SYLACAUGA, Ala. – Sylacauga Aviation Day, hosted by AERO Missions, drew a large crowd to Lee Merkel Field on Saturday, June 27. The event featured airplanes, gliders, and helicopters on display, with dozens of pilots on hand to answer questions. Several new exhibitors also participated.
AERO Missions founders John and Katie Stanczak, along with Public Relations Director Noah Brown of New Hampshire, greeted hundreds of guests at the organization’s hangar and shared information about their mission.
“I’ve always loved flying and served as an airline pilot before God worked on my heart,” John Stanczak said. “So we created a flight-oriented global mission to reach isolated people in isolated places, sharing the Gospel.”
The organization provides missionary flight training, aviation field support, and aircraft management, all with a focus on evangelism and church planting. “It’s an amazing adventure, based out of the airport in Sylacauga,” Stanczak said.
AERO Missions is currently hosting three trainees in Sylacauga and expects a total of five this year.
Also participating in the event were Air Methods/LifeSaver, the Civil Air Patrol, and the Sylacauga-based SOAR glider group. Brown Aero Flight Training, based in Alexander City and also operating in Sylacauga, joined the event this year. The Birmingham Escadrille’s Commemorative Air Force displayed a large vintage aircraft – a non-military DC-10 cargo plane – allowing visitors to board and tour it. The group also provided aviation memorabilia and staff members available for conversation.
“That’s what I consider the best part of the day,” Stanczak said. “Getting to meet 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.”
