Angel Flight Pilot
Welcome to my Angel Flight web page.
I have been flying aeroplanes for well over twenty years now, mostly just for my own pleasure and indulgence.
That pleasure, though, was not necessarily always mine - quite often it would be the sadistic flight instructor's in the right hand seat.
Then, in the middle of 2003, I came across the Angel Flight Australia organisation which is described thus:
Angel Flight Australia co-ordinates non emergency flights for financially and medically needy people. All flights are free and may involve patients or compassionate carers travelling to or from medical facilities anywhere in Australia.
Angel Flight pilots do not carry aeromedical staff or medical equipment so do not act as an alternative to the Royal Flying Doctor Service or Air Ambulance in that capacity.
Whilst those living close to major hospitals and specialist medical help might find a short journey by road extremely uncomfortable and sometimes unbearable, patients living long distances from such help often have to endure hours of road travel where every bump and turn in the road adds to their discomfort.
With approximately 30% of Australians living in rural areas, there is a potential threat to the health and wellbeing of a significant number of people purely due to their geographical location.
"Health Professionals" i.e. medical practitioners, nurses, social workers are the people from whom we receive "flight requests".
I thought that by joining Angel Flight I could maybe add an hour or two to my log book every year and have a little bit more fun while at the same time helping someone.
Having checked that I met the experience and insurance requirements, I registered as a pilot.
Little did I realise at the time how humbling, satisfying and enjoyable this activity would turn out to be and how many flights I would do.
I have flown people ranging in age from 2 months to 69 years and criss-crossed the southern part of the state of Queensland and the nothern parts
of New South Wales. Some missions have been long and very taxing, but none have been tiring - they have all been uplifting.
Participating in Angel Flight has made me realise how fortunate I am with my family, health and circumstances. My passengers
have been universally grateful and we usually have lots of laughs and long chats.
I also enjoy the camaraderie with other Angel Flight pilots and the staff at "Head Office" that dish out the missions.
I use my Archerfield based Beechcraft 36 Bonanza VH-FWL to fly missions for Angel Flight.
The management team at my work, Jensware Pty Ltd,
are very understanding, letting me fly missions during the week, when I really should be working.
Mission History
So far I have flown, or am due to fly, the following missions for Angel Flight:
| Missions completed in 2015: 4 |
13:36 hr |
1,690 nm |
3,130 km |
1,944 sm |
|
| Missions completed in 2014: 8 |
21:24 hr |
2,714 nm |
5,025 km |
3,125 sm |
|
| Missions completed in 2013: 10 |
28:54 hr |
3,717 nm |
6,885 km |
4,279 sm |
|
| Missions completed in 2012: 9 |
39:36 hr |
5,302 nm |
9,819 km |
6,102 sm |
|
| Missions completed in 2011: 20 |
64:00 hr |
8,316 nm |
15,400 km |
9,571 sm |
|
| Missions completed in 2010: 20 |
72:00 hr |
9,776 nm |
18,103 km |
11,252 sm |
|
| |
| |
| |
| Arrivals and departures - 2009 |
Distance |
|
| Flight |
Origin |
Destination |
Scheduled |
Time (HR) |
Naut miles |
km |
Stat miles |
Status |
| AF4792 |
ARCHERFIELD |
GRAFTON |
Dec 2009 |
2:06 |
262 |
485 |
302 |
LANDED |
 |
| AF4808 |
ROCKHAMPTON |
THEODORE |
Dec 2009 |
2:30 |
326 |
604 |
375 |
LANDED |
|
| AF4808 |
THEODORE |
ROCKHAMPTON |
Dec 2009 |
2:24 |
326 |
604 |
375 |
LANDED |
|
| AF4770 |
ARCHERFIELD |
GRAFTON |
Dec 2009 |
2:06 |
262 |
485 |
302 |
LANDED |
|
| AF4761 |
ARCHERFIELD |
GRAFTON |
Dec 2009 |
2:12 |
262 |
485 |
302 |
LANDED |
|
| AF4761 |
GRAFTON |
ARCHERFIELD |
Dec 2009 |
2:18 |
262 |
485 |
302 |
LANDED |
|
| AF4754 |
ARCHERFIELD |
TARA |
Dec 2009 |
2:12 |
274 |
507 |
315 |
LANDED |
|
| AF4727 |
ARCHERFIELD |
TARA |
Nov 2009 |
2:12 |
274 |
507 |
315 |
