Pacific Union College launched the Adventist Aviation Museum. The museum is in its early stages of development. When completed, it will showcase Adventist aviation history, missionary accounts, and honor those who served remote communities accessible only by air.

During the 2026 Homecoming Weekend, approximately 150 people attended the opening program, titled “Carrying on the Legacy: Conversations with Adventist Aviation Pioneers.” Attendees heard from Adventist mission pilots who served in Papua New Guinea, Tanzania, Kenya, the Solomon Islands, and other hard-to-reach places. Attendees were also gained a broader picture of past mission work and a passion for moving the mission forward.

“Seventh-day Adventists have always been a people of hope,” said Nathan Tasker, flight center director for Pacific Union College, in the museum’s promotional video. For Tasker, a key goal of the museum is to highlight the Adventist mission service that reached remote places—first by foot, then by air.

Charlie, a Cessna 206 added to the museum fleet in January, will be on display. The plane has a large cargo capacity that supported the Flying Doctor program, which provided healthcare and education while carrying church workers, Bibles, and building materials in Papua New Guinea, Australia, and Vanuatu. It was reported that thousands of lives were saved through Charlie’s service.

A Piper Aztec, known as the J.L. Tucker, will also be displayed in the museum upon completion of refurbishment. Named after the founder of The Quiet Hour, a ministry that donated more than 50 aircraft to serve the Adventist church worldwide, the J.L. Tucker was the first twin-engine aircraft to serve the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The plane provided safe, reliable transportation throughout the South Pacific.

The shoes of Janelle Alder, a missionary flight nurse who went missing in the Philippines in 2023, are on display in the museum, a silent witness to the personal cost of service. Other displayed artifacts include items from Bob Roberts, Gary Roberts, and Jim Arrabito, missionaries who lost their lives, but whose influence remains with those they served.

“Our pilots have been the hands and feet of Jesus, serving as a lifeline to those whom the rest of the world has forgotten,” said Tasker. “As we celebrate these millions of miles, we must look at the tail numbers and flight logs and realize that it came with a cost. Every miracle flight has been underwritten by a legacy of sacrifice. To fly for the gospel is to step into a realm where the risks are as real as the rewards.”

The original article was published on the Pacific Union College news site.