Meet Colter: Agent of Chaos December 28, 2023 Those who know him best describe two-year-old Colter as a mischievous and hilarious, “agent of chaos”. He is the youngest of three boys, but his older brothers still wait on him hand and foot. Despite his childhood cancer diagnosis, he’s full of life and energy. Colter was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer called hepatoblastoma at just 18 months old. Shortly after, the family was referred to a specialist in Se… afw_web_admin Read More »
Angel Flight West Celebrates 100,000 Missions Flown November 17, 2023 AFW’s passenger Luis, on the second leg of the 100,000th mission – Photo courtesy of McCall Jones/American Aviation News Angel Flight West (AFW) recently celebrated its 100,000th mission, a remarkable milestone in its 40-year history of providing no-cost, non-emergency air travel services. AFW connects volunteer pilots with people needing medical care and other dire needs. AFW’s decade… Jessica Hayes Read More »
A Veteran Gets His Voice November 16, 2023 Command Pilot Mark Donnelly flew Bill and his wife home after Bill’s reconstructive surgery. On Friday November 10, Army veteran William “Bill” Shammy will leave the VA Hospital in Palo Alto with something he hasn’t had in 10 years: a voice. Bill lost his voice to throat cancer when doctors had to remove his larynx. Now he’s undergoing reconstructive surgery. With his wife Matilda, he’ll fly home to Esp… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Meet Marlene: Driving Passengers the Last Mile to Care November 16, 2023 Marlene with Romero, a passenger she drives to treatment regularly For nurses like Marlene Hutchison, giving is second nature. She spent her career in health care, ensuring patients were well taken care of while helping them recover from a range of conditions and illnesses. That’s why when she came across Angel Flight West while browsing the web a few years ago, she knew she had to get involved. After all, the world of… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Stetson’s Story: How Volunteer Pilots Aid in His Battle Against NF1 November 6, 2023 Stetson prepares for his AFW flight home after his care at Logan Health Children’s in Salt Lake City, UT. As a middle child, eight-year-old Stetson has two siblings he loves fiercely — his 10-year-old brother Maverick and his six-year-old sister Wren. His contagious smile is captured in nearly all his photos, including those of him in hospital beds surrounded by medical equipment and beeping monitors.&nbs… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Staff Spotlight on Volunteer Services Manager Troy Troxel October 17, 2023 AFW Volunteer Services Manager, Troy Troxel, with his wife Alison and their three children. Q + A Could you tell us a bit about yourself? I was born and raised in Southern California and still reside here in Oceanside. I grew up surfing and golfing. I am a private pilot with about 250 hours total time. I am married to my best friend Alison, and we have three kids (Reid 10, Archer 8, and Lola 6) as well as a dog named Ziggy and two… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Spotlight on a Board Member: Meet Hans Fuegi October 17, 2023 A native of Switzerland who emigrated to the Western United States in 1979, Hans Fuegi’s interest in aviation started when he was just a kid. As a real estate, development and hospitality professional, Hans found himself owning a business in California but residing in Park City, Utah. For a born adventurer and successful restauranteur, that seemed the perfect time to learn how to fly. Hans took Evan, a membe… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Marcie Smith’s Aviation Journey: From NASA to AFW October 17, 2023 Francisco and his companion were able to get to Francisco’s care at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital with Marcie as their AFW pilot. It was a high school flight science teacher who sparked Marcie Smith’s interest in aviation. The class learned to read charts, plan cross-country flights, and test airplane wings in the school’s wind tunnel. As part of a unique curriculum, their educator even took stu… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Volunteer Rob Ross: Prosecutor, Professor, Partner, & Pilot October 17, 2023 Rob and a furry friend he flew to training on an AFW mission. Rob Ross has had his share of career experiences over the years, from L.A. lifeguard to prosecutor with the Ventura County District Attorney’s office to college professor. Today, he’s a managing partner with a family-owned real estate and solar investment company. Fortunately for Angel Flight West, he’s also been a volunteer pilot for more t… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Tom McGrath’s 30-Plus-Year Commitment to Charitable Aviation October 11, 2023 Following in his father’s footsteps, Tom McGrath started flying in college 50 years ago. And for more than 30 of those years, he’s been donating his talent and resources to give back. Tom’s charitable aviation journey began as an AirLifeLine volunteer pilot before he officially became part of Angel Flight West’s (AFW) network of volunteers in 1991. “Getting involved gave me an opportunity to fly more and to u… Jessica Hayes Read More »
September Safety Update – Threat and Error Management Debriefs October 11, 2023 Pleasant greetings and I hope that this report finds you all safe and well. During my initial introduction, I communicated to you that we all share one common goal: to function in our flying within Safe Operations. That statement serves as a prologue to our safety articles. Thereafter, in our first report (April 2023) we took a deep and detailed dive in the Threat and Error Management model as part of our main the… Safety Officers Read More »
10th Annual Endeavor Awards: Businessman and Aviation Enthusiast Ross Perot Jr. to receive 2024 Inspiration Award September 22, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 9/22/2023Contact for questions: [email protected] | [email protected](310) 398-6123 x117 Aviation advocate and businessm… Jessica Hayes Read More »
A Pilot’s Privilege: Ryan Cowley’s Service to Others August 30, 2023 Flying has been a part of AFW Volunteer Pilot Ryan Cowley’s family for generations. His father was a Life Flight helicopter pilot, and his Pappy was a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). Following in their footsteps, Ryan became a CFI three years ago. “I enjoy teaching others how to fly and how to become better pilots,” he says. “I wanted to share my passion for aviation with others.” Based in Utah, Ryan considers his st… Jessica Hayes Read More »
From Nurturer to Nurtured: Tim’s Battle with Merkel Cell Carcinoma August 14, 2023 As a retired educator, Tim spent years nurturing at-risk youth, using his carpentry skills to teach green building to his students. At the time, he was also balancing a return to college with being a single father to his two children. His efforts paid off, and he won a leadership award for his work with teens, bestowed by the Craig and Susan Thomas Foundation in Wyoming. Now, it’s Tim’s turn to be nurtured. Just over a yea… Jessica Hayes Read More »
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 »