LANDED |
|
| AF4669 |
GOONDIWINDI |
TOOWOOMBA |
Nov 2009 |
2:30 |
330 |
611 |
380 |
LANDED |
|
| AF4671 |
ARCHERFIELD |
THEODORE |
Nov 2009 |
3:12 |
458 |
848 |
527 |
LANDED |
|
| AF4671 |
THEODORE |
ARCHERFIELD |
Nov 2009 |
3:12 |
458 |
848 |
527 |
LANDED |
|
| AF4141 |
ROCKHAMPTON |
THEODORE |
May 2009 |
4:48 |
652 |
1,208 |
750 |
LANDED |
|
| AF4141 |
THEODORE |
ROCKHAMPTON |
May 2009 |
4:48 |
652 |
1,208 |
750 |
LANDED |
|
| AF4051 |
ARCHERFIELD |
CUNNAMULLA |
May 2009 |
6:00 |
788 |
1,459 |
907 |
LANDED |
|
| AF3994 |
THEODORE |
ARCHERFIELD |
Apr 2009 |
3:30 |
458 |
848 |
527 |
LANDED |
|
| AF3849 |
ARCHERFIELD |
ROMA |
Feb 2009 |
3:30 |
466 |
863 |
536 |
LANDED |
|
| AF3771 |
ARCHERFIELD |
THEODORE |
Feb 2009 |
3:30 |
458 |
848 |
527 |
LANDED |
|
| AF3813 |
ARCHERFIELD |
ROMA |
Feb 2009 |
3:30 |
466 |
863 |
536 |
LANDED |
|
| AF3699 |
ARCHERFIELD |
MUNDUBBERA |
Jan 2009 |
2:30 |
308 |
570 |
355 |
LANDED |
|
| AF3740 |
BANKSTOWN |
INVERELL |
Jan 2009 |
7:12 |
805 |
1,491 |
927 |
LANDED |
|
| Missions completed in 2009: 20 |
66:12 hr |
8,547 nm |
15,827 km |
9,837 sm |
|
| |
| |
| |
| Missions completed in 2008: 27 |
92:48 hr |
12,164 nm |
22,524 km |
13,999 sm |
|
| Missions completed in 2007: 28 |
119:00 hr |
15,271 nm |
28,281 km |
17,574 sm |
|
| Missions completed in 2006: 29 |
94:00 hr |
12,400 nm |
22,962 km |
14,268 sm |
|
| Missions completed in 2005: 17 |
62:24 hr |
8,270 nm |
15,315 km |
9,518 sm |
|
| Missions completed in 2004: 6 |
30:24 hr |
3,798 nm |
7,034 km |
4,370 sm |
|
| Missions completed in 2003: 1 |
8:24 hr |
1,056 nm |
1,956 km |
1,215 sm |
|
| Missions completed overall: 199 |
712:42 hr |
93,021 nm |
172,261 km |
107,054 sm |
|
How are missions assigned?
Because the missions are not medical emergencies, Angel Flight usually gets plenty of notice (typically 2-3 weeks, but sometimes even months). These missions
are put up on the Angel Flight web site's mission billboard,
where any registered pilot can put in a bid for a given mission by following a link.
The folks at Angel Flight look at all bids received, and, assign it according to merit. When they are really desperate and have no other takers they assign the mission to me.
If the mission is coming up on short notice (about 2 to 3 days), Angel Flight will send the "likely suspects" (likelihood being determined
by geography) an email pointing to the billboard.
On rare occasions, when the assigned pilot is unable to proceed (for example: a bad weather forecast on the day before indicates that it is impossible to do the mission under Visual Flight Rules), Angel Flight directly calls some local pilots, who might be able to do it. I have been assigned a fair few missions on this basis.
On even rarer occasions a mission comes up at only a few hours' notice, in which case Angel Flight might call pilots directly. I was once asked to do such a flight, but, while still in the planning stages, it transpired that the Royal Flying Doctor Service would do the mission.
In the news
Angel Flight is the subject of numerous newspaper articles. Much as the organisation would like to avoid it, sometimes these articles even mention me, or have the copy marred by my ugly visage:
INfLIGHT Magazine
The July issue of the INfLIGHT magazine of macair Airlines (Queensland regional airline and also an Angel Flight airline) carried a story about the Angel Flight awards and Kayla from Mission 224. You can see me at the back row,
third from the right.
Satellite Newspaper
The Satellite is the local community paper for the area that I live in. The edition of the 6th of July 2005 carried a small article about me on page 5.
Ergon Energy Company news letter
On the 16th of August 2005 I was asked to accept a cheque to the tune of $1030 from the Health and Safety Office at Ergon Energy. This resulted in a little write up in their
internal newsletter.
Central Telegraph
Following my second Mission to Theodore local Lions Club helper, Earth Angel and Nurse Juanita Goodland gave a briefing to the local paper, the
Central Telegraph.
Welcome to my Angel Flight web page.
