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Pilot Spotlight
These are the very special pilots that volunteered to take one or more of our many weekly missions. Thank you!!
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Brad Pierce
**Transplant Mission**
David Trilling x2
Michael Hoover
Steve Gurney
Sam Samaha x3
Marc Miller x2
Tony DeSantis x2
Don Bradford
Ellen Herr
David Walker x4
Mark Nowicki
Steve Purello
Dr. Robert Sparks
Richard Ramey
Patrick Clyne
John Hanselman
Warren Cheatham
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Ernest Burdette
Randy Rolf
Rick Wachstein x2
David Trilling x5
Eric Kline x2
Steve Gurney
Stan Shaw
David Walker x2
Phil Gross
Bo Bowman
Tod Peavy
Dennis Dabney
Dr. Vader Shelton
Charles George
Tony DeSantis
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61 mission legs were coordinated 12/7/2013 to 12/13/2013
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55 mission legs were coordinated 12/14/2013 to 12/20/2013
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Hi Steve, My name is Heather and I was Diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer on July 3rd of this Year. The week before I was diagnosed I lost My Job, was in a car accident and received notice of foreclosure of My Home. I heard about Angel Flight Southeast through the Cancer Society and called and spoke to Kathy who is a God Send. I live on the east coast of Florida in Vero Beach and have had to travel to The Moffitt Center in Tampa Florida for Surgery and Chemo. Kathy has gone above and beyond to help me get Flight to and from The Moffitt center for all my appointments. Even for emergency last minute appointments. She is professional, proactive and a true Asset to Your Company. I do not know what I would do without Angel Flight Southeast. I have over 100,000 miles on my car and before I knew about Angel Flight Southeast, my car broke down on the way to The Moffitt Cancer Center which is close to three hours drive each way. Thank you to Kathy and your Organization!!! I continue to tell patients at The Moffitt center about Angel Flight Southeast and what a Wonderful charity it is.
Thanks again,
Heather Vero Beach, FL
Heather, husband Steve and Pilot Marc C. Miller
James and caretaker Sue. James has a brain tumor is is traveling to/from University for treatment
James in Charles George's mooney
James, Sue and Pilot Charles George with
AFSC PIC David Lavine for a handoff flight
Generous contributor Jim Shinholser, daughter Caprice, Patricia, Mitsy and Pilot Steve Purello
Patricia is receiving treatment in Miami for melanoma of the eye
Returning from Miami
Hi Kathy and Steve,
Thank you both again for all of the fantastic work you do to serve the patients of Angel Flight Southeast. It was an amazing opportunity to get to fly such great folks and I'm still on cloud nine days later.
Kathy - you and I spoke about me doing a write-up of the mission for possible inclusion in a newsletter or other materials. I've got a fairly well read blog that I write called Brad in Motion (bradim.com) - it's something that I started to share my own thoughts, then got picked up by Cirrus, AOPA, NBAA and others throughout the years. I'm actually surprised how many people read it but am humbled others actually care about my thoughts. I went ahead and wrote up an article today regarding the recent mission. This particular article is located at: http://www.bradim.com/2013/12/15/flying-an-angel-flight-to-help-save-a-life/
(Full article below)
Thanks again for everything! Brad
December 15th, 2013 by Brad Pierce
It's not often an individual gets the opportunity to help save a life, but for the great volunteers at Angel Flight Southeast this is a regular occurrence. I've been a volunteer pilot for this charitable flying organization for many years now and have always been very impressed with the incredible results they've been able to achieve. Most routine flights are scheduled ahead of time with plenty of notice to prepare. My most recent mission, however, was far from routine.
It was 7:23pm on a Thursday night when the call came in for help. The Angel Flight Southeast mission coordinator explained that two organs which were needed for a young girl in Orlando just became available in Miami. They had already reached out to seven other pilots who were unable to fly the trip for one reason or another and had reached the end of their list (it's sorted by airport proximity to the patient). This particular organ had a "shelf life" of only four hours so there wasn't a moment to spare. I immediately responded "yes" as I rushed out the door to head towards the airport. Along the way I called the good folks at Showalter Flying Service at Orlando Executive Airport and requested their assistance pulling my aircraft out of the hanger so it would be ready to go the moment I arrived. I also made a confirmation call to my mission coordinator to ensure that Miami International Airport (KMIA) was the correct destination for my flight plan. South Florida has numerous airports and I couldn't risk delivering this patient to an incorrect destination. KMIA was confirmed and my special MedEVAC flight plan was filed with the FAA.
I pulled into the airport knowing it was game day, this flight would be among the most important I've ever flown in my life. Every aspect of this mission needed to be performed flawlessly. I did a quick (yet thorough) pre-flight of my Turbo Cirrus SR22 Aircraft and determined everything was in a safe condition for a flight. Moments later my passengers arrived - a courageous young woman and her caring father. I typically do more coddling of new passengers before taking flights, explaining every aspect of the flight to ease their comfort level. Tonight was different however, we were racing time which was an expiring commodity so there was only time for the necessary safety briefing. Before starting the engine however, the father turned to me and simply said "thank you" as he extended his hand. I looked at him and replied, "I'm happy to help - my job tonight is to get you to Miami quickly and safely - yours is to relax and enjoy the flight." With those quick sentiments exchanged, it was "go time".
