MISSION
STATEMENT |
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'The Air Care
Alliance promotes, supports, and
represents public benefit flying through
communication and cooperation among
organizations facilitating flights for health,
compassion, and community service." |
JOIN OUR LIST |
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2010 PUBLIC FLYING BENEFIT AWARDS
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Cast Your Votes by May 31, 2010!
The National Aeronautic Association
and the Air Care Alliance are
accepting nominations for the 2010
Public Benefit Flying Awards until
May 31.
The
five award
categories are:
-
Distinguished
Volunteer Pilot
-
Distinguished
Volunteer
-
Outstanding
Achievement
-
Teamwork
-
Champion of Public
Benefit Flying
Honorees will
receive their awards at a special ceremony at
the
United States Capitol in
September!
Nominations may be made online. Click on a
website below for criteria and instructions:
www.aircareall.org
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ACA BOARD OF DIRECTORS |
2009 - 2010
Officers
Rol Murrow
ACA Board Chairman
Emergency Volunteer
Air Corps
Lindy Kirkland
ACA President
Angel Flight East
Jeanine Biron
ACA Executive Vice President
Angel Flight Soars
Jim Weaver
ACA Vice President
Angel Flight West
Keith Laken
ACA Secretary
LifeLine Pilots
Jeff Kahn
ACA Treasurer
Angel Flight East
Directors
Tami Bream
Angel Flight Soars
Sandy Johnson
Angel Flight Soars
Dan Meyer
LightHawk
Kevin Sell
Volunteer Pilots Association
Gary St. Peter
Operation Angel Planes of Rhode
Island
Bill Worden
ACA President Emeritus
Angel Flight West
& EVAC
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ACA MEMBERSHIP |
Your Public Benefit Flying
Organization can enjoy the following benefits
and more!"
-Networking and engagement
-Awards and recognition
-Advocacy
-Information distribution and knowledge
collection
-Volunteer opportunities
Join now for just $100 per year!
Email Sandy for more information on
membership in ACA.
sandy.johnson@aircareall.org.
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IMPORTANT FAA UPDATES
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Legal Update: The FAA granteth...and the FAA
taketh away.
A recent decision from the FAA is bad news for
volunteer pilot organizations seeking to provide
pilots with reimbursement for fuel and other
flight expenses. Ironically, the news comes in
the form of a GRANT of a Petition for Exemption
to allow such reimbursements.
Last June, Mercy Medical Airlift (MMA) and
affiliates submitted a Petition for Exemption
from FAR 61.113, which the FAA has long
interpreted to preclude any such reimbursement.
MMA cited its recent upgrade in minimum pilot
qualifications (which include 500 hours and an
instrument rating) and new safety management
system as offering an equivalent level of safely
to justify the exemption.
The FAA agreed and granted the Petition but
attached some additional conditions; here is
just a sampling:
-
The organization must maintain operational
control of the flights
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FAA may inspect aircraft and pilots at any
time or place
-
The organization must establish a Pilot
Training Program approved by the FAA
-
Pilots must meet the drug testing requirements
of §91.147
-
Pilots must complete annual check ride to
Commercial Pilot standards and Instrument
Proficiency Check within 6 months of flight in
the make and model to be flown
-
Aircraft must have 100-hour inspections.
It is unlikely that any volunteer pilot
organizations, as we know them, are capable of
complying with the FAA's requirements. A pilot's
costs to meet the requirements may well exceed
the anticipated reimbursement. The result is
that the FAA granted an exemption with
conditions that essentially preclude it ever
being employed.
In the process, the FAA effectively dispelled
any notion that there might be some wiggle room
in the FAR's to assist volunteer pilots with the
expenses of flight.
Might one assume that the FAA knew all of this
and fully intended this result?
Jeff Kahn,
Attorney at
Law
ACA Board
Member
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ACA MEMBER LIST |
SEE WHO
ALREADY FLIES WITH US!
Dozens and dozens of groups serve our
communities and those in need, including
international, national, regional, and
statewide groups - and even small local groups
with just a few pilots serving their immediate
area.
