N911MF is a Cessna 310. As it's tail number indicates, this is MFI's emergency airplane. It can seat 5 passengers and allows MFI to transport a small number of passengers when the need arises.
WHO WE ARE
Mission Statement
to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ in partnership with Bible-centered missions by providing reliable transportation and logistical services.
OUR STORY
Don Beldin sitting at his desk in 1968.
Don Beldin was just one man flying a small single-engine airplane in the 1960s for Youth for Christ evangelism in the Bahamas. Responding to need, Don began transporting other missionaries and equipment in his plane. In 1964, the Lord guided Don to incorporate Missionary Flights International (MFI) to meet the growing needs of Bible-centered missions. The need for air service increased, so MFI acquired larger planes and added new countries.
MFI Pilots in the cockpit of the DC-3.
After 42 years in West Palm Beach, MFI moved to Fort Pierce, FL in 2006. Today, MFI operates out of two hangars flying turbine-powered DC-3s to meet the needs of over 600 missions in the Bahamas, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and wherever the Lord directs. About 300 tons of cargo and 4,000 Christian workers are transported every year.
LEADERSHIP
Joe Karabensh, President
Roger Sands, Vice President of Administration
Larry Campbell, Vice President of Operations
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dale Bradley
Special Agent for the US Immigration and Naturalization Service, retired
Randy Crowe (Vice-Chairman)
President, Island Outreach Inc., Pastor
Dr. Ron Giddens
Optometric Physician
Chuck Hanlon
Researcher for South Florida Water Management District
Cyndy Hazlewood
Senior Flight Attendant at Missionary Flights (MFI)
Joe Karabensh
President of Missionary Flights International (MFI)
Harold Martin (Chairman)
President, FEA Ministries Inc.
Dr. David McEwen
Chiropractic Physician
Bud McLaughlin
Purchasing Agent Missionary Flights (MFI)
President of Haiti Mercy Mission
Dick Snook
President Emeritus of Missionary Flights (MFI)
Dennis Stauffer
Government Employee
Seasonal pilot for Northern Youth Programs
Mark Stoltzfus
Former Owner of Preferred Airparts LLC
& Priority Air Charter LLC
SUPPORTED STAFF
Most of our staff must raise their own financial support in order to work at Missionary Flights. If you are interested in supporting one of our staff members, please designate an amount below or click on their picture.
Aircraft Mechanic
OFFICE STAFF
Our office staff do not rely on financial supporters in order to work at Missionary Flights. They provide support for the daily operations at MFI. If you are interested in learning more about one of our staff members, please click on their picture below.
Director of Marketing & Development
Development & Special Events Coordinator
Bookkeeper
Warehouse Specialist
Volunteer Coordinator
Receptionist
Reservationist
Digital Media Specialist
Purchasing Manager
Human Resources
Warehouse Administrative Assistant
Assistant Director of Flight Logistics
THE FLEET
"THE AIRPLANE THAT CHANGED THE WORLD"
The Douglas DC-3 launched the commercial airlines in the 1930's, flew as a war-time transport in the 1940's, and continues in active commercial service today. No other aircraft has achieved or matched the safety record of the Douglas DC-3 or its rugged dependability. General Dwight Eisenhower listed the Douglas C-47 "Gooney Bird" (DC-3) as one of four pieces of equipment that he considered vital in winning the Second World War.
Douglas produced the DC-3 aircraft from 1935 to 1946. Some 12,000 DC-3/C-47s rolled off the production line; an estimated 1,000 are still flying. MFI's flagship passenger turbine DC-3 is powered by two Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65AR turbine engines, each of which produces 1,230 horsepower at takeoff. The turbine DC-3 cruises at an average of 225 mph., burning 145 gallons per hour and carrying up to 1,030 gallons of fuel. The cabin of the passenger DC-3s can seat up to 32 in comfortable reclining seats.
The Douglas DC-3 is a proven workhorse and is ideally suited for missionary service because of its versatility, dependability, and low cost of operation. Fully loaded, it can operate safely off many different sized airstrips. MFI has flown Douglas DC-3s in missionary air support service since 1976 and now operates two turbine DC-3s as well as a Cessna 310N.
N200MF
N300MF
Missionary Flights International's third DC-3 aircraft project, launched in 2015, recently completed its final test flights in March 2024. Nearly $6.1 million was raised for this aircraft, and it will soon be flown to Florida for a 6–8 week paint job, marking a significant milestone in expanding MFI’s fleet.
N500MF
N500MF was originally built in 1944. MFI purchased it in 2010 from a company that had been flying it in Canada but no longer had a need for it. After a year and a half of total restoration in Ohio, two freshly overhauled PT-6 turbine engines were installed and MFI began flying it for missions in the fall of 2011.
N911MF
EVENTS