GREENSBORO, N.C. — Walking into the Samaritan's Purse aircraft hangar can take your breath away. It’s a 48,000 square foot facility, just off the runway at PTI Airport.

"We're the aviation arm of Samaritan's Purse,” said Jim Vechery, Director of Mission Aviation Services. “We actually have 28 aircraft within our department, and we fly them worldwide."

Each trip is an emergency relief mission somewhere on the planet. "Whether those are humanitarian, whether those are man-made, natural disasters, you name it, we just take a lot of stuff and get it there quickly," Vechery said.

The most recognizable of the three-jet fleet that live in the hangar, a DC8. Built in the 1960s, it's logged 98,000 flying hours and will go into retirement at the end of the year.

The aircraft can carry up to 75,

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