You find yourself wanting to use your hard-earned flying skills for a purpose beyond personal or business travel, but you don’t know how or where to start. Maybe you want to help transport patients for medical care; possibly help veterans or their families during a time of need, or maybe you are looking for an opportunity to fly missions in remote areas.
Continue reading “Finding Your Perfect Volunteer Opportunity…While Enjoying EAA AirVenture”
No one would have faulted Hal Biestek for just kicking back and enjoying retirement after an aviation career of nearly 40 years in the military and then flying and instructing for United Airlines. He could have just indulged his passion for restoring award-winning cars and added more trophies to the shelf. Instead, he has chosen to play a key role in bringing sight to people around the world with his volunteer work for Orbis International. Continue reading “Hal Biestek-Flying To Save Sight”
Less than seventy two hours after the earthquake struck Haiti, Cameron King was unloading a Piper Aztec on the ramp at the airport in Port-au-Prince. In the near chaos of the first days, only a few people took notice of King who looked more like a teenager than a young woman of 23 years. But as she flew more and more missions, people began to wonder “who is this kid and what’s she doing flying here?” Continue reading “Cameron King”
It only takes one flight to discover a simple but powerful truth. There is no better way to see the effect of the hand of man upon nature than to view it from above. For good or bad, the big picture is easily revealed, and the knowledge gained from that perspective provides insight that can lead to affirmation on what works, or to better choices to fix what doesn’t. Continue reading “SouthWings”
What happened to air traffic on the morning of 9/11 was unprecedented. Within hours of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and then the crash of United 93, the only aircraft left in the air over the continental United States were operated by the military, the government and official rescue units. Time lapse images of the flow of private and commercial aircraft over the country show Continue reading “Doug Vincent”
Teaching…the most noble profession. Though Roger Krenzin has been a mission pilot, a soldier, and an aircraft mechanic working in remote areas throughout the world, if you want to see his eyes light up, ask him about being a teacher. More specifically, a teacher of others who use airplanes on behalf of JAARS, a mission aviation program based in North Carolina.
If asked to provide a quick description of Krenzin, several come easily to mind: friendly, happy-go-lucky and somehow a little intense all at the same time, and above all, dedicated to sharing what he has learned over more than 30 years of mission flying. Continue reading “Roger Krenzin”
“The voice of public benefit flying.”
The Air Care Alliance (ACA) is now 21 years old, but you’d be hard pressed to find another 21-year-old with such an impact on so many lives. Like other organizations that truly fulfill their missions, ACA was the product of visionaries; people who understood that charitable aviation groups would be more effective if they became allies. So, in 1990, Continue reading “Air Care Alliance”
In just over 500 hours of flying Michele McGuire has helped save over 200 lives… the small furry kind.
She didn’t start flying to save dogs and cats on missions for organizations like Pilots N Paws, but now she can’t imagine not using her Cessna Skyhawk to move endangered animals from high-kill shelters to Continue reading “Michele McGuire”
“We need to do something!” With that simple statement, a great idea came to life and Pilots N Paws was born. The online program that unites volunteer pilots with animal rescue organizations grew out of one woman’s need to make a home for a Doberman that had been rescued in Florida.
Debi Boies had recently lost her own 12-year-old Doberman, and it wasn’t long before Continue reading “Pilots N Paws”
One of the first things people ask about JAARS is “where does the name come from?”, and for that, you have to go back more than 60 years to the beginning of what was then called “Jungle Aviation and Radio Service”. In fact, the organization had its roots much earlier in William Townsend’s first trip to Guatemala in 1917. Continue reading “JAARS”