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"For over 30 years
we've been arranging free flights so children and adults
can have access to the far-from-home doctors that can save their lives."
 
    
Healthcare for Heroes award winner
Healthcare Champions award winner
 
(Usually) Weekly Update March 14, 2014
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Upcoming Events

 

P-51 Mustang Flight Raffle!

Monday January 6, 2014 at 12:00 PM EST -to- Saturday April 5, 2014 at 11:00 AM EDT

Enters for a chance to fly Stallion 51's dual cockpit-dual control P-51 Mustang, "Crazy Horse". CLICK ON PAYPAL TO PAY BY CREDIT CARD YOU DO NOT NEED A PAYPAL ACCOUNT. CLICK "SKIP THIS STEP."

 

Planes, Trains & BBQ 2014

Saturday April 12, 2014 from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM EDT

Air Show, Seaplane rides, train rides, state sanctioned BBQ competition, car show and musical entertainment throughout the day. Our charity has been once again chosen by the City of Tavares as the exclusive drink vendor for the event!

Wooton Park, Tavares, FL

 

3rd Annual Texas Hold'em Tournament, Leesburg, Florida

Saturday April 12, 2014 from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM EDT

Texas Hold'm Tournament Where: Spanish Village Clubhouse Lots of Great Prizes!!! $50 Including food (purchased in advance) Great Prizes! Note to winners of prior tournaments: We are still planning to have a overall Master Tournament, but had to change plans when the casino we were counting on could not meet our request. Please stay tuned.

Spanish Village Clubhouse, Leesburg, Florida

 

5K Run April 19, 2014 Orlando Executive Airport

Saturday April 19, 2014 from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM EDT

The Orlando Executive Airport, is having a 5K run/walk April 5th to benefit Mercy Flight Southeast! We are limiting the 5K Run to the first 500 runners/walkers that want to sign up and support Mercy Flight Southeast! A unique run on taxiways and a runway to support a great cause! Under 18 runners welcome this year!

Greater Orlando Aviation Authority Community Bldg.

 

International Learn to Fly Day, North County Airport (F45)

Saturday May 17, 2014 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM EDT

Static Aircraft show Airplane and helicopter rides Aircraft/aviation vendors Music, food and much more!!

North County Airport (F45)

 

 

 

For more information on our monthly meetings, call the office at 

(352) 326-0761

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Katheryn and mom, Rebekka_Enroute
Garcia girls Andrea, mom, pilot Marc Miller, dad and Maria
Horath family and pilot Philip North
Aubrey sleeping
Joe Rowan in the cockpit
Kieran Parham
Future Mercy Pilot Derrik
Claudia Mark Diamond Mitsy & Steve
Nestor in his flight suit
 
Sorry it's been so long...
I'm pretty sure this has been the longest we've gone without an update since we started sending out our "weekly" updates almost three years ago. 

Even thought we try to keep the update heavy in photos and light in text so you can read it and move on with your busy lives, sometimes things get in the way of newsletter-Fridays, sometimes it's a "slow news photo week" and other times we are so busy completing projects we don't have time to report on them! This has been one of those times. 

In January/February we launched our new flight coordinating software AFIDS 2.0 which has many great features, but also included some challenges making everything work. One of the nice features of the new software was the ability for pilots to upload mission photographs into the system, but unfortunately the photos were so condensed they were too small to post in this newsletter. Working on it.....

March has been primarily preparing for a very busy April, which you will see details of below. In any case, its' great to be back in touch with all of you again. Enjoy! :)
Steve
 
Pilot Spotlight 

   

These are the very special pilots that volunteered to take one or more of our many weekly missions.  Thank you!!

 

Marc Miller x2
Dr. Jon Morris
Dr. Peter Roode
Dr. Thomas Berner
John Thomas
Rick Sorrell
Mookie Bahiri
Jim Jordan
Bob Wall
Warren Cheatham x2
Gene Gwaltney x2
David Trilling x2
Charles George x4
Don Bradford
Greg Frost x2
Dr. Randall Cole
Stan Shaw x2
Eric Kline
Mark Nowicki
Manfred Brecker
Stephen Gurney
Ken Jordan
John Epley
Ed McDonald

51 mission legs were coordinated 2/15/2014 - 2/21/2014

 

Rick Sorrell

Howard Ackerman

Elina Lunin

Steve Gurney

Mike Alger

Dave Walker x2

Marc Miller x2

Steve High- Welcome back!