As I turned the key my powerful aircraft engine roared to life. I called up the clearance controller with my special mission call sign, "MedEVAC 225HL". Typically Angel Flights use the "Angel Flight" call sign which often leads to air traffic control issuing favorable flight routing. The MedEVAC call sign however essentially adds steroids to the term "favorable routing". I was cleared DIRECT TO MIAMI - never in my life would I have imagined such expedited routing though some of the busiest airspace in the country. Needless to say, I quickly became a huge fan of the MedEVAC call sign.
Seconds later I was taxiing my aircraft to the active runway. A quick (yet important) pre-takeoff checklist was performed and we were ready to launch. I received an immediate take-off clearance from the tower and pushed the throttle forward as we rapidly began accelerating down the runway. We were airborne! Less than an hour after receiving the call for help we were launching into the night sky. Years of need for these new organs had come down a game of every minute counting. We were given an expedited climb to our assigned altitude, only having to level off briefly to allow for a 747 to cross above our flight path. Soon we were soaring along towards our destination.
The night was perfect. The weather was beautiful with no clouds in sight and a we even had a little tailwind to help give us a bonus push. Air traffic control continued working their magic ensuring other flight paths wouldn't converge with ours so we could continue our direct heading towards Miami. My passenger's moods changed as we glided along. Their thoughts and worries of the upcoming surgery eased and turned into ones filled with excitement and awe as they gazed out the window at the beautiful city lights below. We began to chat as we sat on the magic carpet ride racing along over a mile above the earth. Our conversation was wonderful, they were both incredibly friendly and I was thankful to be able to help such good people. We chatted about life, school, career aspirations and more. We also touched on details of the upcoming transplants, although I tried to let them drive that part of the conversation as I didn't want to pry regarding her condition. She was very happy to share though and I found it very interesting to learn about the long road she'd endured to get to this point. Needless to say, hearing stories like this make you realize that the problems most people face in life are insignificant in the scheme of things. I was inspired by both by her and her father - they were simply great people who were facing adversity with positive, uplifting attitudes.
Approximately 53 minutes after take-off it was time to bring this bird home. Miami air traffic control arranged for an immediate approach so that no delays from inbound airline traffic would slow us down. We lined up with the runway and I received my landing clearance as we descended towards the city and hospital below. Winds were gusty so I expected a more challenging landing, yet it went as smoothly as every other aspect of the flight. Two minutes after touchdown we were pulling onto the Landmark Aviation tarmac where numerous team members were gathered awaiting our arrival. The staff at Landmark was fantastic welcoming my passengers, complete with a red carpet to make them feel like they were the most important guests in the world - which they were.
There wasn't much time to be sentimental, yet my passengers and I expressed some quick thoughts as we walked through the doors towards their waiting transportation. They thanked me again and I expressed what an honor it was to have the opportunity to fly them on this special evening. I expressed that everything had gone perfectly that evening. The mission coordination, timing, air traffic control, weather - everything. I told them we should consider that a sign - a sign that tonight was meant to be and that her upcoming surgery would be successful as well. I watched as their car raced away knowing my part of the mission was complete. Less than two hours after the initial phone call came in, I had successfully transported a patient and her father more than 200 miles to their destination where vital organs were waiting to be transplanted. Her life would now be in the hands of the skilled surgeons at the nearby hospital.
I took a moment to catch my breath before my return flight to Orlando. I chatted with the fantastic mission coordination staff from Angel Flight Southeast who are the ones whom really made this all possible. I gave them a thorough briefing on the details of the mission performance including expressing my gratitude for all that they do each day. A short while later, I was lifting off once again, a bit lighter with no passengers, but with a heart filled with joy. The flight back to Orlando was smooth and allowed for reflection of all that transpired over the past few hours. The special nature of this mission really began to sink in. Although I was no longer using the MedEVAC call-sign, air traffic control provided extra courtesy as a returning Angel Flight and allowed me to return home quickly which was appreciated.
As I reflect back on this flight, I can't help but to think of the profound effect it had on my life. I thought I was simply giving these passengers help in a time of need - the reality is they were giving me a lesson in life that no amount of money can buy. They inspired me to look beyond the little problems in everyday life and to realize the things that are truly important. Success is about having a good attitude, believing in yourself and being appreciative for what you have in life. Keep up the hope no matter how dire the situation and good things will come to you. This life lesson was the best Christmas gift I could have ever received.
Transplant mission for Aubrey in Brad Pierce's Cirrus
Hi Kathy,
Thought you might like this pic. It is our hands just before she went to surgery - Fritz (Dad)
John and pilot Dennis Dabney.
John is being treated for a painful injury
Cameron is traveling to have a surgery
for his cependymoma - brain tumor
he has been battling for four years
Cameron in front of Pilot Robert A. Sparks III M.D's Baron
Joseph D and wife Kate in front of
Pilot Patrick Clyne's Cessna 195. Joe has a weak heart and is traveling to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville for an echo-cardiogram and testing
John E, Pilot Dr. Buddy Shelton and copilot Ted Restel
This was Dr. Shelton's last mission.
Thank you for your service!
"Mission uneventful. Well folks,this is the end of 30-plus years flying AirLifeline and Angel Flight missions.Hearing is not up to snuff.Also just about to age out,leave 'um while they are smilin'. It was a hoot.
Buddy aka Dr.Vader Shelton Jr. :("
John E
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