Below is Bub Borman's fascinating report about this 1948 Sedan and others that were used in South America:
"Hi Matt, I think I can help you on the “Knockers” that the Jungle Aviation and Radio Service (JAARS) flew in Peru. JAARS is the air service arm of a larger organization, Wycliffe Bible Translators and its sister organization, the Summer Institute of Linguistics. I’ve been a member of Wycliffe Bible Translators since 1949. I went to Peru in 1950 and worked with the JAARS program there until 1953. Hence my acquaintance with 15AC-288 (N1273H, OBM-255/OB-LBE), 15AC-296 (N1280H, OBM-245/OB-LAY/CP-659), N1310H (OBM-277/OB-LBP) and N1400H. I married in 1953 and my wife and I moved to Ecuador where we began a Bible translation project with the Cofan people. We had both felt the call of God to translate the Scriptures for a Bibleless tribe, and this took precedence over my desire to continue in aviation work. With the arrival of N1400H, I did work part time with JAARS, assisting our pilots in maintenance. I mostly did maintenance and flew co-pilot on our larger planes, but eventually did solo H1400H off Limoncocha, our lake where we had our jungle center in Ecuador. As for our Bible Translation project, we finished and dedicated the New Testament in 1980. Further work on the Old Testament resulted in a book with about a quarter of the Old Testament which was combined with a reprint of the New Testament in 1998. We have since retired and live in Dallas, TX. I’m 84 now, but have a lot of good memories.
N1280H's history with JAARS: Registered in Peru as OBM-245/OB-LAY, registered in Bolivia as CP-659. Serial number 15AC-296. Acquired 1949, flown for 19 years until 1968, when sold to the Andes Evangelical Mission. This aircraft was a gift from the Crowell foundation. It was Wycliff Bible Translators' first Aeronca and the only one in factory paint scheme. It was flown to Peru by Ollie Bryant and Jim Price in 1949. First aircraft to be obtained following the Grumman Duck, christened AMAUTA (also in picture), and flown in Peru first by Betty Green. In Peru OBM-245/OB-LAY was rebuilt in 1957, and was flown there on February 20th, 1958. It was given to the Bolivia Branch to replace their run-out Aeronca, OBM-255/OB-LBE.
The guy stepping off the float is Don Stark. He was our radio man and an exceptionally good linguist. To my knowledge, Don didn't do much linguistic research, but enjoyed the radio work.
Bub Borman"
(This page last updated: 05/2011)
Click on the thumbnails to view the pictures in full size.
Photo © Bub Borman
