Aeronca 15AC Sedan - N1331H

Below is Bub Borman's fascinating report, written in 2011, about this 1949 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.

N1400H's history with JAARS: A friend of Earl Miller donated a Cessna 170A. This was sold and the funds were used to purchase N1400H, in August 1954. Omer Bondurant flew it to Esmeraldas, Ecuador, South America, where he was met by Don Burns to ferry it to Limoncocha. It was used in Ecuador, until 1956, when flown to Peru for service until 1957. It then returned to Limoncocha. An accident holed one float, 7 November 1958. The plane sat in lake Limoncocha for a long time with barrels under it for support. By this time, all our locations had airstrips and a floatplane was no longer needed. Eventually, N1400H was brought to the hangar, rebuilt and put on wheels. It was used as the utility plane making weekly flights from Limoncocha to Pastaza for vegetables and other light cargo. There were also medical runs to the HCJB hospital in Shell Mera (Pastaza). It served this way, until mid-June 1964, when it was put back on the repaired floats and sent to the Colombian branch to start their aviation program. It was sold in Colombia, November 1966. As far as I know, it retained its U.S. registration, all the while it was used in Ecuador.  

Bub Borman" 

(This page last updated: 04/2014)