

Dirk Sanders’ love of airplanes began in childhood, when, at the age of five, he flew with his great-uncle in a Cessna 210 210 from his airstrip on the family ranch. Growing up in Idaho, his parents took him to airshows, where he watched military and civilian soar through the skies. After his family moved to Moses Lake, Washington, Dirk would often look skyward to see Boeing conducting test flights of the first Boeing 777 at Grant County International Airport, which was also used by Japan Airlines for crew training flights, often with multiple 747s flying touch-and-go patterns.
After college, in Seattle, Dirk earned his Private Pilot License (PPL) in 2009. “I took a discovery flight and was hooked,” he says. “I knew of Angel Flight West (AFW) back then and it became a goal to become a Command Pilot.” While building flight hours and working toward his instrument rating, Dirk initially joined AFW as a volunteer Earth Angel driver, driving patients between local airports and medical facilities.
Now an active Command Pilot, Dirk has completed 28 flights with Angel Flight West since his first mission in February 2023. Flying a rented Cirrus SR22, he’s able to transport kids to specialty camps and fly patients — along with their family members — to medical appointments. “It’s a great airplane for flying AFW missions,” Dirk says. “Seventy percent of my flying is done to transport passengers as a volunteer pilot with Angel Flight West.”


One of Dirk’s passengers was Rebecca, a triple-negative breast cancer survivor from Discovery Bay, California. She was flying to City of Hope to participate in a case study that could help researchers understand why certain treatments are effective. Dirk was moved by her motivation—not just to heal, but to give back. “Helping people as a cascading effect,” he said. “I was able to help Rebecca, and in turn, she’s helping people, too.”

This year, eager to support the behind-the-scenes work that makes every mission possible, Dirk—through his company One Three Right Studios—is generously offering a matching gift for AFW’s camp season. From June 23 to June 30, every dollar raised will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $5,000.
“Supporting AFW through these contributions is in parallel to flying,” he says. “It’s a gift to be able to fly, and I want to pay that forward.”
Make your camp gift today at angelflightwest.org/camp.