Press Release describing the 2003 Awards: PRESS
RELEASE 2003
2003 Award Recipients:
Distinguished Flying Volunteer: David Altman, PA - Angel Flight
East
Distinguished Volunteer: Kevin Sell, PA - Volunteer Pilots Association
Outstanding Achievement in Support of Public Benefit Flying:
Individual: Tom Goodwin, CA - AirLifeLine
Organization: Mercy Med+Flight, TX
Public Benefit Flying Team Award: Angel Flight of Oklahoma, Volunteer
Pilots Association, and all other groups cooperating to fly relief missions
following Sept. 11, 2001
Champion of Public Benefit Flying: Civil Air Patrol
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Press Release describing the 2003 Awards:
National Aeronautic Association
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nicole Regele, 703-527-0226 August 25, 2003 awards@naa-usa.org
NAA Announces First Ever Winners of Public Benefit Flying Awards
"Above and Beyond" ceremony set for September 10 on Capitol Hill
Six individuals and organizations have been chosen by the National Aeronautic
Association (NAA) to receive new awards designed to recognize the many unsung
heroes volunteering to help others through "public benefit flying"
(PBF).
The awards--issued in five categories of service--were recently established
by NAA in partnership with the Air Care Alliance (ACA), an umbrella group that
supports the efforts of the many volunteer pilot PBF organizations.
According to NAA President Donald Koranda, "It is time we give credit to
the amazing number of volunteers who work behind the scenes to devote their love
of flying to humanitarian purposes. Every day, these people are serving their
communities, both on the ground and in the air, flying people to medical
facilities, airlifting supplies to disaster victims, and assisting with other
charitable causes. Until now, there was no formal means of publicly
acknowledging their dedication."
The award recipients will be honored for their distinguished service at
"Above and Beyond," a reception and ceremony being held on September
10, 2003 from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm in the LBJ Room of the US Capitol.
The winners for 2003 are:
Distinguished Flying Volunteer: David Altman, Blue Bell, PA Over the
past 10 years this volunteer pilot has flown more than 220 patient and medical
transport missions for Angel Flight East (AFE), a nonprofit group based outside
of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, near Wings Field. A retired Marine who went into
the construction business, Altman contacts AFE every week to see if there is
another humanitarian mission he can fly. Altman's enthusiasm for his work is
infectious. According to AFE, "Currently, we have 23 pilots based at Wings
Field who were recruited directly by David or by someone David recruited in the
past." Altman, now 81 years old, flies a Piper Navajo.
Distinguished Volunteer: Kevin Sell, Bridgeville, PA Kevin Sell is
President and one of the founders of the Volunteer Pilots Association (VPA),
which focuses on medically critical transportation. He serves as coordinator of
the Association's missions, which number more than 200 annually. "Kevin has
been, quite literally, 'on call' 24/7 for most of the past 13 years," says
a VPA spokesman. "Always carrying a pager, cell phone, and a dog-eared
pilot's list wherever he goes, Kevin willingly accepts calls anytime of the day
or night, holidays, weekends, etc., to respond instantly to requests...."
Sell does this on his own time out of his home near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Outstanding Achievement in Support of Public Benefit Flying - Individual:
Tom Goodwin, Sacramento, CA Tom Goodwin pioneered the entire concept of
volunteer pilots flying medical cargo and needy patients in their own planes. He
is the founding spirit behind AirLifeLine (ALL), a 25-year-old public-benefit
flying charity. Following his example other pilots joined and the group grew
from 20 pilots to about 1,400 now. They have flown more than 30,000 charitable
missions, transporting more than 9,500 people last year alone. Goodwin, who
lives in Sacramento, California, now serves as a director of ALL, soon to merge
with Angel Flight America.
Outstanding Achievement in Support of Public Benefit Flying -
Organization: Mercy Med+Flight, Fort Worth, TX Also receiving an award in
this category is Mercy Med+Flight (MMF), a Texas-based organization honored for
significantly increasing the capabilities of public benefit flying by becoming
the first successful national free volunteer crewed air ambulance. Each flight
crew consists of two volunteer pilots and two volunteer medical attendants.
