PVBI Advanced Diploma in Missionary Aviation

Objectives:
In addition to the General Objectives, the Missions Program is designed specifically to lay a vital foundation for a ministry in missionary aviation.

Upon completion of this four-year program, the student will have earned an Advanced Diploma in Missionary Aviation from Penn View Bible Institute (PVBI), a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) license from School of Missionary Aviation Technology (SMAT), and an FAA private pilot's license. This major requires 133 credits to graduate:

In brief, the schedule for students on the Missionary Aviation Program (MAP) will follow this basic format: first two years (Freshman/Sophomore) fulfilling the requirements of PVBI; the third year (August to August of Junior year) at SMAT; the fourth year (Senior year) will include: FAA flight training, final CWW Missionary Aviation Internship training, and possible additional PVBI course work prior to graduation.

Phase One
The first two years of the Missionary Aviation Program will begin with General, Bible/Theological, and Professional Studies at Penn View Bible Institute. These first two years must be completed prior to entering the Maintenance Training Program at School of Missionary Aviation Technology. Exceptions will be considered for transfer students. However, students entering the MAP as freshmen will not be permitted to do any other sequence other than the one prescribed in the Catalog.

Course Requirements for the two years at PVBI are as follows (Total 64 Hours):
General Education, 19 hours, consisting of:
History of Civilization, 6 hours; English, 6 hours; Speech Communication, 3 hours; General Psychology, 3 hours; Freshman Orientation, 1 hour.

Bible/Theology, 30 hours, consisting of:
Bible Survey, 6 hours; Gospels, 6 hours; Bible electives [Acts and Corinthian Epistles recommended], 12 hours; Theology electives, 6 hours.

Professional Education, 15 hours, consisting of :
Personal Evangelism, 3 hours; Contemporary Missions or Missions elective, 3 hours; Missionary Internship [non-aviation], 3 hours; Missions Elective, 6 hours.

*It is recommended that a student take Christian Beliefs and Theology of Holiness.
†It is recommended that a student take Corinthian Epistles and Acts.

A six-weeks summer Missionary Internship (3) follows the Sophomore year. This will be done under the supervision/guidance of the Director of Missions. This internship will be a general missionary cross-cultural experience and will not focus on aviation.

Phase Two
The two years at Penn View will be followed by training at the School of Missionary Aviation Technology (SMAT). Due to the nature and focus of the PVBI and SMAT programs, no other alternatives/options will be permitted for the aviation maintenance training. SMAT is located at the Lowell Municipal Airport at Lowell, Michigan (just east of Grand Rapids). The primary purpose for SMAT is to train missionary pilots in airframe and powerplant (A&P) maintenance. The training runs for a full year from August to August. Students will need to personally apply to SMAT with no guarantees for acceptance from PVBI. Each student must be accepted on his own merits/qualifications. Students will be fully responsible for all administrative and tuition fees needed for the SMAT program. Upon completion of the Maintenance Training Program, the student will have accumulated a total of 59 academic credits from SMAT. The current tuition for SMAT is approximately $9,000 for the August to August program. Upon completion of the SMAT program, 59 credits will be added to the PVBI course work already taken.

Phase Three
Students are given a wide range of options for fulfilling the requirement of earning a private pilot's license. Students may obtain their pilot's license at SMAT, Penn Avon Airport (at Selinsgrove near PVBI), or at a flight school near their homes. Flight school may be done prior to entering PVBI or any time during the student's MAP schooling. It is recommended that flight training be completed during the senior year of the student due to the intensity of the PVBI and SMAT academic schedules.

Students will do the required book work and actual flight training under the supervision of that particular school's flight-instructors. Building-up/logging the solo flight hours* needed for the FAA certificate (currently about 40 hours) will be done under the approval of the flight-instructors. However, a total of 70 flight hours would be required by PVBI to complete the MAP.

Students are personally responsible to enroll in a qualified, FAA-approved flight school. Students assume all financial responsibilities for books, tuition, plane rental, flight instructor, etc. Work hour credit accumulated at PVBI is not transferable to this phase of the program.

It should be understood that the 40 flight hours logged is a minimum for FAA licensing and 70 flight hours for graduation under PVBI's MAP. To be prepared for actual full-time missionary aviation ministry, one will probably be required to log a minimum of 500 hours along with earning his commercial license and instrument rating. Some students may wish to do flight training in an integrated curriculum (private license, instrument rating, commercial license). If this option is selected, when the student logs a total of 70 flight hours, permission to graduate under the PVBI MAP must be secured under the advisement of the student's flight instructors. In some cases (according to foreign government requirements) a pilot might need to earn an Inspection Authorization (IA).

Phase Four
Upon completion of the initial flight training and the reception of FAA license, a missionary aviation internship is required to "fine tune" the student's skills and understanding of an aviation ministry. Christian Wings of the World (CWW) provides missionary pilot trainees opportunity to fly under limited Third World conditions...flying exact models of craft used (e.g. tail draggers) and landing strips encountered on the mission field.