Dr. Bob Ferguson

Ken Jordan

John Epley

David Taisch

Warren Cheatham

Clayton Tapp

Rodger Knox

Dr. Peter Roode

Bob Wall 


Mookie Bahiri
Dave Croson
Mark Spencer
Warren Cheatham
Boyd Ellison
Jerry Trachtman
Ernest Burdette x2
Marc Snell
John Hanselman x2
Earle Richardson
Bo Burroughs
 
35 mission legs were coordinated 2/18/2014 - 2/22/2014
 
Greg Banfield
David Trilling x2
Broadus (Bo) Bowman x2
Harry Palmer
Art Elliott
Dr. Christopher Moffatt
David Taisch
David Carlson
Ed Golly
Rick Wachstein
Michael Coutcher
John Hanselman
Mike Alger
John Thomas
 
44 mission legs were coordinated 3/1/2014 - 3/7/2014
49 mission legs were coordinated 3/8/2014 - 3/14/2014

 

 Angela, pilot Mookie Bahiri and mom Connie on leg 3 of her flight to Opa Locka, FL. Angela has flown with us for two years and the treatment she receives is helping her to be much better. 

 

Passenger Kim on Pilot John Hanselman's flight- 

"Like walking in the clouds" 

 

Passenger Kim on Pilot Earl Richardson's flight over 

FSU Stadium in Talahassee, FL

 

Photo of Bruce and wife Devon on their way home aboard 

Pilot John Thomas' airplane
 

Hi Kathy,

Attached are two pictures----one of me with the patient Bill and son Ben at the FBO before leaving on 3/5, and the other of Harry and the passengers linking the next FBO on 3/7.  

(They both have first name of Charles, so they go by their 

middle names, William and Benjamin;<)

  

April 5th - Saturday
Sun n Fun Stallion 51 Booth 
 
Thanks to our partners at Stallion51 and The CommConnection we are going to have tremendous coverage! Look for ads with these generous media publications/outlets:

Key Publishing (Aviation News, Combat Aircraft Magazine)
Challenge Web (Air Classics, Warbirds International)
Air Age (Flight Journal Magazine 1/2 page ad!)

Note: Angel Flight Southeast Pilot Jim Jordan will be at the Stallion 51 booth Thursday April 3rd through Saturday April 5th to share his experience! We could use one or two more volunteers to help out at the show. Contact Steve at: steve.purello@mercymail.org.
April 12th - 10am Saturday

 
April 12th - 5pm Saturday

April 19th - 8am Saturday

Volunteer opportunities
Grant writers for 2014- No experience necessary, but superior writing skills are a must.

Event Chairperson: Fort Lauderdale Pilot Awards Gala April 17th/18th, 2015. We will be moving this event to the Emerald Hills Golf Club where the Mike & Shirley Brady Foundation will be putting on our Golf Tournament there in 2015. We are looking for someone who has the time and resources to organize a committee to hold our 2014 Pilot Awards there.

Sun n Fun Lakeland, FL April 1st thru April 5th
Angel Flight Southeast does not have a booth this year, but Pilot Jim Jordan will be at the Stallion 51 booth Thursday April 3rd through Saturday April 5th to share his experience! We could use one or two more volunteers to help out at the show. 


Email Steve if you're interested. steve.purello@mercymail.org
Angel Flight Southeast Pilot receives award

Lake County Airman Earns Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award

            The EAA Chapter 534 Hosted The Florida Mooney Lunch Group for the awarding of the coveted Wright Brothers" Master Pilot Award" to an EAA pilot on January 11th, 2013 at their Leesburg International Airport hangar in Leesburg, Florida.

            The recipient was David Allen Taisch of Tavares, Florida who has over 50 years flying experience and 6400 flight hours accumulated over the years in 37 different aircraft. He currently owns and flies a Mooney M-20M Ovation and a Lake amphibian.

            David has been active in the EAA Young Eagles Flight program and has flown 116 Angel Flight missions. He soloed at age 16 and got his private pilot's license and the age of 17.

            David is also the founder of the Florida Mooney Lunch Group which celebrated its 10th anniversary at the meeting. This organization is made up of pilots who own Mooney aircraft and fly to different airports for lunch around the State of Florida. Dave and his wife Ruth were recognized by the group for their efforts in keeping the Florida Mooney Lunch Group active for this ten year period.

            The Wright Brothers "Master Pilot Award" was presented by Mr. Rock Rockcastle, a representative of the Federal Aviation Administration's FAA Safety Team.  Their mission  is to improve the Nation's aviation accident rate by teaching safety principles and practices as a form of continuing education for pilots. The recipients must have accrued fifty years of accident free flying and had no license revocations during that period of time. This award is a way of recognizing those pilots who have demonstrated excellence in flight safety.

            About seventy people attended the lunch and award ceremony with quite a number of attendees flying into the Leasburg airport in their Mooney planes.

            If you would like to learn more about EAA Chapter 534 you may go to the following web site. < www.534eaachapter.org >

 

Taisch Wright Brothers Awards 

 


 
Question, comments or concerns?
Contact us at (352) 326-0761
or email us at info@mercymail.org
 
Our organization entirely relies on donations to keep going. More than ever, we could use your help. Please consider making a donation today. Even better, make a recurring donation to help all year long.
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