Flight Following
the official newsletter of the Air Care
Alliance
Welcome to Flight
Following! We will periodically publish
Flight Following on our website and also send it directly via email in
order to make sending and receiving it as convenient as possible for everyone.
This journal is intended for volunteer pilots,
group leaders, other volunteers, professional staff, and all those interested in
the incredible world of public benefit flying! Feel free to pass it along to
others. We hope it provides useful information making
it easier for those who use aviation in public service do a better and more
enjoyable job of
flying to help others!
|
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
-----------------> FLIGHT FOLLOWING
Official Newsletter of The Air Care Alliance - Oct 2010
|
|
MESSAGE FROM ACA CHAIRMAN - ROL MURROW |
Honoring Those Who Give So Much
_______________________________________________________________
 One
of my greatest pleasures each year is to travel to
Washington DC to help the National Aeronautic
Association with the National Public Benefit Flying
Awards. Nominations arrive from across the
country for individuals and groups who have performed
beyond the call of duty to help others and to serve
our communities, using general aviation aircraft. An
all-star Selection Committee from the aviation
industry and the world of charitable aviation then
chooses recipients who exemplify all those performing
such incredible work.
The venue is appropriate - a stately, formal room in
the United States Capitol Building. I
know the recipients are as awed as I am of the
surroundings. Given their contributions it is only
fitting that they be honored in such a place and such
a way.
Each award presented also honors you and all the other
volunteers, staff members, and supporters in public
benefit flying, and helps our elected officials and
the general public better understand what it is they
all do.
Each spring think of those you know who have gone
"Above and Beyond" the normal work and who should be
considered for similar honors, and submit your own
nominations.
|
|
MESSAGE FROM THE ACA PRESIDENT - CHARLES (LINDY)
KIRKLAND |
|
What a Tailwind!
_______________________
 It's
been a very busy summer to say the least. After our
fantastic conference in Reno, we quickly moved to
planning for our exhibit at EAA's AirVenture
2010. Again this year, we were provided,
courtesy of EAA, prime real estate on the west side of
Aero Shell Square. From this vantage
point, we could watch the daily air shows and all the
activity on Aero Shell Square. It also provided for a
good flow of visitors throughout the week. Each day,
our tent staff was augmented by the tremendous group
of volunteers from the International
Association of Mission Aviation (IAMA).
On the Tuesday of AirVenture, we were hosted by
EAA's Government Relations Director, Randy
Hansen for a meeting with representatives
from all over the Volunteer Pilot community to discuss
the NTSB recommendations and our
response. We had a very productive discussion among
those represented and this valuable input helped us
formulate our final response to the NTSB. Thanks very
much to Randy and the EAA for being such great hosts
and accommodating our group.
Looking
forward, we are very excited to be on the program
again this year at the AOPA Summit in
Long Beach, CA. (http://www.aopa.org/summit/)
If you can make it to the West Coast
November
11-13th, we would love to have you stop by our
booth and say hello. We will also be presenting a
forum titled Beyond the $100 Hamburger: Flying
to Help Others. This forum will be held
Friday, November 13 at 3:30 pm and will feature an
all-star panel with Walt Fricke, Founder and
Air Boss of the Veteran's Airlift Command;
Alan Dias, Executive Director Angel Flight
West; noted aviation author and attorney,
Rick Durden; and our very own
Rol Murrow. Come join us for a lively
discussion and help us encourage others to participate
in Public Benefit Flying.
Also at the AOPA Summit, we will be presenting the
AOPA Foundation with a check for the
first installment of the funding required for our
Volunteer Pilot Safety Course.We have
a long way to go to finish raising all the required
funds, but this is a good faith effort to help get the
project started.Thank you to all who have contributed
so far and please continue to encourage other groups,
individuals, and corporate entities to help sponsor
this very important program.
Lastly, to
all the volunteers and volunteer pilots out there: you
are making a difference each day and we want to
encourage you to continue serving your communities
through charitable aviation.Your service continues to
inspire others and your dedication in these tough
economic times is commendable. Thank each and every
one of you who are on the vanguard.
Public Benefit Aviation tent at AirVenture -
Volunteers Discuss their Work
|
|
| |
|
Air Care
Alliance Mission Statement
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.
|
|
ACA MEMBERS |
|
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
www.aircareall.org/listings.htm please send us
your information so we can include you!
