Samaritan’s Purse was founded in 1970, inspired by the biblical story of the Good Samaritan: someone who stopped to help a person in urgent need when others passed him by.

As Todd explains, the organization’s motivation is “to go to people who are in the greatest need,” whether they are facing war, famine, natural disasters, medical crises, or other moments of deep need. That mission guides the work of Samaritan’s Purse today, as the organization meets physical needs while also sharing the hope of the Gospel.

Aviation plays a critical role in that mission.

When speed matters, when commercial options are limited, or when teams need to move people, equipment, medical supplies, or relief resources into difficult places, aircraft become more than transportation. As Todd puts it, aviation can be “a great lifesaver to get people there” and to get resources where they are needed quickly.

For Samaritan’s Purse, aviation is not a separate function. It is part of the mission itself.

Samaritan’s Purse operates aviation programs from multiple bases, including North Carolina, Alaska, and East and West Africa. Its unique and varied fleet of 24 aircraft support a wide range of mission profiles, from remote field operations to international disaster response.

That global footprint gives Samaritan’s Purse the ability to move people, supplies, equipment, and support when the mission requires it.

But operating at that level across multiple regions also creates complexity.

Aircraft, crews, schedules, maintenance, internal departments, finance teams, and reporting workflows all need to stay aligned. For an organization working across different countries and operating environments, disconnected systems can quickly become a barrier to efficiency.

Before FL3XX, as Todd explains, “our five aviation programs around the world each had a different scheduling software.”

That created inconsistency across the organization. Teams were paying for multiple services, sometimes without a clear view of what was being used. Data was difficult to aggregate, reporting was fragmented, and leadership lacked one reliable source of truth across the entire aviation operation.

The goal was not simply to replace software; it was to bring the operation together.

Samaritan’s Purse needed a global flight management platform that could help optimize scheduling, improve communication, support crew currency tracking, create better reporting, and give teams visibility across all programs. Todd describes the motivation clearly: “getting information into the right hands of our operations people.”

Samaritan’s Purse implemented FL3XX program by program, bringing its aviation teams onto one connected platform.

Today, as Todd notes, “all programs are now operating on FL3XX,” giving Samaritan’s Purse “one view of the truth” and visibility from a scheduling perspective.

That shift has given the organization a single view of its flight schedule, better visibility across departments, and a stronger foundation for reporting and decision-making.

Instead of each program operating in its own system, teams can now work from the same operational picture. Scheduling, crew visibility, maintenance planning, reporting, and internal workflows are connected in one place.

For an organization operating across diverse regions, that global visibility matters. As Todd explains:

“With flight operations in Alaska, Africa and North Carolina, our needs are quite varied. FL3XX has exceeded our expectations in ease of use, comprehensive functionality, and meaningful integrations with our external service providers.”

The FL3XX Solution

FL3XX quickly evolved into more than a scheduling platform for Samaritan's Purse. It became the connected operational layer bringing teams, aircraft, departments, and data together across a global mission aviation operation.

One of the biggest gains came from internal invoicing. Before FL3XX, Todd says the team was using “manual Excel spreadsheet invoices,” with flight data entered and invoices built by hand. With FL3XX, Samaritan’s Purse created custom invoice templates and reports, reducing manual work and giving finance teams more time for analysis.

The benefits also extend into maintenance and flight operations. Maintenance teams now have clearer schedule visibility, making it easier to block aircraft and keep everyone aligned. The Crew App also helps connect flight activity to maintenance planning, so when a squawk is entered after a trip, the team can start preparing before the aircraft returns.

Samaritan’s Purse is also using FL3XX BRIGHT to access and act on data across its flight operations. Todd says the organization now has “visibility to things that we just didn’t have visibility to before,” helping the team move beyond fragmented reporting and build a clearer view of aviation activity across the organization.

“We have gained significant time savings and efficiencies with FL3XX, and we can now access and action data across all our flight operations with BRIGHT.”

When Samaritan’s Purse evaluated flight management systems, global capability was a deciding factor. The organization needed a partner with experience beyond one domestic market, and valued FL3XX as “a global program” with “experience around the globe.”

But the people behind FL3XX made the difference too. Todd says, “it was the people we work with at FL3XX that really made the difference,” from sales through onboarding and post-launch support.

“The onboarding process, led by Christine, was outstanding. And, we have experienced incredible technical support and customer service post-launch. We could not be more satisfied with our decision to partner with FL3XX.”

For Samaritan’s Purse, FL3XX has helped bring its aviation programs together, improve visibility, reduce manual invoicing, support maintenance planning, strengthen reporting, and give teams one shared view of the truth.

FL3XX is proud to support Samaritan’s Purse Mission Aviation Services with a global, app-based flight management platform built for complex mission aviation operations