What Happens When It’s Time to Pull the Ripcord? July 26, 2023 Written by Northern California Wing Leader Gil Takemori It was turning out to be one of those missions that you wouldn’t soon forget. I was at the airport, pre-flighted and ready to go when I discovered that my patients were running about an hour late for our departure. No problem, I’ll just wait at the terminal and catch up on some emails and reading. About 90 minutes later, they arrived a little worse for wear due to t… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Spotlight on a Board Member: Meet Eric Chadwick July 25, 2023 With a longstanding interest in aviation, Eric went on a discovery flight in 2018 and was instantly hooked. “Angel Flight West was on my mind from the very first day of flight training,” says Eric. “I knew aviation was not accessible to everyone and that learning to fly would be a great way to further my philanthropic ambitions. During training, I was focused on building time to meet the 250-hour AFW requirement for Com… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Four Siblings Fly to Deaf Camp with Volunteer Pilots June 5, 2023 A father of two small children, volunteer pilot Ori Zaitzman appreciates that his AFW missions can be tailored to fit his busy life. Last summer he flew two young brothers, Jaxon and Jaden, to Lions Wilderness Deaf Camp — a haven where deaf and hard-of-hearing children learn outdoor skills and form invaluable friendships. “I asked the passengers’ family if they wanted me to bring my puppy,” Ori said. “They wer… Jessica Hayes Read More »
General Aviation Saves Lives: Volunteer Pilot Flies First Angel Flight May 26, 2023 As an Angel Flight West passenger for the past five years, Joan is somewhat of a pro at boarding and flying to care in small planes. “I live in Las Vegas,” she says. “I had intestinal troubles beginning in 2014. Now, every three months, I travel to see my Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), Vascular and GI specialists at UCLA.” Knowing that paying for transportation to her medical care wasn’t feasible long-term, one of he… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Born With Bilateral Anophtalmia, Little Girl Loves to Fly May 22, 2023 For Heaven Wright, a single mother, finding a community of support has always been essential. Her two-year-old daughter, Monroe, was born without eyes — and the Wrights’ hometown of Las Vegas offers limited resources in optometry. “Monroe has hydrogels,” Heaven says, “which go in place of eyeballs and have prosthetic shells over them. We found a doctor in Utah who was the only doctor able to do those.” Now, Heaven an… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Jeff Moorhouse May 19, 2023 About ten years ago, as he set off for yet another work conference in Northern California, Jeff Moorhouse decided to sidestep commercial air travel and instead fly with a fellow financial advisor — a retired naval aviator who had his own Cessna 182. For Jeff, that experience proved to be life-changing. “I was hooked,” he said. “A few weeks later, I was taking my first flight lesson.” Now, Jeff isn’t just flying himself… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Meet AFW’s New Safety Officers April 12, 2023 Meet Alexios: My name is Alexi Stavropoulos and I am deeply honored to be serving as AFW’s Safety Officer along with Bruce Poulton. I am grateful to own a Cirrus SR22T. Without a doubt, my favorite flying activity in my Cirrus is to fly for AFW when my work schedule and weather permits. Both have been a challenge as of late. Otherwise, I love staying in the pattern, humbling myself! And of course, flying with my family.… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Meet the Honorees: Volunteer Pilots to be Recognized at Endeavor Awards March 24, 2023 Stephen and Joanna Bobko-Hillenaar of Angel Flight West (AFW) have been selected to be honored at the 2023 Endeavor Awards. Selected by the public and event committee, recipients of the award are recognized for their personal contribution and commitment to charitable flying by volunteering their time, resources, and aircraft to help others. Stephen and Joanna Bobko-Hillenaar of Angel Flight West “We… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Volunteers Takeoff on Third Annual Flights of Joy December 15, 2022 Angel Flight West’s volunteer pilots are transforming their planes into sleighs, bringing holiday joy to families struggling with medical or personal challenges and the financial burdens related to their healing and recovery. Flights of Joy, AFW’s Adopt a Family program, started in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Knowing that many families battling illnesses were also experiencing financial hardships, An… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Wingspan: Winter 2022 December 6, 2022 Welcome new Montana and Hawaii wing leaders! Mark Haakenson – Montana Wing Leader Mark Haakenson on an angel flight with his sweet co-pilot, Evelyn Mark Haakenson joined Angel Flight West as a Command Pilot in August of 2016. He is an 8,200+ hour ATP pilot with his CFII/MEI as well as an A&P with Inspection Authorization (I.A.). He works out of Great Falls (GTF) flying a Citation V (560) for a couple of brothe… Ivan Martinez Read More »
Dogs With Wings: AFW Partners with Search Dog Foundation October 24, 2022 Since our inception, Angel Flight West (AFW) has proudly joined forces with a range of non-profits that extend and enhance our mission of delivering health and hope through donated flights. In 2020, we embarked on one of our most enriching collaborations yet — by offering continued support to the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF). Command Pilot Jerry Phan takes to the skies with Keiki. Rescuing and rec… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Spotlight on an Earth Angel: Meet Dotian August 26, 2022 For 34 years, Earth Angel Dotian McReynolds was a harpist with the National Symphony in Washington, DC – and a traveling musician who played in nearly all of America’s 50 states. She was, by any professional measure, a master of her craft. She was also, by her own admission, addicted to direct engagement with her audiences. “The division between the audience and the orchestra always bothered me,” Dotian said. “Tha… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Angel Flights Are An Easy ‘Yes’ for Yosuke Tanaka August 26, 2022 “If someone needs help, I’m flying to help.” Command Pilot Yosuke Tanaka lives by those words. As a plane and helicopter pilot, Yosuke has flown his share of missions to help those in need. Since moving to Hawaii seven years ago, Yosuke has helped with search and rescue missions to locate missing hikers and fishermen. It was this passion to help others that led Yosuke to also take on the role of Angel Flight West voluntee… Jessica Hayes Read More »
From Cardboard Planes to Angel Flights: Spotlight on Sven August 16, 2022 As a child, Sven Freitag loved to sit inside cardboard boxes and pretend they were planes. He’d even draw his own ‘cockpit panels’ on the inside before ‘take-off.’ But today, as a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Sven can skip the sketching altogether and authentically take to the skies. “I turned my childhood dream into reality by earning my private certificate,” Sven said. “I’m now a com… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Volunteer Pilots Give Hope and Air Support to Jose August 11, 2022 As his eyesight gradually diminishes, Jose Reyes Del Valle has naturally found himself turning to various friends in his time of need — especially as reliable medical transportation can now be a bit of a challenge. Fortunately, two of Jose’s newest friendships happen to be Angel Flight West volunteer pilots Trevor Moody and Yuriy Chanba. Together, Trevor and Yuriy have flown Jose on two… Jessica Hayes Read More »
