Ministry

Brooks Range Bible Camp

Each summer a group of missionary trainees, pilots, and KAC staff load up a dozen general aviation aircraft and fly 60 miles north of the Arctic Circle to hold two sessions of Bible camp for children and teens living in the remote villages in the Brooks Range Mountains. This camp is built on a homestead, owned by the Fickus family, and they have generously allowed Kingdom Air Corps to use their land for this ministry. Carved out of the wilderness, and built by volunteers from the ground up, the camp is rugged, beautiful, ingenious, and a blessing to all who set foot there. Through their experience at camp, all involved gain a vision for the importance of flying to reach people living in the isolated places of the world who have limited exposure to the Gospel.

King Ranch

Kingdom Air Corps has its home on King Ranch, 320 acres of beautiful land located 81 miles northeast of Anchorage, Alaska on the Glenn Highway. King Ranch sits above the Matanuska River, between the Talkeetna Range of mountains to the north and the Chugach Range to the south. 

When you see the glorious mountains surrounding the Ranch and become part of the community that works together to spread the Gospel, you’ll believe what Dwayne says (usually in Russian)… “Nowhere does it get any better than this!”

Life At the Ranch

Everyone working at Kingdom Air Corps is a volunteer, coming to further the vision of sharing the Gospel through the means of aviation – whether that individual is a pilot or not. 

Our volunteers do all kinds of work. They build cabins, give flight instruction, lay pipe, drive heavy equipment, clean and maintain the facility, and cook meals. This past summer, the kitchen crew prepared over 15,000 meals. 

To anyone who has visited, it goes without saying that life at the Ranch is busy. There’s the daily work to keep things running: mowing the grass, feeding hungry workers, washing dishes, chopping firewood, making up beds for new volunteers and guests. Then there are the new projects – construction and machinery work to expand the infrastructure of Kingdom Air Corps. But at the heart of it all is the focus on flight training and airplane maintenance with the goal of bringing the gospel to the remotest places on earth.

Each day at the Ranch starts with breakfast and devotions. Everyone gathers to dedicate the day to the Lord and plan the day’s work. From there on out, everyone gets to work, whether fixing a truck, cooking lunch, studying in ground school, or changing the oil in an airplane. 

Even though the day might be planned, another thing that characterizes Kingdom Air Corps is that the unexpected often trumps the expected. Guests might drop in for lunch, the weather might prevent flying, or a project might need extra nails. Whatever it is, we trust that the Lord will use each day to further His work for His glory. 

Summer Training Program

A number of students come for flight training during the summer. They work with flight instructors, all certificated CFIs. Some work towards a rating and some come to build time in the real-world environment that they can find at Kingdom Air Corps. 

Students include college students who come for a few months between college semesters, as well as those who are preparing to join a mission organization or are veteran missionaries who want to add aviation to their ministry. The training season usually runs from May through September, depending on the students’ schedules and training needs.

Technical training at KAC focuses on mountain flying, bush operations in uncertain weather and windy conditions, and exercising good judgment in decision-making for safe flight. In addition, training emphasizes the capabilities and limitations of pilots and aircraft, and the importance of consistent and timely aircraft maintenance and inspections. 

At KAC, students may earn:  

  • Private pilot certificates
  • Instrument ratings
  • Commercial pilot certificates
  • Tailwheel endorsements
  • High-performance endorsements

Flight Training

Each summer, a group of student pilots, certificated pilots, flight instructors, and mechanics spend the summer in Alaska, learning to apply their training in the mission field. They come to study and to train at King Ranch. While flying, they work on certificates, ratings, and endorsements, and at the same time gain experience in mountain and bush flying. They also spend time in the hanger and in the field working on our fleet, applying the mechanical knowledge that they’ve learned in the classroom to maintaining, fixing, and rebuilding airplanes. 

Many of the instructors for both the flight program and the mechanics spent time on the mission field themselves, and so are able to speak into the students’ lives about ministry and calling, as well as the technical training they are giving. 

Mechanic’s Training

Mechanics training at KAC consists of both rebuilding and maintaining aircraft. Students who are working toward or have received their A&P certificate build experience through both large projects and everyday maintenance to keep the aircraft flying.

KAC also partners with LeTourneau University in their mechanics program. Two Inspections classes visit the Ranch every summer, and spend time working on our airplanes.