The
Air Care
Alliance lists
and makes referrals to all the groups we can
find. If your volunteer pilot organization is
not on the Air Care Alliance Listings Page at
-Air
Charity Network
-Air Mercy
-AirLifeLine of Texas
-Airlift Hope
-Angel Flight Australia
-Angel Flight Central
-Angel Flight East
-Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic
-Angel Flight Northeast
-Angel Flight of Alberta
-Angel Flight of Oklahoma
-Angel Flight of Vancouver Island
-Angel Flight Soars
-Angel
Flight Southeast (Florida)
-Angel Flight West
-Aviation for Humanity
-Bahamas Habitat
-Brigade Air
-Cair
Flight
-Challenge Air for Kids
-Children's Flight of Hope
-Christian Air Ministry
-Civil Air Patrol
-Corporate Angel Network
-EAA Young Eagles
-Emergency Volunteer Air Corps
-Flights For Life
-Flying Paws
-Flying Samaritans
-Freedom Flight
-GivingFlite
-Grace Flight of America
-Grace on Wings
-Great Commission Air
-His Wings Aviation Ministries
-Honor Flight
-Hope Air
-Hope Flight Foundation
-Houston Ground Angels
-International Shrine Aviation
Association
-Kids Wings
-LifeLine Pilots
-Liga - Flying Doctors of Mercy
-LightHawk
-Los Medicos Voladores
-MedFlight of Indiana
-Mercy Flight of Indiana
-Mercy Flight Southeast
-Mercy Medical Airlift and
Affiliates
-Mercy Wings Network
-Miracle Flights for Kids
-Missions Made Possible
-North Carolina Baptist Men
|
A HAITIAN PICTORIAL |
Marc trying to coordinate with the UN and
locals at Jeremie (MTJE)
Lindy Kirkland (L) and Marc Williams ready to
depart Ft. Lauderdale for Haiti
A
PC-12 loaded out for a
run.
Children at the Art Creating Foundation for
Children in Jacmel.
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Official Newsletter of the
Air Care Alliance
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March 2010 |
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When the Going Gets Tough
Rol
Murrow, Chairman of the Board
Throughout the history of
aviation pilots have always been
willing to pitch in during
emergencies. Whether a pilot
flew someone injured in an
accident to a hospital, or
joined a group formed to
facilitate charitable flights,
the aviation community has
always risen to the occasion.
As World War II approached the
Civil Air Patrol
was organized, and eventually
attracted tens of thousands of
volunteers to patrol for enemy
submarines, conduct search and
rescue, and help out following
disasters. Local groups such
as Sheriff's Aero
Squadrons also
involved volunteer pilots in
search and other missions. In
the late 70's and 80's members
of groups like
LifeLine Pilots and
the various Angel Flight
groups began to regularly fly
patients for care. These were
followed by groups
facilitating other special
missions, such as
LightHawk for
environmental flights, and
EAA Young Eagles
for introductory flights for
youth.
In 1989
individual pilots organized an ad hoc airlift
after the Loma Prieta earthquake in
California, involving hundreds of flights
carrying food, water, and supplies to those in
need in the Santa Cruz area. Following
Hurricanes Andrew and Hugo some of the patient
transport groups pitched in, and this grew in
the aftermath of the 911 attacks, when pilots
from volunteer pilot groups took to the air
that very night, ferrying blood test kits to
New York City.
Hurricane Katrina, devastating so many
people, motivated many volunteer pilot
organizations and hundreds of pilots to
help. And now the Haiti earthquake has
brought a new dimension to the desire of
pilots to help: the difficulties of
international flight and more complex
coordination with relief agencies and the
countries involved.
The missions accomplished in Haiti are
exemplary - those who helped inspire all of
us to think of how we could be of help too.
Perhaps we would like to fly a mission, or
work for our group to help coordinate the
pilots with the needs of organizations
trying to provide relief.
But a problem remains: too often the efforts
are organized after the disaster strikes.
Individual pilots want to help, but don't
know where to turn. The major aviation
associations scramble to collect and
disseminate information. And the different
pilot groups often work independently, too
often unaware of what the other groups are
doing, or unable to share information and
maximize efficiency and safety of flight.
Fortunately individuals with groups such as
C.A.R.E. and
Bahamas Habitat jumped in and
worked to coordinate appeals for
transportation with groups and individuals
who wanted to help. And dedicated on-site
volunteers worked at FBO's in Florida and in
Haiti and the Dominican Republic, providing
invaluable help and guidance to the pilots
and relief agencies arriving every day.
