-Stephan Fopeano, Angel Flight West Webmaster-
Ever wonder where the magic comes from that is the Angel Flight Information Data System (AFIDS), now called Volunteer Pilot Organization Information Database System (VPOIDS)? You might also ask who’s behind these apps that have helped institute this technology for AFW? The answer lies with our very own Stephan Fopeano, Angel Flight West’s Webmaster. And “Master” he is! Stephan joined AFW in 1989 as a Command Pilot, and November 20th of this year was Stephan’s 30th anniversary with AFW!!
Over these many decades, he has volunteered tens-of-thousands of hours helping to keep AFW current by ushering us into the constantly changing world of technology. In 2008, Stephan was hired as a consultant to AFW and has been instrumental in streamlining the coordination system for both pilots and staff. Using the base of AFIDS, a coordination platform originally created by former volunteer pilot Steve Brandli in 1999, Stephan has worked hand-in-hand with coordinators to enhance and update our processes now called VPOIDS. With Stephan researching other platforms and apps to interface with VPOIDS, our efficiency is continually being updated and improved.
His efforts have not stopped there. Stephan is now the administrator of VPOIDS for 12 VPOs across the country. Stephan and Steve Brandli’s vision to share this resource with other aviation nonprofits to improve their own coordination systems has come true. The new version of VPOIDS is now helping to promote the availability of the system to all volunteer groups. Today, it is Stephan’s efforts that have helped to launch an app now regularly used by 83% of active pilots allowing them to access mission information easily and quickly. It follows that, thanks to Stephan, AFW is able to serve more people in need than ever before. It is hard to put a price on anything AFW does, but without Stephan, it’s not hard to imagine that we might still be writing mission information on a cramped office white board, and asking volunteer coordinators to call pilots on regular phones from a list in a book. Next time you want to send a thank you or a suggestion, please email Stephan at: [email protected]
