JAARS

Last updated
JAARS, Inc.
Founded1948 as Jungle Aviation and Radio Service
Founder William Cameron Townsend
TypeNon-profit
Headquarters Waxhaw, North Carolina
Location
  • 7405 Jaars Road, Waxhaw, North Carolina, USA
Coordinates 34°51′53″N80°44′31″W / 34.864771°N 80.741808°W / 34.864771; -80.741808
Area served
World Wide
President and CEO
 Steve Russell
Revenue
> US$7,000,000 [1]
Websitejaars.org
JAARS Center and Townsend Field (N52), Waxhaw, North Carolina JAARS Center Feb2022.png
JAARS Center and Townsend Field (N52), Waxhaw, North Carolina

Founded in 1948 as Jungle Aviation and Radio Service by William Cameron Townsend, JAARS is a worldwide, non-profit, mission aviation and support organization with a primary focus on Bible translation support operations. JAARS provides practical support in aviation, land and maritime transportation, information technology and media. [2] Its current president is Steve Russell, as of October 1, 2022. [3]

Contents

JAARS marks its 75th anniversary in 2023, with a slight adjustment to its name to incorporate its 75-year heritage—Jungle Aviation and Relay Service.

JAARS is a wholly controlled subsidiary of SIL International, but also partners with many other organizations.

History

William Cameron Townsend co-founded Wycliffe Bible Translators and SIL International in 1934, and as the organization grew, he saw the need for airplanes and radio to reach remote areas around the world and to provide safe access to language groups. [4] JAARS was originally formed as Jungle Aviation and Radio Service in Peru in 1948 and moved to its current location in Waxhaw, North Carolina, in 1961. The 572 acres of land where JAARS is located began as a 200-acre donation by the Belk family. In 1986, as a result of diversifying activities (like information technology and purchasing and shipping), JAARS officially dropped the original meaning behind the acronym and became simply "JAARS Inc."

Operations and activities

JAARS Base

JAARS' North Carolina headquarters is commonly called the "JAARS Base". The base is operated by over 500 people on 551 acres, encompassing 68 buildings. [5] While the JAARS Base serves as the home for all the organization's core operations (like transportation), it also hosts staff from partner organizations. For example, SIL International has IT and media staff working at the JAARS Base, and Wycliffe Bible Translators USA has a large contingent of human resources personnel with offices at the center. The center's airport is registered with the FAA as JAARS-Townsend Airport ( FAA LID : N52), a public-use airport. The public-use runway is 3,309' x 40' listed as good asphalt. Additionally, three grass runways are used by JAARS for standards training. [6]

Helio Couriers at Townsend Field at the JAARS Center JAARS Helio Couriers Feb2022.png
Helio Couriers at Townsend Field at the JAARS Center

Aviation

Pilatus PC-6 Porter at Townsend Field, JAARS Center, Waxhaw, North Carolina JAARS PilatusPC6 Feb2022.png
Pilatus PC-6 Porter at Townsend Field, JAARS Center, Waxhaw, North Carolina
Robinson 66 Turbine Helicopter training at the JAARS center JAARS R66 Feb2022.png
Robinson 66 Turbine Helicopter training at the JAARS center

In aviation, JAARS helps its field partners start and run local aviation programs. This help comes from training staff, setting standards, equipping aircraft, research, and more. [7]

These associates in turn offer several transportation services to a range of individuals, including translators, support staff, consultants, trainers, linguists, Christian mission organizations, hospitals, locals, and governments. These services can also include medical evacuations and disaster relief work.

JAARS' aviation partners fly a variety of aircraft, including:

JAARS was one of fifteen organizations that financed the prototyping and development of the Quest Kodiak. [8]

Museum

A Cessna 206, one of two in the JAARS training fleet. JAARS Cessna 206.jpg
A Cessna 206, one of two in the JAARS training fleet.

The Alphabet Museum is located at the JAARS Base in Waxhaw, North Carolina. The museum was established in 1991 by JAARS founder William Cameron Townsend and focuses on the development of the world's alphabets and the history of writing systems and written languages. [9] Exhibits include maps, paintings, sculptures, a replica of the Rosetta Stone, a Torah scroll that is over 150 years old and a handmade lyre. [10] The languages covered include Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, Cyrillic and African languages.

The newly reopened Cardenas Building (named for former Mexican president Lázaro Cárdenas) features all new exhibits that tell the story of JAARS.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SIL International</span> Non-profit organization to study, develop and document languages

SIL International is an evangelical Christian nonprofit organization whose main purpose is to study, develop and document languages, especially those that are lesser-known, in order to expand linguistic knowledge, promote literacy, translate the Christian Bible into local languages, and aid minority language development.