_____________________________
Aero Angel
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
Dreams and Wings, Inc.
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
Help Four Paws
His Wings Aviation
Ministries
Honor Flight
Hope Air of Canada
Hope Flight Foundation
Houston Ground Angels
Hope Wings Foundation
International Shrine
Aviation Association
Kids Wings
LifeLine Pilots
Liga - Flying Doctors
of Mercy
LightHawk
Los Medicos Voladores
MedFlight of Indiana
Mercy Flight of
Alabama
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 Aviation Ministry
Northwoods AirLifeLine
Oklahoma Baptist Men
Aviation Ministry
One Heart Mission
Services
Operation Angel Planes
Pilots For Christ,
International
Pilots for Patients
Pilots n Paws
Remote Area Medical
Volunteer Corps
Servant Air Ministries
SkyArk
SkyDoc
SouthWings
Veterans Airlift
Command
Vital Flight, Inc.
Volunteer Mercy Pilots
Volunteer Pilots
Association
Wings Flights of Hope
Wings For Children
Wings of Hope
Wings of Mercy - East
Michigan
Wings of Mercy -
Michigan
Wings of Mercy -
Minnesota
Yavapai County
Sheriff's Air Group ...and more to come forward!
|
|
2010-2011
BOARD OF DIRECTORS |
|
Officers
________________________________
Rol Murrow
ACA
Board Chairman
Emergency Volunteer
Air
Corps
Lindy Kirkland
ACA
President
Angel
Flight East
Jim Weaver
ACA
Vice President
Angel
Flight West
Gary St. Peter
ACA
Secretary
Operation Angel Planes
Jeff Kahn
ACA
Treasurer
Angel
Flight East
Directors
________________________________
Judy Benjamin
Angel
Flight Central
(Retired Emeritus)
Hume Davenport
Southwings
Rick Durden
LightHawk
Karen Halverson
Lifeline Pilots
Sandy Johnson
Angel
Flight Soars
Kevin Sell
Volunteer Pilots Association
Christopher St. Peter
Operation Angel Planes and Angel Flight West
Bill Worden
ACA
President Emeritus
Angel
Flight West
& EVAC
|
|
|
|
2010 PUBLIC BENEFIT FLYING AWARDS |
|
Honoring Those Who Have Gone "Above and
Beyond"
On September 16th leaders from the aviation industry
and government met in the Lyndon B. Johnson
Room of the United States Capitol
Building to congratulate and honor the
recipients of this year's National Public
Benefit Flying Awards.
"Just as in years past, this year's Public Benefit
Flying Honorees symbolize the very best of the
people, organizations, and equipment which make up
the aviation community in America," said
Jonathan Gaffney, President and CEO of NAA and
Chairman of the Selection Committee. "These
awards reflect the selflessness of our industry and
the benefit it provides to people throughout our
continent. We are very proud to be part of this
program."
The Public Benefit Flying Awards were created to
honor volunteer pilots, other volunteers, and their
organizations engaged in flying to help others, and
those supporting such work. Since 2003 dozens of
awards have been presented at the celebratory
Above and Beyond Awards Ceremony,
held each fall in the United States Capitol
Building. Linda Daschle,
former FAA Deputy Administrator for Airports,
has been a leader in making the awards event
possible.
Gene Schmidt of
Bahamas Habitat was presented the
Distinguished
Volunteer Pilot Award for his
extraordinary service flying many missions in his
Baron aircraft transporting medical and other
supplies and relief personnel from Florida to Haiti
following the devastating earthquake of January,
2010. He also was a leader in supporting or
coordinating other relief efforts.
The award
for
Distinguished Volunteer was
presented to
Captain Justin Ogden of the Civil Air Patrol,
Southwest Region, Arizona Wing, for
his pioneering development of cell phone location
analysis, which has greatly enhanced search and
rescue operations across the United States.
 |
|
Many individuals & groups were honored for
their Haiti Relief Efforts. |
Bahamas Habitat,
received the award for
Outstanding Achievement in Public Benefit
Flying. The organization took on an
early leadership role in mobilizing aviation and
charitable resources to help the people of Haiti
following the devastating earthquake in January,
2010.
