Public Radio for Northeast Texas

An Airline for Christian Missionaries Takes Wing in Grayson County

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Twenty-five years ago, Everett Aaron, a Christian minister and flight enthusiast, got an idea -- What would it take to start a commercial airline that only caters to Christian missionaries looking to work abroad?

The short answer is, it takes about 25 years if you're starting from the ground up. And several million dollars. 

But this year, Aaron expects his company, Judah 1 Airlines, to take flight. With FAA paperwork mostly 

Everett Aaron is not a commercially rated pilot. But its his company, so if he wants to sit in the captain's seat ...
Credit Scott Morgan / KETR News

done and a few last details to work out, Aaron expects Judah 1 to start making flights to Central and South America.

Listen to Scott Morgan's story above, and take an audio tour of the inside of Judah 1's MD-83 airliner -- a.k.a. the "flying cigar" -- below.

startup.mp3
What does it sound like to startup a commercial airliner from the captain's seat? Take a listen.

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seats_for_the_tall.mp3
Judah 1 CEO and founder Everett Aaron chats about the seating area in his new MD-83.

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paintings_on_windows.mp3
And what's an airliner without a little art?

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rear_of_plane_tour.mp3
It gets a little loud in the tail cone of an airliner.

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Scott Morgan has been an award-winning journalist since 2001. His work has appeared in several newspapers and magazines as well as online. He has also been an editor, freelancer, speaker, writing teacher, author, and podcaster.