Page 20 - Twin and Turbine June 2017

In my experience over the last eight years of being a volunteer pilot, I have found that charitable aviation organizations usually fall into one of the following categories:
1. Medical and humanitarian missions 2. Military/veteran benefit
3. Animal rescue, and
4. Disaster relief.
I mostly fly medical-related missions for Angel Flight Central and a few Veteran’s Airlift Command missions each year, and I have a close friend that has flown several missions for Pilots & Paws. With so many charitable aviation organizations out there to choose from, you should be able to find one or more that fit your own charitable passions as well.
It would be great if I could introduce you to the actual people my wife and I have flown over the years, but we must be careful to protect their confidential medical information and passenger identities, so instead I’ll simply change the names and share with you the essence of a few of those stories from our 100-plus charitable missions. These are representative of the kinds of missions you would likely experience if/when you decide to step into charitable aviation.
Baby Ethan
We took the mission and delivered mom, dad, baby Ethan, and grandma from KICT to KAPA in just under two hours, simplifying their travel situation dramatically.
The joy in their eyes and the relief on their faces after the surgery was completed was priceless! Ethan’s operation was successful, and we’ve had several updates on Ethan’s awesome progress from his grandma since the trip, as we’ve stayed in touch after getting to know them on the mission.
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Joline
This young girl was born with a genetic respiratory disorder that keeps her from being able to breath reliably on her own. As a result, she is “tethered,” nearly 24/7, with a long tube to a cumbersome medical device that assists her with breathing. There is a specialist in Chicago that wanted to evaluate Joline for a medical implant that would help regulate her breathing, similar to a pacemaker, but for the lungs instead of the heart. Like Ethan, Joline’s traveling posse included mom, dad and grandma, and more luggage and medical equipment than you could imagine. Once again, a pressurized private aircraft was the only real solution to make this journey. We took both the
Organizations such as Angel Flight, Corporate Angel Network, Veterans Airlift Command and others y thousands of missions each year with the help of thousands of volunteer pilots across the world.
A young couple in Wichita was blessed with a beautiful baby boy. However, Ethan was born with a few small holes in his heart and he needed surgery at a specialty hospital in Denver. Because both parents and grandma were going with Ethan to Denver for two full weeks for the procedure, and because they had so much luggage and supplies, it wasn’t economically feasible for them to fly commercially. Because of Ethan’s heart condition, they couldn’t drive the 11 hours to Denver, and they couldn’t fly in the typical Angel Flight non-pressurized aircraft. The best choice for this mission was a pressurized private aircraft.
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