Spotlight on an Angel August 20, 2020 Passenger Bernie R. and Command Pilot Merilee Riely AFW passenger Bernie R. was taking his gloves off when he felt pain in his shoulder. He went to the emergency care in Oron, UT where he lived, and was told he had a fractured clavicle. They put his arm in a sling and sent him home. Three months later, he stepped off of a curb and heard a snap followed by intense pain in his leg. An ambulance rushed him to Huntsman Hospital thre… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
The Positive Power of General Aviation August 20, 2020 by Cheri Cimmarrusti, Associate Executive Director Over the span of nearly 23 years, I have come to be in awe of the daily power and importance of general aviation. Starting out as a part-time coordinator in 1997, my only knowledge of GA was a small plane that sometimes would fly over my house heading for the Santa Monica Airport. Not a nuisance, as some might think, but just a buzzing overhead that now and t… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
AFW Pilots Help Feed Tribal Communities August 19, 2020 AFW Board Member Paula Inhelder had been interested in the Native American culture since going on field trips in high school. Paula met and married her husband in 1988 who was working as a park ranger in Limon State Park. Both she and her husband loved engaging with the surrounding Native American culture. AFW volunteers Paula Inhelder and her husband at an AFW booth promoting the organization for our outreach. In 200… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
IN THE HANGAR August 19, 2020 Command Pilot and Safety Officer Rich Pickett Some of you might have already heard of Rich Pickett as one of our own who had contracted the COVID virus and survived. This is our time to formally introduce him in the following Q and A. Be sure and read his article on this blog entitled AFW Safety News. 1. How long have you been with AFW? I’ve been a member since 2013, and Jane [my wife] recently became an Earth Angel. 2) H… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
Mission Coordination in the Midst of a Pandemic August 19, 2020 by Alexandro Ramirez, Mission Operations Coordinator The virus began to spread like wildfire on a windy day. Its incessant and overwhelming ability to replicate in one part of the world, left the other side of the globe curious but wholly unprepared for what was coming. Before these early months in 2020, one would be hard-pressed to find an American who could tell you where Wuhan is or what a Wuhan is. Mounting cases in… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
Outreach and Media Coverage During Covid-19 August 19, 2020 by Ivan Martinez, Director of Outreach & Wing Operations When AFW made the difficult decision of temporarily suspending pilot-flown passenger flights several months ago (we’re now back to flying our passengers, thankfully), we also resolved to not idle back, but instead proactively find opportunities where we could help transport PPE and other essential supplies. Outreach begins with connection, and Wi… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
Angel Flight West Safety News August 19, 2020 Night Mission Restriction for VFR-only Pilots By AFW Safety Officer Rich Pickett I’ve always enjoyed night flying from my first evening flight 42 years ago as a student pilot to the present. One of the first aspects of night flight my instructor taught me were the additional risks with these flights. The AOPA Air Safety Foundation’s Nall report states the fatal VFR accident rate doubles after nightfal… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
AFW Helps Rural Colorado Hospitals in Need August 11, 2020 Command Pilot Lori Fussell delivering PPE to a rural CO hospital. Before COVID-19, Vice President for Rural Health and Hospitals at the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) Benjamin Anderson had a personal relationship with Angel Flight after using AF Central to fly his son to the Mayo clinic. So, when the COVID crisis hit, and the Colorado Governor’s Task Force connected to Project C.U.R.E. to procure PPE for rura… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
AFW, Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines Help First Responders August 11, 2020 Alaska Airlines crew with retired paramedic Justin Ireland center on his way to a hospital at the front lines of the crisis in Chicago. (Photo was on a flight prior to mask requirements.) Alaska Airlines generously donated miles to AFW to arrange transportation so COVID-19 first responders could get to and from their assignments. As of this printing, Alaska Airlines has flown 121 medical personnel and 391,812 mile… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
With Love, From Strangers August 11, 2020 L to R: Founder of nonprofit With Love, From Strangers Dr. Thuet, AFW pilot Mark Miller, UT Wing Leader Steve Bollinger, Carol Tso and her sons from Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health loading much needed PPE going to southwest healthcare facilities and tribal communities. “With Love, From Strangers” is not just a sign-off phrase at the bottom of a letter — it’s the name of a nonprofit organization… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
Helping to Relieve Pain for a Terminal Teen May 17, 2020 Mya is a very busy sixteen-and-a-half-year-old teenager who attends public school and volunteers for a myriad of children’s programs. She won student of the year, and yet she told her mom Carly, “I just want to be a normal kid.”Mya was born with brittle bone disease, a condition that causes continuous fractures mostly in her femurs and hips, producing ongoing pain. She’s had surgeries to alleviate the pain, but her d… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
A Grateful Family May 17, 2020 Passenger five-year-old Wyatt with his Dad For Wyatt’s first four years he was always on the go. At five, he started complaining of headaches and mom Christine thought he might just be dehydrated. One headache became so debilitating that Christine took him to the doctor at Children’s Hospital in Bakersfield on May 2, 2019. The diagnosis was a DIPG brain tumor, chiari malformation and hydrocephalitis, the la… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
Angel Flight West Volunteers During Coronavirus May 17, 2020 On the morning of March 30, 2020, Denver Command Pilot Phil Rosnik took off from Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport with 85 pounds of handsanitizer in his Cessna Turbo 182 for delivery to Wray Community DistrictHospital. Colorado Hospital Association (CHA), like all others across America, is struggling to get urgently needed supplies to rural hospitals. Our pilots partnered with Colorado Hospital Associati… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
Crisis, Compassion and Strength April 15, 2020 by Cheri Cimmarrusti, Associate Executive Director Command Pilot Phil Rosnick and volunteers loading sanitizers bound for a rural CO hospital in need of all medical supplies. It is difficult to describe the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis on mission operations at Angel Flight West. In my 22+ years working with this organization, this time period has been the most difficult. Looking back, our t… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
WINGSPAN April 10, 2020 by Ivan Martinez, Director of Outreach & Wing Operations Santa Barbara Outreach Activity Report Before Command Pilot Jeff Moorhouse took the reins of Southern California Wing Leader in 2019, he was the California Central Coast Area Leader and became an outreach superstar. Mission requests in the California Central Coast had been on a steady decline and missions flown fell below the 100 missions-a-year mark… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