Founded in 1996, MMF says "we can now help non-ambulatory patients and
their families in and out of every [U.S.] state except Hawaii."
Public Benefit Flying Team Award: Angel Flight of Oklahoma, Volunteer
Pilots Association, and all other groups cooperating to fly relief missions
following Sept. 11, 2001 :
Responding to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, a nonprofit group, Angel
Flight of Oklahoma, contacted the Oklahoma Blood Institute, offering to ferry
blood supplies to New York City. AFO in turn called on the Volunteer Pilots
Association of Pennsylvania to fly the final legs of the trip. Together, the two
groups accomplished the mission within less than 24 hours from the time of the
first attack, operating with special permission from the Federal Aviation
Administration and flying while all other civilian planes were grounded. Soon
similar missions were flown by other groups all over the country. This award is
shared by all participating groups, which include Angel Flight of Georgia,
AirLifeLine, Angel Flight East, Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic, Angel Flight
Southeast, Angel Flights Network, Corporate Angel Network, the Civil Air Patrol,
LifeLine Pilots, and more.
Champion of Public Benefit Flying: Civil Air Patrol. In its
62-year history, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) has trained thousands of cadets to
assist with a multitude of public-service needs. Organized in 1941, the group
was initially drawn into World War II in support of civil defense. After the war
Congress made CAP an auxiliary of the Air Force, and the focus shifted to
search-and-rescue and disaster-relief missions, with new missions being added
more recently. The award recognizes CAP for being the leader in volunteer pilot
operations and for illustrating to the American public the value of these
services to the nation.
The winners were chosen by a committee of aviation industry and public
benefit flying leaders, including Admiral Wesley L. McDonald, NAA Chairman; Pete
West, Senior Vice President, National Business Aircraft Association; Donald
Andersen, President, Aero Club of Atlanta; Richard Blacker, Former Director,
Angel Flight West, and former advising counsel for EVAC, Air Care Alliance, and
Angel Flight West; Phillip Kolcyznski, Aviation Attorney, Legal Columnist for
Avweb, and advisor to several Public Benefit Flying groups; Ted Wolf, Trustee,
the Wolf Aviation Fund and former Chairman, CheckPoint Systems; and Wanda
Whitsitt, Chairman Emeritus and Founder, LifeLine Pilots, and former board
member AirLifeLine and Air Care Alliance.
As indicated by the wide range of winning entries, there are many different
kinds of flying that NAA and ACA seek to honor with the awards. According to ACA
Chairman Rol Murrow, "Using their own time and general aviation aircraft
pilot volunteers from the many public benefit flying organizations help hundreds
of people each month. They and many non-flying volunteers work to transport
needy patients to facilities where they are able to receive medical attention
they might otherwise have to do without. They also provide relief following
disasters, find lost hikers, and perform environmental support missions. They
serve when financial need or other special circumstances mean a compelling human
need would otherwise go unfulfilled."
The Air Care Alliance estimates that as many as 30,000 pilots nationwide are
now participating in public-benefit programs. Besides the groups already
mentioned, the Alliance lists many more, including Challenge Air for Kids,
Emergency Volunteer Air Corps, Flying Samaritans, International Shrine Aviation
Association, Liga--Flying Doctors of Mercy, LightHawk, Los Medicos Voladores,
Mercy Medical Airlift, Miracle Flights for Kids, SouthWings, and Wings of Hope.
For a complete listing of all known groups see www.aircareall.org.
Countless stirring and heroic stories have come from these groups and their
volunteers. NAA and ACA say they hope that these awards inspire others to learn
about this remarkable activity and the volunteer pilots who have helped so many
individuals and communities.
ACA was founded in 1990 at a meeting hosted by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association. The Alliance's organizers recognized a need for public-benefit
flying group leaders to share resources and ideas thus improving their missions
of service. For additional about the Air Care Alliance see their website at
www.aircareall.org.
NAA is a non-profit, membership organization devoted to promoting public
understanding of the importance of aviation and space flight to the United
States. More information about NAA and its mission is available at
www.naa-usa.org.
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Available online at http://www.naa-usa.org/website/html/newsset.html
Information about the 2004 Awards is available on the 2004
Awards Page.
