Inside Mission Coordination December 10, 2020 Powered with Gratitude by Alexandro Ramirez, Mission Operations Coordinator Gratitude is the avgas that fuels Mission Operations at Angel Flight West. We are the fortunate few who spend a significant portion of our workday receiving gratitude from the people we most frequently connect with—medical professionals, passengers, and our beloved volunteers. In turn, we harness this positive energy and spread it a… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
From Cheri’s Desk December 10, 2020 Ending the Year on a High Note As we roll into 2021, I can’t help but reflect on the crazy year behind us. The impact of COVID-19 will be with us for years. While things are different, our focus has been on continuing to carry out our mission – helping those in need of essential medical treatment, one by one! Except for a brief pause early on, we continue flying passenger missions, while also flying family comf… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
Spotlight on an Angel December 10, 2020 The Final Mile By Isabel Sotomayor, Mission Operations Coordinator It’s a special feeling getting to come to a job knowing that the people you work with share your same passion and care just as deeply about helping others. In a world that can sometimes feel overwhelming, disappointing, and sometimes downright unfair, I’ve found it so important to pay less attention to the bad and more to the good. How lucky I am to see s… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
“This is Our Last Hope” November 12, 2020 Thanks to you, many families can participate in the latest medical studies that may save their life. Eleven-year-old Mason and mom Stacey on their way for Mason to participate in a study that may save his life from an aggressive form of leukemia. (Masks were off for photo.) “My family has a mantra, it’s ‘Not cancer today!’” explained Jenn, the mother of 11-year-old Mason who is battling the most aggressive f… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
AFW Flies Brothers with the Same Disorder November 12, 2020 Thanks to you, families dealing with long-term illness can continue receiving medical care far from home for as long as needed. Having a child born with a serious disease would challenge whatever emotional, physical, financial and spiritual allotment any parent has. But, when you have two such children, it would seem like a Herculean task just to get through a day. Mom May with son and passenger Zaid who has been flyi… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
West Coast Firefighters Receive AFW Deliveries November 12, 2020 Without your support, crisis like these would be even more devastating. L: Command Pilot Levi Maaia unloading N95 masks to be delivered to Oregon firefighters. Center: Thank you to Command Pilot Louise Mateos for flying N95 masks to those fighting wildfires in Oregon. R: More N95 masks flown by Command Pilot Johannes Weis. As always when an emergency needs fast responders, you will hear the engines of many AFW airpl… Wendy Weisenberg Read More »
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 »