It is time we all, as leaders in Public
Benefit Flying, take a moment and think
about what we have learned in these
situations, and develop better, and better
coordinated, plans for responding to
emergencies in the future. The result will
be more aid and less waste, and more
effective relief for those in need.
I am really looking forward to seeing
everyone at the Air Care
2010 Conference in Reno next
month. Remember to book your hotel by
March 31st! Scroll down for all the
conference details!
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President's Message for 2010 |
Answering The Call
Charles (Lindy) Kirkland
The devastating earthquake that struck
Haiti on 12 January, 2010 was another call to
arms for volunteer pilots and the general
aviation community. Like so many disasters and
emergencies before, aviators quickly responded
with great resolve to help those in need. I
was fortunate to have an opportunity to
witness first-hand the tremendous response
made by volunteer pilots and the significant
impact that general aviation had on a
devastated country and its people.
When my lifelong friend, Marc Williams
of Seattle, emailed me this curt question:
"Want to go to Haiti?" I quickly looked at my
calendar for the next week and made the
decision to go. We would meet at his in-laws
in Florida on the 29th of January and head
down to Ft. Lauderdale. Marc had
serendipitously met Steve Merritt of
Bahamas Habitat ( www.bahamashabitat.org)
at an FBO in North Carolina the day before.
Steve convinced Marc of the great need for
small planes and pilots to help out and gave
Marc the points of contact for their crew in
Ft. Lauderdale. That was all the incentive
Marc needed to put his new-to-him Baron to
good use.
On Sunday the 31st we made our first trip
from Ft. Lauderdale to Haiti. By Divine
intervention we ended up in Santiago,
Dominican Republic (MDST) for fuel and to
stay the night. It was there we connected
with Ken George of G.O Ministries
( www.go-ministries.org
and
www.gohelphaiti.org). Ken was running
such an efficient operation we decided to
spend the rest of the week doing as many
short hops (1.0 to 1.5 hrs) from Santiago to
various outlying fields in Haiti as we
could. We carried food, water, dental
supplies, medical supplies, diapers and baby
formula, rice, beans, cooking oil, tents and
other daily necessities from the warehouse
in Santiago into places such as Jacmel (MTJA),
Jeremie (MTJE) and Los Cayes (MTCA).
We were certainly not alone in this effort
and that is the real story. On any given
day, we had at least 10 GA airplanes of
various types "flying the hump" over Pico
Duarte into Haiti. There were PC-12s, King
Airs, Cessna 402s, 206s, 182s and a 175.
There was a Baron, a Caravan and a Twin
Commanche, two MU-2s and others that flew in
and out during the short time we were there.
In addition to those flying in country,
there were numerous Citations, Challengers,
and Lears coordinated by groups like
CARE (Corporate Aircraft Responding
in Emergencies) that were ferrying goods and
people back and forth to the United States.
We became an ad-hoc air force with new
pilots and aircraft joining in daily and we
all enjoyed the camaraderie and the
satisfaction of knowing we were making a
difference.
With the smaller airplanes bringing relief
to the outlying towns and villages, we were
able to help those who otherwise would have
had to wait days or weeks for relief to
arrive overland. The need was so great in
Port Au Prince that getting relief to the
other parts of the country was being carried
out almost entirely by GA aircraft. Some of
the aircraft were there at the generosity of
a corporate entity but most of the people
and airplanes were private citizens just
like you who had paid their own expenses to
get there and just wanted to help out. Once
again, the overwhelming generosity of
volunteer pilots and the incredible utility
of general aviation shone through.
I would hope that we will never see another
devastating earthquake like the one in
Haiti, but history says that we will. Until
the next disaster, the Air Care
Alliance will continue to work with
you and your groups to help improve our
responsiveness and capability in these
situations. We must be tireless in our
efforts to develop procedures and
communications that will allow us to be
effective when called. Thank you all for
continuing to answer the call.
Make sure to see Lindy's Haitian
Pictorial further below in this newsletter.
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Incoming Arrival! Don't Miss This Flight! |
Angel Flight West presents
Air Care 2010
National Conference
April 16-17, 2010
Reno, Nevada
This conference
is for you!
