TOMTERRIFIC
Level Cruise
I am thinking of flying for the Angel Flight Organization. I have had no experience with this group so can anyone give me some input as to what the missions actually are? Thanks, Tom
Angel Flight
- Thread starter TOMTERRIFIC
- Start date
paulwerbin
Headed to Andromeda
I have done occasional angel flight trips over the past few years. the mission trips vary quite a bit. There is no qeustion that these trips provide a great service to many needy people. But as far as I can tell there is no screening at all as to financial or medical need. I have completed some trips and felt that my efforts had been taken advantage of. This has limited my recent involvement.
I have flown several missions for Angel Flight South Central. The purpose is not assist folks that can't afford it, rather for patients that can't take the long drives in a car, bus or train to make an appointment at a medical facility. These are patients that typically require multiple trips for treatment, such as cancer and if they did fly commercially it would be a financial burden, as it would most of us if we had to do it several times a short period of time. I think you will find it very rewarding. It is a good way to help out your fellow man (including women and children) and using your airplane and skills to do it. Check it out!
greenheadcpa
Level Cruise
I have flown for Angel Flight South Central (now Grace Flight South Central) since Jan 2006. I average about 12 - 15 missions a year. One guy commented to me that he thought that some people take advantage of the service; but, for "Donna", (that I have been flying for the past year and a half) we're a God-send. She makes trips from Gulfport, MS to Tulsa about once every 3 weeks. She could not afford to fly commercially (dollarwise AND the stress on the body with all the plane changes she'd have to make going from GPT to ATL to TUL). She is ONE of the reasons that I will continue to flyifor Grace Flight.
Gene
Gene
I've been flying for Angel Flight West for almost 10 years now, and volunteered for almost 8 years as a Wing Leader for AFW. My opinion is that charitable aviation, such as Angel Flight, is a great use of our aircraft. GA really can demonstrate a community benefit when we take on these sorts of flights assisting those in need.
I want to follow up on the comment about mission screening. Angel Flight West I know goes puts a considerable effort into making sure missions accepted are a good fit for the goals of the organization. Some flight requests I know have been turned down because they didn't sufficiently meet the criteria for an Angel Flight Mission (financial need, lives in a remote location, avoidance of public transportation due to compromised immune system, etc.)
We tell our pilots in AFW if you get a mission that you question that may not merit flight by Angel Flight, by all means go back to Mission Coordination and discuss your concerns with them. There may be factors you, the pilot, are not aware of which tipped the scales to accepting this flight request. Also, if its a case where someone is abusing the system, Mission Coordination (at least in AFW's case ) will follow up and go back to the requesting organization to find out why this person was referred in the first place.
The bottom line here is that the problem won't get fixed unless you share your concerns with Mission Coordination. In most cases, the pilots are the only ones from Angel Flight who will have direct face to face contact with the patient/ passenger.
My sense is that right now, all the charitable aviation organizations are feeling a pinch due to the downturn in the economy and high fuel prices. So I expect your voice will be heard loud and clear if you feel your flight time is being wasted....
My two cents worth anyway.
Doug Faucette
N60003 - C23
I want to follow up on the comment about mission screening. Angel Flight West I know goes puts a considerable effort into making sure missions accepted are a good fit for the goals of the organization. Some flight requests I know have been turned down because they didn't sufficiently meet the criteria for an Angel Flight Mission (financial need, lives in a remote location, avoidance of public transportation due to compromised immune system, etc.)
We tell our pilots in AFW if you get a mission that you question that may not merit flight by Angel Flight, by all means go back to Mission Coordination and discuss your concerns with them. There may be factors you, the pilot, are not aware of which tipped the scales to accepting this flight request. Also, if its a case where someone is abusing the system, Mission Coordination (at least in AFW's case ) will follow up and go back to the requesting organization to find out why this person was referred in the first place.
The bottom line here is that the problem won't get fixed unless you share your concerns with Mission Coordination. In most cases, the pilots are the only ones from Angel Flight who will have direct face to face contact with the patient/ passenger.
My sense is that right now, all the charitable aviation organizations are feeling a pinch due to the downturn in the economy and high fuel prices. So I expect your voice will be heard loud and clear if you feel your flight time is being wasted....
My two cents worth anyway.
Doug Faucette
N60003 - C23
paulwerbin
Headed to Andromeda
Thanks for the information. It seems that different angel flight groups have different ways of handling these questions. And it certainly is a great way for GA to show what we can do for various people in need.
Also there is a subgroup of athe angel flight network set up for homeland security emergency needs.
Also there is a subgroup of athe angel flight network set up for homeland security emergency needs.
ozziemouse
Preflight
I'd just like to affirm everything Doug said in his post. I've been doing Angel Flights for some years now in Australia, and found them to be an excellent way to use the aircraft in a way that is really a help to other people. When our daughter was diagnosed with leukaemia in 1994 we were living on an island in the Pacific. We were forced to move back to Oz permanently, and literally on a few hours notice for her treatment. AF would not have been any use in our case, but I know that for many people across Australia (often children) living in remote areas, the provision of AF allows families to stay put, and patients to travel to the major centres for treatment (chemo, check ups etc).
The 19A that I own is a bit limiting due to no baggage area, so I am very choosy which missions I take on, maximum one adult, one child and (not too much) baggage. I also let other people take the longer missions, and limit myself (for the patient's sake) to round trips of no longer than 5 hours.
Without exception, people I have flown have been really, really appreciative, including what the "earth angels" do, driving people from the airport to the hospital and back.
Well, that's my perspective from an AF pilot from Downunder.
Ron
VH-SQA
The 19A that I own is a bit limiting due to no baggage area, so I am very choosy which missions I take on, maximum one adult, one child and (not too much) baggage. I also let other people take the longer missions, and limit myself (for the patient's sake) to round trips of no longer than 5 hours.
Without exception, people I have flown have been really, really appreciative, including what the "earth angels" do, driving people from the airport to the hospital and back.
Well, that's my perspective from an AF pilot from Downunder.
Ron
VH-SQA