This year's
Teamwork Award was dedicated in
honor of all
volunteer pilots and other volunteers who worked so
well together conducting flights in support of the
Haitian Relief Efforts. The Award
was presented to
Bahamas Habitat, AERObridge, and the
National Business Aircraft Association
for their joint work coordinating and supporting the
flights of volunteers from the many groups who
provided essential aid following the Haiti
earthquake.
More photos of the 2011 Public Benefit Flying Awards
ceremony may be seen at the
NAA photos page.
For a complete list of
prior award recipients with photos and descriptions
of their accomplishments please read the Prior
Recipients PDF located
here.
Nominations for the 2011 Awards will be accepted
starting in March, 2011. Visit the
NAA website for further information. |
|
MEMBERSHIP NEWS FROM SANDY JOHNSON |
|
The Multiple Benefits of ACA Membership
________________________________________________
A part of my role as Membership Committee Chair for
the Air Care Alliance is to ensure that we capture,
record and maintain contact and other information on
each of the organizations listed. The data that we
capture about each of your groups allows us to
accurately share and communicate with each other,
the general public, government agencies and others.
If your organization is listed on the ACA website
- whether you are a paid member or not - we want
to include you in everything that we communicate
about public benefit flying.
As we participate in dialogue about public benefit
flying organizations, we need to be able to
confidently quote industry facts. In order to make
that happen consistently, we need to know that we
have the right information. As is true with most
data, if each person (group) verifies and updates
his or her own information, the data remains
useful and correct.
Please
take a moment to go to the Listings section on the
ACA website aircareall.org and verify that all of
your organization's information is accurate. Is
your name, address, email, phone(s) and fax
correct? If not, please send an email with the
corrections to me
sandyjohnson@aircareall.org
so that we can make the necessary changes.
The Air Care Alliance is lucky to have valuable
expertise in our membership and to be able to
utilize that knowledge to benefit the rest of the
public benefit flying community requires on-going
communications. Help us to keep the data clean so
that we are always up-to-date for you.
"Great opportunities to help others seldom come,
but small ones surround us every day." Sally Koch
|
|
HELP WANTED! |
|
HELP!! We need volunteers!!
If you are planning to attend the AOPA Summit Nov
11-13th in Long Beach, CA we could really use some
help. The ACA Staff (Rol and I) will be staffing the
booth for the entire three days of AOPA Summit. If
you can spare an hour or two, we would love to have
you share the booth with us. Please let me know if
you have some time you can help staff the booth.
Thanks for all you are doing.
Email Lindy Kirkland at
lindykirkland1.ctr@usmc.mil
with your availablity.
|
|
|
| |
|
JEFF KAHN'S LEGAL CORNER |
|
Air Care Alliance Responds to National
Transportation Safety Board
____________________________________________________________
 On
September 7, 2010, ACA responded to
the Safety Recommendations letter of June 9, 2010
and issued recommendations to all known volunteer pilot
organizations (VPO's).The NTSB made
recommendations concerning (1) verification of
pilot currency, (2) disclosures to
passengers that volunteer flights were not regulated as
commercial flights and (3) development of written safety
guidance, best practices and training materials for
volunteer pilots. These recommendations arose
out of the NTSB's investigation of four accidents that
occurred in 2007 and 2008 involving volunteer medical
transport flights.
In response, ACA agreed in substance with the NTSB's
recommendations and urged VPO's to adopt policies as
best suited to their operations. In addition, ACA is
teaming with the Air Safety Institute of the
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association to
develop the recommended safety materials and make them
available to volunteer pilots. ACA is seeking the
support of all VPO's in developing these materials. The
NTSB recommendations came after a collaborative effort
which included several meetings with members of the NTSB
staff, Lindy Kirkland (ACA President)
and Steve Craven of Air Charity Network.
In formulating its responses, ACA relied on input
obtained from volunteer pilot groups beginning as early
as December 4, 2008 when ACA convened a special meeting
in Kansas City, Missouri, hosted by Angel Flight
Central, to examine safety issues. ACA also
solicited guidance from VPO's when it distributed the
NTSB recommendations and received many helpful comments.
ACA also received extensive feedback from groups
attending a meeting at EAA AirVenture
in Oshkosh this past July.
