Brigade Air originated in 2000 as a new division of CSB Ministries in Wheaton, IL and spun off in early 2004 as a separate 501 (c)(3) organization.
While the Brigade Air mentoring program was new in 2000, CSB Ministries (formerly Christian Service Brigade, founded 1937) included aviation as one of its youth mentoring activities in earlier years.
Their Airman Trail program ran from the 1940’s until the 1970’s. Paul Robinson, founder of Moody Aviation in Chicago flew an airplane from the Wood Dale, IL airport in 1960 to the 1,800 acre Northwoods Leadership Training Center in Michigan to help with the Airman Trail program there. Aging leaders in missions aviation today credit the Airman Trail as their starting point.
Brigade Air is responding to missions recruitment needs with new methods, but is also a revisiting of this older, tried-and-true program that had long-term success.
Former Brigade Air campers have gone on for flight training at Moody Aviation, LeTourneau University, Liberty University, Louisiana Tech University, San Diego Christian College and others, and now serve in missions today.