Do not miss this opportunity
to share knowledge and build relationships
with industry professionals and your peers
across the country. Leaders, staff members and
supporters of public benefit flying are
invited to attend and learn more about
the relevant, critical issues facing our
organizations.
HURRY and BOOK NOW! Your reduced hotel
rate of just $69-$89 per night is only good
through March 31, 2010! You must mention Air
Care Alliance to book a room in the block.
Click
here for full itinerary and
conference registration details.
_____________________________________
Thursday, April 15th
6:30pm Dinner for early arrivals
Friday, April 16th
Morning Lake Tahoe luncheon cruise*,
welcome reception, dinner and President's
Suite reception.
Saturday,
April 17th -
What a Full
Day!
Informative and Important Group Sessions
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Organizational Responses to Safety Issues
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ACA, NTSB, Air Safety Foundation & Safety
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Getting Your Story in the Media
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Disaster Response - "Haiti, Katrina & Beyond"
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ACA Business Meeting, Updates & Elections |
Special
Guests
Including
Selena Shilad of the Alliance for Aviation
Across America, who will speak about the
importance of General Aviation in providing
medical and other services to our
communities.
In-Depth Roundtables
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Legislative Updates |
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Board Development |
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Fund Raising |
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Safety Manual & Tutorial
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Disaster Response |
Dinner
at the National Automotive Museum*
with Guest Speaker - Cathe Fishe
sponsored by
Angel Flight West
All this for just $75 per attendee!
*Friday Lake Tahoe luncheon cruise and
Saturday evening banquet have additional
fees.
Click
here for
full itinerary and conference
registration details.
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Working Together In Haiti |
Bahamas Habitat
Relieving Disater. Promoting
Community.
The following is a reprint from
an article written by Charles
Stites, published in the
AOPA Pilot Magazine
- February 25, 2010.
The
best of general aviation in
the worst of times
Ahead of us lay the Bahamas
island chain, stretching 435 miles
to our destination on the north
coast of Haiti. Behind us, filling
the Baron's cabin, was precious
cargo that could help to heal the
injured, and save lives. It was
Friday-just the third day after
the magnitude 7.0 earthquake,
centered about 10 miles southwest
of Port-au-Prince, rocked the
island of Haiti on January 12-and
we carried a doctor and a nurse
who had volunteered to travel into
the heart of the quake zone.
The day before, I had called
Steve
Merritt,
a friend who is with Bahamas
Mission Support (BMS) and who
would be using the organization's recently
donated Beech Baron to help quake victims.
He confirmed that with the help of
Rotary International of the Bahamas,
BMS would deliver donated medical supplies
and health-care workers to smaller
airports away from the near chaos of the
main airport in Port-au-Prince. He offered
me a seat.
BMS, also known as
Bahamas Habitat,
was well aware that the call had gone out
for GA pilots to avoid giving into the
initial desire to fill an airplane with
supplies and head toward Haiti.
AOPA and others were advising
that the best course was to donate funds
to help established relief organizations
get larger aircraft into Port-au-Prince.
Reports of long holds and supplies piling
up on the ramp meant that pilots of
smaller aircraft ran the risk of doing
more harm than good by trying to enter the
maelstrom that was Toussaint Louverture
International in devastated
Port-au-Prince. BMS and like-minded
aviation service organizations knew it was
time to do what general aviation aircraft
could do best: deliver critically needed
people and supplies to outlying airports
where they could quickly make their way to
clinics surrounding the quake zone.Our
first mission began with an arrival at the
Odyssey FBO in Nassau,
Bahamas, on Friday morning, and it was
obvious that Abe McIntyre of
Bahamas Methodist Habitat (sister
organization of BMS) and
Richard McCombe of Rotary
International had been hard at work. The
staff at Odyssey got us though Customs and
Immigration in record time, and soon the
Baron was loaded with supplies; a local TV
station had interviewed Dr. Gloria
Ageeb and nurse Moniquea
Fortune; and we were in the air
en route to a refueling stop at Great
Inagua-the last island in the Bahamas with
fuel before Haiti... more
To learn more about Bahamas Habitat and
their current need for volunteer pilots
and other assistance, visit their website
at
www.bahamashabitat.org
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General email:
mail@aircareall.org
Office Phone and Patient Transport Help Line:
Toll Free: 888-260-9707
Office Fax: 815-572-9192
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