aviation. Under his leadership, Brigade Air has organized and developed 140 summer flight camps since 2001. Bruce maintains a membership with the International Association of Missionary Aviation and has a productive relationship with the Christian Camp and Conference Association. Brigade Air board members, volunteers and members of partner organizations help run programs during the summer.

Through the 2017 summer camp season, Brigade Air has educated over 3200 campers in a total of 153 summer camps. The week long camps have been conducted in twenty different states, two Canadian provinces, and four foreign countries. We have done this though the use of loaned aircraft and volunteer pilots, and have and excellent safety record. In October, 2015, The King's College in New York awarded Bruce Wolff the Charles W. Anderson award for a life of faithfulness, sacrifice, and a pioneering spirit to influence and impact culture for Christ. Brigade Air has built a solid leadership team. The Brigade Air Board of Directors are profoundly involved and deeply committed to the quality and integrity of the ministry. One of the directors is the Manager of Moody Aviation in Spokane, Washington – the school that has trained approximately one-half of all missionary pilots. Another director received the 2005 Aviation Educator of the Year award, and oversees two camps each summer. Another director, a son of Jack Wyrtzen, who is the founder of Word of Life in Schroon Lake, New York, has been in youth camp ministry for over 30 years. We are privileged to watch these camps become the catalyst for young people to enter training for impactful ministry. The process has been replicated each summer for 15 years and we would like to see a greater audience of young people introduced to the challenge and task of missionary aviation – the crucial link between vitally needed resources and those laboring to meet the spiritual needs of unreached people. Toward that end, we need see a broader donor base developed over the next three years.