New York Stock Exchange Chairman Marshall N. Carter Donates Plane to North Carolina's JAARS Inc.
Rugged Multi-functional Pilatus PC-6 Aircraft Targeted for Humanitarian Work in Indonesia

Contact: Arthur Lightbody, APR, JAARS Media Relations Officer, 704-843-6048, Mobile: 704-608-3033, arthur_lightbody@sil.org

WAXHAW, NC, Nov. 15 /Christian Newswire/ -- JAARS Inc. of Waxhaw N.C. announced today that Marshall N. Carter and his wife Missy donated their personal Pilatus PC-6 aircraft to JAARS for its humanitarian purposes. Mr. Carter is chairman of the New York Stock Exchange and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Boston Medical Center.

The Swiss aircraft received today by JAARS, a nonprofit organization devoted to serving minority language communities worldwide, is valued at $1.0 million.

JAARS President Jim Akovenko said, "We are very grateful for this timely gift from Mr. and Mrs. Carter. The aircraft is a perfect match for the very short runways that are common in the field of operations. This aircraft will complement the current fleet and will be pressed into service immediately upon arrival."

The turbo-prop PC-6, or "Pilatus Porter," is well suited for medical evacuations and in assisting local people in literacy and other forms of community development through the efforts of JAARS partner, SIL International. SIL is a nongovernmental, faith-based nonprofit language development organization working in over 1400 language communities worldwide.

Marshall Carter, a long-time seaplane pilot, has owned and used the aircraft for the last nine years.

"The Pilatus Porter is a wonderful aircraft and has brought a tremendous amount of joy to me and my family over the years," Mr. Carter said. "With its donation to JAARS for humanitarian purposes, the aircraft will now take on its most important mission ever. JAARS should be commended for its great work and for putting donations such as this to work for people in need."

The PC-6 can carry up to ten passengers, or more than three cubic meters of cargo. It will become a critical component of the JAARS organization's plan to replace its aging fleet of piston engine aircraft fueled by aviation gas with turbine aircraft in response to a worldwide shortage of aviation gas. Turbine aircraft burn jet fuel which is more readily available in places where JAARS aircraft are flown.

The PC-6 is ideal for the bush conditions in Indonesia as it can be flown in difficult mountain ranges, at higher elevations and faster speeds than other smaller aircraft, and can land on shorter airstrips than most aircraft with the same load capacity.

The aircraft will be operated by YAJASI, JAARS Indonesian counterpart and partner organization.

SIL Indonesia Director Mark Taber said, "The provision of this PC-6 is timely as we depend on our Indonesian partner, YAJASI, to provide us with safe, reliable air transportation to reach some of the remotest regions in eastern Indonesia. Our efforts to provide rural and isolated communities with literacy programs and various community development initiatives will be greatly enhanced by this aircraft."

The JAARS aviation program operates flight programs in five countries, with operations in Asia, the Pacific and Africa. In addition, the Waxhaw aviation facility is used for training JAARS pilots in operation procedures for the overseas efforts.

JAARS provides more than aviation services. Land and sea transportation services, computing and information technology, media services in the local or vernacular languages, and other vital logistical services for language programs worldwide are provided as well.

JAARS is motivated to serve the spiritual needs of language communities as well as the physical and social needs through its associations and in so doing assist in Bible translation efforts for the remaining language groups without Scripture in their heart language.

More information on the PC-6 can be found at www.pc-6.com and www.pilatus-aircraft.com. More information on JAARS can be found at www.jaars.org.