Will Support Hurricane Relief, Set Up Donated Dental
Equipment
A
chance to fly to the Bahamas... and, to know you're doing it for a
good cause, beyond a quick weekend excursion. Bahamas Habitat told
ANN this week that due to the recent hurricanes, it is asking
pilots to join additional relief mission flights to Inagua on
Thursday, October 2 through Sunday, October 5.
This mission flight is in addition to the organization's
scheduled Fly-In & Help Out event to Eleuthera in the Bahamas
on November 6-9,
as ANN previously reported. The organization
is urging pilots and aircraft owners to join in one or both of
these vital missions.
Both missions are very timely... as along with normal work on
current construction projects, attending pilots and passengers will
be bringing hurricane aid and reconstruction to the remote parts of
the Bahamas. Inagua, in the southern Bahamas took a direct hit from
Hurricane Ike and the full extent of the damage is still coming
in.
"We are not yet out of the Hurricane season and already there is
much to do. We are mobilizing for support of the stricken
areas. We are urging all interested pilots, aircraft owners and
individuals involved in the aviation industry to join us," said
John Armstrong, the organization's Vice President and Regional
Manager for Dominion Aircraft Sales, which is associated with Fort
Lauderdale, FL-based Premier Aircraft Sales, Inc.
The Aviation wing of Bahamas Habitat leverages the resources of
the general aviation industry and aircraft owners from the US to
support disaster relief efforts and on-going mission work for our
close by neighbors in the Bahamas.
"What makes this mission opportunity so unique is that the
Bahamas are so easily accessible by general aviation aircraft and
so in need that it provides the ideal opportunity for a mission
minded pilot to give back to a community in need in an exciting and
tax deductible way." Armstrong added.
In addition to the hurricane relief mission, the organization is
beginning efforts to transport and setup a complete dental clinic
at Camp Symonette, the organizations main base of operations in
central Eleuthera.
"The dental clinic equipment was a very generous gift from Dr.
Herbert Rust and his lovely wife Louise," explained
Armstrong. "We are extremely grateful to Dr. Rust for his
generous donation and his enthusiasm to be part of this
project."
"The Flying Dentists Association learned of our efforts to
establish a dental ministry and they are very anxious to help us,"
Armstrong said. "Several of their members will be on the committee
for the site selection and development of this much-needed
facility. We are actively seeking other flying dentist to come and
join this project."
Pilots and crewmembers participating in the November Fly-In
& Help Out mission will meet at Premier Aircraft Sales'
headquarters at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE) on
Thursday, November 6 for lunch and pilot briefings prior to
departing to Eleuthera. Lodging and transportation on the island
are arranged for the group.
"If you've ever wanted to fly your airplane to the Bahamas, this
is the perfect way to learn to learn the ropes while supporting a
valuable mission," Armstrong said. "We had pilots join us from all
over during our Fly-In & Help Out event last winter and in
every case the experience really touched their hearts. We had about
14 aircraft on previous trips. We can house up to 60 people at Camp
Symonette so our goal is about 20-25 aircraft for the event this
November. We hope to form partnerships with various aviation
organizations including type clubs, flying clubs and aviation media
organizations to grow and support this valuable mission."