Volunteer pilot program is reaching new heights
By LEE RAJSICH Special to the Daily Press
SANTA MONICA AIRPORT — For many patients, flying across the country for much-needed medical care was simply out of reach, a pie-in-the-sky notion reserved solely for the rich. But thousands of people living in the western United States are doing just that, with a little help from some angels.
Angel Flight West, an inter-state volunteer pilot organization based at the Santa Monica Airport, recently celebrated its 20th year of providing free air transportation for people in need of medical treatment that can’t afford to fly, as well as those who live in remote areas far removed from major airports.
Through the compassionate services of AFW, patients are now able to arrange for top medical treatment at facilities they typically would not have access to. The non-profit operation encompasses 13 states in the West, making transportation feasible to just about any medical facility in the region. Among the most common destinations are cancer treatment centers, children’s hospitals and university hospitals like Stanford, UCLA and Washington.
While 50 to 60 percent of the guest passengers, according to AFW executive director Jim Weaver, are seeking cancer-related treatments, services are also available and widely used to transport children to special needs camps (about 700 per year) and to deliver seeing-eye and other patient-assistance dogs to their new owners (about 25 per year).
In recent months, AFW has also been transporting troops from Camp Pendleton to their homes following the troops’return from the war in Iraq.
Support from sister organization AirLifeLine after their August merger with AFW’s parent organization, Angel Flight America, has bolstered AFW’s coverage area dramatically and has been welcomed with open arms, according to Weaver.
An additional 250 pilots and at least 1,500 more flights per year have swelled AFW’s operation capacity, with a total pilot count now nearing 1,500 and an approximate flight count this year of 3,400 — a sizable increase from last year’s 2,635 missions.
The merger, which has made Angel Flight America the largest volunteer pilot organization in the nation, has also increased the convenience of booking a free flight for potential passengers. Now social workers and health care discharge coordinators, who are primarily responsible for putting patients in touch with the flight program, now only have to work with one organization for the entire western region. AirLifeLine brought two additional states — Hawaii and Alaska — into the fold for AFW, which previously spanned 11 states.
Because of AirLifeLine’s affiliation with Alaska Airlines, AFW now receives 750 tickets per year to transport Alaskan residents to large, centralized medical centers such as those in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Seattle.
Previously, such widespread coverage was not always viable, or even possible. In 1983, a small group of a dozen pilots from the Sacramento area organized what later developed into Angel Flight America. During the first year of operation the pilots only made 15 flights. Only as news of the organization spread over the years, and pilots from across the nation signed on as volunteers, did the program really take off and eventually eclipse the 6,000-flight mark.
The pilots, who generally are not full-time pilots and fly their own or rented four-to six-seat planes, cover all of their own expenses. This adds up to quite a large donation. According to Weaver, the average flight is 350 miles long and typically costs around $225, while more expensive flights can cost up to $6,000.
The organization’s success has only been obtainable because of the pilots’ ability to “combine their love for flying with their love for helping,” said Weaver.
The Santa Monica office, however, covers its $700,000 operational cost through donations — primarily from businesses — and an annual golf tournament. This year, the ninth annual tournament, coupled with an auction, was held at the Pala Mesa Resort in Fallbrook and raised $100,000, as compared to the $22,000 raised in the first year.
Weaver anticipates that the reach and success of the organization will only continue to expand. At present, there are six regions, including AFW, which comprise Angel Flight America.
Next year, the flight count is estimated to rise by at least another 600, keeping hope alive for more and more patients across the country, patients who were previously grounded by reality.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 27, 2003. Read the original PDF.