Wycliffe Bible Translators USA is an interdenominational nonprofit organization with a goal "for people from every language to understand the Bible and be transformed."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilatus PC-6 Porter</span> Swiss single engine STOL utility transport aircraft, 1959

The Pilatus PC-6 Porter is a single-engined STOL utility aircraft designed by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. First flown in 1959, the PC-6 was produced at Pilatus Flugzeugwerke in Stans, Switzerland. It has been built in both piston engine- and turboprop-powered versions, and was produced under licence for a time by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. After 604 deliveries in 63 years, Pilatus ended production in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ukarumpa</span> Place in Eastern Highlands, Papua New Guinea

Ukarumpa is an intentional international community that is the main centre for SIL-PNG, located in the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. It lies approximately 11 kilometres (7 mi) by road from Kainantu in the Aiyura Valley. The population consists of a variety of paid staff and volunteer staff who live nearby. The centre was established in 1957. The current population is approximately 600. It is at an elevation of approximately 1600 m above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aiyura</span>

Aiyura is the name of a valley located in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. It is the home of the Aiyura Agricultural Research Station, which was operated originally as the "Highlands Agricultural Experiment Station, Aiyura" begun in 1936 by Mr. Bill Brechin, an Australian Agriculturist. In 1937 work was begun clearing the land for the airstrip which is now the home in Papua New Guinea of JAARS, Airstrip IATA code AYU known as Aiyura Airport. Aiyura played a role in World War II when the Aiyura Airstrip was bombed by the Japanese on June 15, 1943, with six bombers and six fighter aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission Aviation Fellowship</span>

Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is a Christian organization that provides aviation, communications, and learning technology services to more than 1,000 Christian and humanitarian agencies, as well as thousands of isolated missionaries and indigenous villagers in the world's most remote areas. There are three major operational centers – Nampa, Idaho, United States, Ashford, United Kingdom, and Cairns, Australia. These centres provide operational support to programs in the Americas, Africa and Asia Pacific regions. In 2010, MAF served in more than 55 countries, flying 201,710 passengers with a fleet of some 130 aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Cameron Townsend</span>

William Cameron Townsend was an American Christian missionary-linguist and the founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators and the Summer Institute of Linguistics

Ethnos360, formerly known as New Tribes Mission (NTM), is an international, theologically evangelical Christian mission organization based in Sanford, Florida, United States. Ethnos360 has approximately 2,300 missionaries in more than 20 nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PAC P-750 XSTOL</span> Utility transport aircraft

The PAC P-750 XSTOL, is a utility aircraft of conventional all-metal low-wing monoplane design, with fixed tricycle undercarriage. Combining the engine and wings of the PAC Cresco with a new large fuselage and modified tail, all versions to date have been powered by a 750 hp (560 kW) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop. It is designed and manufactured in Hamilton, New Zealand by Pacific Aerospace Limited.

Vida Chenoweth was a solo classical marimbist, an ethnomusicologist, and a linguist.

Santa Ana High School is the oldest and largest high school in Orange County, California, United States. The school was established in 1889.

Daasanach is a Cushitic language spoken by the Daasanach in Ethiopia, South Sudan and Kenya whose homeland is along the Lower Omo River and on the shores of Lake Turkana.

PT ASI Pudjiastuti Aviation, operating as Susi Air, is a scheduled and charter airline based in Pangandaran, West Java, Indonesia. Sixty percent of the airline's operation serves commercial regular routes and pioneer routes while the rest is charter flights. The company currently operates from several main bases across the Indonesian archipelago. Susi Air is listed in category 2 by Indonesian Civil Aviation Authority for airline safety quality.

John Theodore Bendor-Samuel was an evangelical Christian missionary and linguist who furthered Bible translation work into African languages, as well as making significant contributions to the study of African linguistics. Amongst his friends and colleagues he was widely known by his initials, JBS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pioneer Bible Translators</span> Christian organization

Pioneer Bible Translators is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) mission organization focused on Bible translation in languages that do not already have a Bible.

Wycliffe Global Alliance is an alliance of organizations that have objective of translating the Bible into every language. The organisation is named after John Wycliffe, who was responsible for the first complete English translation of the whole Bible into Middle English.

Biblical translations into the indigenous languages of North and South America have been produced since the 16th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suriname Air Force</span> Air component of the national army of Suriname

The Suriname Air Force is the air component of the Military of Suriname. All aircraft of the Suriname Air Force undertake border patrols, utility transport, and search and rescue missions from Zorg en Hoop Airport, the Air Force's main base. Aircraft are occasionally transferred to other air bases in the nation, which include Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport, Major Fernandes Airfield, Albina Airstrip, and Moengo Airstrip. The head of the Suriname Air Force is the Commander of the Air Force, currently Lieutenant Colonel Marven van Huisduinen, who took over the role in March 2019 from former Commander Robert Kartodikromo. The Air Force is further split into several wings, including the Helicopter Wing, the current Commander of which being Captain John-Marc Arron.

The Forum of Bible Agencies International is an alliance of more than 25 international Bible Agencies and other missions organizations which provides access to the Bible and encourages its use worldwide.

Samaritan Aviation is a 501 C-3 non-profit Christian organization that serves the population in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea through emergency evacuation flights, the delivery of medical supplies, and continued community outreach and health programs. The non-profit is funded by the Papua New Guinea government and individual donations.

References

  1. ↑ "JAARS, Inc". Archived from the original on 2012-05-05. Retrieved 2012-05-23. at www.ministrywatch.com
  2. ↑ "Home". JAARS. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  3. ↑ "Leadership". JAARS. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  4. ↑ "W.C. TOWNSEND, BIBLE TRANSLATOR". The New York Times. 1982-04-29. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  5. ↑ "CORE Mission Operations". JAARS. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  6. ↑ "AirNav: N52 - JAARS-Townsend Airport". www.airnav.com. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  7. ↑ Aviation | JAARS
  8. ↑ Ioannou, Lori (23 November 2009). "A Turboprop Built for Trouble". Time Magazine. Archived from the original on August 13, 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  9. ↑ "The Museum of the Alphabet". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  10. ↑ "Museums". JAARS. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.