Liberty serves as host site for mission aviation conference featuring Samaritan’s Purse COO Edward Graham

Liberty University School of Aeronautics hosted the annual International Association of Missionary Aviation (IAMA) conference March 17-19, where over 200 missionary aviators representing more than 60 organizations gathered to fellowship, learn from one another, and give Liberty students the chance to form valuable connections for their future careers.

IAMA assists members in facilitating the cross-cultural spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and aiding the needy in Christ’s name. Over the three-day conference, attendees heard from various figures and organizations within missionary aviation, such as Chief Operations Officer of Samaritan’s Purse Edward Graham; Chuck Daly, vice president of Global Transportation Services for Jungle Aviation and Relay Service (JAARS); and John and Martha King, founders of King Schools. School of Aeronautics staff led sessions on aviation safety and flight data monitoring.

Kerrick Tweedy, CEO of IAMA, said IAMA is honored to hold its conference at Liberty this year, noting the last time it was held on campus was in 2018.

“This year is the largest conference we’ve ever had, so bringing that many people together is amazing,” he said. “We know that being good stewards of what we have but also working well together is very important. It’s really good to be with Liberty and other programs that have a heart for missions and the Gospel and to get in front of students and faculty. It’s very powerful to be here.”

School of Aeronautics Dean Steven Brinly said the conference was a huge benefit for the students who attended.

“It’s a great opportunity for the missions aviation community to come together for networking and collaboration on the issues that we’re seeing,” he said. “But what’s really awesome about Liberty hosting it is it provides an opportunity for our students, our faculty, and staff to engage at a level that we normally don’t have the opportunity to.”

On the last day, the Kings, who have worked in aviation education for over 50 years and are largely considered pioneers of the field, discussed the importance of prioritizing aviation safety in mission work. They have collaborated with Liberty in the past to offer scholarships and training resources; the School of Aeronautics uses the Kings’ curriculum as part of its programming.

Andrew Walton, designated pilot examiner and adjunct professor for the School of Aeronautics, and Meredith Boardman (’20), director of safety, discussed collecting, analyzing, and monitoring flight data for missionary aviation. They spoke about current tools available to aviators, how data is used, the importance of improving aviation safety, and the background and emerging trends involving Flight Operational Quality Assurance (commonly referred to as FOQA) in mission aviation.

On Thursday evening, a dinner was hosted at the School of Aeronautics Maintenance Technician Program Hangar near Lynchburg Regional Airport, where Graham gave the keynote address. His visit comes just a few months after Samaritan’s Purse gifted Liberty the last U.S.-registered DC-8 aircraft, recently retired from service due to age. The plane will remain on display at the airport, to be used as an educational resource and inspiration to the community aviation students. Plans are also underway to create a missions aviation museum that will be open to the community.

Graham has led Samaritan’s Purse responses to major world crises, including the war in Ukraine, the 2023 earthquake in Turkey, the Israel-Hamas War, Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina, the 2025 Myanmar earthquake, and Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica. He has visited Liberty multiple times, most recently to speak at Convocation in September during Global Focus Week. He was also a guest at Liberty’s CEO Summit in 2024.

Graham’s address focused on “getting uncomfortable” to fulfill God’s calling, and he opened up about his own experience of facing discomfort. He started college at Liberty and later transferred to the United States Military Academy West Point. After 16 years in the military, serving as a U.S. Army Ranger in the 75th Ranger Regiment, Graham thought he was where God had called him, but then his father, Samaritan’s Purse President and CEO Franklin Graham, asked him to join him.

Graham said the decision to leave the military was difficult because he felt comfortable there. He spoke about the Bible story of Peter walking on water, and said Peter is remembered because of how he embraced discomfort.

“(Peter) is the only one we talk about. He’s the only one that got out of the boat,” Graham said. “If you want to be part of a miracle, you got to get out of the boat. So, what is your boat?”

Graham closed by encouraging the attendees to not be afraid of discomfort and instead to look at “what’s next” in their ministry or department. He expressed gratitude that many in the audience have actively lived lives of discomfort already to serve others.

“One of the great assets and capabilities that the Lord has given ministry is aviation,” he said. “It can cover and span the world quickly. It can bring hope to a dying world. It can bring relief to places that no one else wants to go. You represent organizations that have been flying to places no one’s even heard of, and I’m thankful for it.”

Gabriel Shaffer, a junior studying aviation administration, said he’s always had a heart for mission aviation but for a while had been considering other careers. The conference fanned the flame of his passion for aviation, reigniting his desire and giving him a lot of “food for thought.”

“Seeing how these people put their whole into this is something I’m inspired by and maybe want to do in my own life as well. The opportunity to meet a lot of the people who are involved in that in one place, and to just talk about airplanes for a week, is something I was really into,” he said, noting one of the highlights of the conference was watching a presentation by Reach Aviation of a new aircraft designed specifically for mission aviation.

Kohen Briggs, a senior studying aviation maintenance management, said the conference was valuable in helping him look toward his future and think about where he is headed. Though he plans to pursue his master’s degree, his ultimate goal is to work in mission aviation, and he said the conference gave him ample opportunity to network with different ministries.

“I really enjoyed hearing from the organizations and meeting people from organizations that you might not normally hear about,” Briggs said. “It’s been very eye-opening to see that there are many, many organizations, and they all need workers.”