ACA is hopeful that the results of a collaborative
process with the NTSB will lead to an enhanced level of
safety without additional regulations that could impair
the ability to VPO's to accomplish their mission.The
complete texts of the NTSB recommendations, ACA's
response and ACA's recommendations to VPO's can be found
at
by clicking
here.
VPO Reps Meet at
EAA AirVenture to discuss NTSB Recommendations. |
|
2010 AIR CARE ALLIANCE RECAP |
|
ACA takes over the Biggest Little City!
__________________________________________________________
The "Biggest Little City in the World," Reno, Nevada,
was the scene of the 2010 Air Care Alliance
Conference, hosted by Angel Flight West.
The Siena Hotel, situated on the edge
of the Truckee River, welcomed 65 delegates from 19
public benefit flying organizations from across the
country. Leadership personnel gathered to discuss
current issues that impact charitable aviation, to learn
of opportunities that they could implement in their
organizations and to network with their colleagues in
public benefit flying.
The day prior to the conference about 20 of the
attendees shared a spectacular luncheon cruise on Lake
Tahoe. The crisp blue sky and the rippling blue waters,
ringed by the breathless beauty of the snow-covered
mountains, were an amazing sight to behold and a
glorious prelude to a magnificent weekend. The cruise
day concluded with a warm opening reception as friends
greeted old friends and new friendships were forged.
The main day of the conference provided a wide range of
sessions on topics to benefit those who gathered with a
common purpose of enhancing the services of their
organizations. Safety issues dominated the morning
schedule, with a lively panel discussion comprised of
Judy Benjamin of Angel Flight Central,
Jennifer Hotsko of Angel Flight East,
and Alan Dias of Angel Flight West. The
panel was moderated by Lindy Kirkland, President
of ACA.
Presentations were focused on their organizations'
responses to the safety dialog that has continued since
the accidents of 2008. Following the panel dialog, a
very informative session was given by Tim Burtch
of the NTSB, who provided insights into the
workings of the NTSB and shared his perspective on how
the NTSB views the safety issues of public benefit
flying. A vigorous discussion ensued regarding the fuel
reimbursement exemption issues that were recently issued
by the FAA. The morning was capped off
by a presentation by Selena Shilad, the
Executive Director of Alliance for Aviation Across
America, regarding the Nationwide
Economic Impact Survey.
The afternoon sessions were a potpourri of issues,
opening with a panel, moderated by ACA Board
Chair, Rol Murrow, and made up of
representatives from CARE (Corporate Aircraft
Responding to Emergencies) and Bahamas
Habitat, providing an inspirational look at the
variety of compassionate aviation responses to the
recent earthquake in Haiti. Smaller workshops addressed
critical issues of board development, fundraising and
disaster response. The day and the conference concluded
with a social hour and dinner in the fascinating setting
of the National Automotive Museum with
the spectacular Harrah collection of
vintage vehicles. Aviation humorist and
instructor, Cathe Fish, was the dinner speaker,
providing ample laughter and aviation insights to wrap
up another great Air Care Conference.
_________________________________________________________________
Save the Date Now for ACA 2011
________________________
In what seems like warp-speed time, Operation
Angel Planes of Rhode Island, our host for
ACA 2011, already has pretty-much
wrapped up plans for our annual meeting in
Providence, Rhode Island.
Marriott Providence Downtown where
the event will be held next year from
April
15th through April 17th, will include a
day-long excursion for those interested attendees to the
City by the Sea: Newport, Rhode Island. While the agenda
for the national meeting has not been finalized as of
the date of this newsletter, events seemingly would
dictate that 'best practices' likely will be the focus
of ACA 2011. Finally, instead of our trying to hype next
year's event, we've decided to let this gem of a
location speak for itself through our listing of a few
e-sites that just might tell the story better than we
ever could.
Marriott Hotel Downtown
Newport Mansions
Cliff Walk
Newport Attractions
See you in Providence! |
|
__________________________________________________________________ 
Toll
Free: 888-260-9707
Office
Fax: 815-572-9192
|
|
|
|
|
Air Care Alliance | 2060 State Highway 595 | Lindrith | NM |
87029
|
 |
SUBSCRIBE to Flight Following:
CLICK
HERE > TO -
Please feel free to forward this newsletter or the link
http://www.aircareall.org/ff-090510.htm
to other members of your group and to anyone else interested in public benefit
flying.
|
