There Are Angels Among Us

By Rose Dorcey, ANN Correspondent

In their first appearance at an International Women in Aviation Conference, Angel Flight America is quietly making their presence known to the nearly 2,500 men and women who are attending the event.

Angel Flight America (AFA) is the largest voluntary air transportation organization in the world. Through seven autonomous non-profit member organizations, AFA provides access for people in need who are seeking free air transportation to specialized health care facilities or distant destinations due to family, community or national crisis.

Volunteer pilots donate their time, airplane, fuel and operating expenses to help those in need. In excess of $15 million of donated services has been contributed throughout the seven regions.

Judy Benjamin is a pilot and aviation specialist/mission coordinator for Angel Flight Central, which is composed of ten central US states including Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas, where she is based.

"We provide many flights to those in need… both medical and compassion flights," she said. "Flights are provided to those who need long-distance medical care on a regular basis, such as cancer patients. We are involved in flying youth to camps, for instance burn survivors. Our volunteer pilots are flying 60 kids to a youth camp for those who are HIV-positive."

Benjamin also told of a young Kansas couple that flew a commercial flight to Wisconsin to visit family before Christmas. The wife, pregnant with their first child, went into labor in Wisconsin. The baby was born several weeks premature. When their doctor cleared the baby to leave the hospital, there was one problem; the doctor didn't want the baby to fly a commercial flight due to air quality concerns for the newborn. That's when Angel Flight was called.

Tom Holcom, a Kansas City-area volunteer pilot, annually saves Christmas Eve for Angel Flights. Holcom flew northeast to Milwaukee to bring the new family home for Christmas.

These are just some of the ways Angel Flight can help people in need.

Benjamin said that in 2004 Angel Flight pilots (including COPA's Mike Radomsky, pictured below, with one of his charges) flew more than 30,000 passengers on over 16,000 flights. Volunteer ground crews (Earth Angels) drive patients back and forth to airports and provide other ground support including fundraising, patient and community outreach. Angel Flights were some of the first flights allowed after September 11th, flying over 150 missions in service to America during relief efforts.   

Angel Flight America is comprised of seven regional organizations, each with their own board of directors, staff members, mission coordinators, volunteer pilots, ground volunteers and donors.

While the organization is appreciative of the thousands of people who donate their time and talent, they are striving to become better known, in order to help more children and adults with hundreds of illnesses and needs.

"We want to help more people," said Benjamin. "We want to see an increase in flight requests, as well as pilots, we want to become a household name."

FMI:  www.angelflightamerica.org