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 »
Helpful Hints from the Communications Corner December 4, 2022 Ways to Help We’d love to see more photos submitted from our Earth Angels! You can submit photos with your mission report or email jessicah@angelflightwest.org if you’re having trouble with submissions. Speaking of photos, VPOIDS requires photos to be 200 KB or larger. If you’re having any issue submitting photos, please send them directly to us at jessicah@angelflightwest.org. Note: Even if you don’t see yo… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Cheri Reflects on 25 Years of Angel Flights December 2, 2022 I hit a couple of milestones in my life recently. One was a birthday… and I’ll leave that number for you to wonder about! The second was 25 years with Angel Flight West and that is something I am quite proud of. I started working at AFW as an assistant… it was only 12 hours a week… and I was looking for a little something to do to fill an empty nest. And fill that nest it did!… Cheri Cimmarrusti Read More »
What Can We Learn from Accidents? December 2, 2022 I was about to send out a Safety Newsletter on a different topic, when a recent event changed my mind. On a recent Saturday I had just returned from practicing a number of stalls in our Cessna T206, which I always enjoy doing. I was on the ramp at the Crownair FBO at MYF (Montgomery) talking with the line staff there. Looking north towards the runways, we noticed a Cirrus SR20 flying westbound over Runway 28R. It initially a… Rich Pickett Read More »
Volunteers Give Others a Chance for More Time December 2, 2022 Tony sat down across from me in an empty Angel Flight West (AFW) cubicle, and we started chatting about the organization. Having countless missions under his belt from over five years of flying, he asked about the coordination team, listing everyone by name and inquiring about the new additions to the staff. His spontaneous drop-in was as welcome a surprise as ever, but especially… Alexandro Ramirez Read More »
Angel Flight West Remembers Miles the Brave December 2, 2022 Each of our passenger’s stories make an impact on me, and it’s never easy to lose anyone from the Angel Flight West (AFW) family. Today, I am honored to tell you about Miles, a loving child who touched the hearts of our volunteers and team members. Miles battled brain cancer for two years before passing away on October 21, 2022 surrounded by friends and family. His memory remains etched in the hearts and mi… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Flights of Joy – AFW’s Adopt a Family Program November 28, 2022 Volunteer pilots deliver gifts to Angel Flight West passengers across the Western United States. Angel Flight West’s volunteer pilots are transformingtheir planes into sleighs, bringing holiday joy to families struggling with medical or personal hardships and the financial burdens related to their healing and recovery. Angel Flight West (AFW) provides free flights year-round for people who need to travel l… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Nash’s Story of Flight and Hope November 22, 2022 Will you make a #GivingTuesday gift to help passengers like Nash today? It was Easter weekend when Kendyll and her husband Preston received the gut-wrenching news that their bright and shining one-year-old son, Nash, had cancer. Only two days earlier, Kendyll woke up to change Nash’s diaper when she felt a mass on the right side of his body. A trip to Phoenix Children’s Hospital followed by bloodwork, CT scans… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Volunteer Pilots Help Owen Go the Extra Mile to Treatment November 15, 2022 Since 2011, the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, the 50 State Offices of Rural Health, and rural health stakeholders from across the country have set aside the third Thursday of November to celebrate National Rural Health Day (NRHD). This day promotes the “Power of Rural,” which brings much-needed attention to the ongoing efforts to communicate, educate, collaborate, and innovate to impr… Jessica Hayes Read More »
International Jet Donates 10 Hours of Flight Time to Angel Flight West Patients to Receive The Medical Care They Need October 26, 2022 International Jet, one of the finest and safest fleets in the industry, has donated 10 total hours of flight time on a Learjet 55 (N5572) to Angel Flight West, a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization that arranges no-cost, non-emergency air travel for children and adults with severe medical conditions and other compelling needs. Every day, Angel Flight West’s volunteer pilots fly people to their medical app… Jessica Hayes 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 »
International Jet Donates Flights to Angel Flight West Passengers October 12, 2022 Last month, International Jet donated 10 hours of flight time to help Angel Flight West’s (AFW) passengers travel between their homes and medical facilities, with stops being made in Wyoming, Montana, Oregon, Nevada, and Utah. Three different patients and their families boarded the LearJet 55, a mid-size jet with speeds up to 480 miles/hour. International Jet covered expenses related to the flight, inc… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Finding Hope in an Online Community: Breast Cancer Awareness Month October 11, 2022 October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a campaign to educate the public about the impact of this daunting disease. According to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), an expected 285,000+ diagnosed cases will occur in 2022 in the United States making breast cancer the second most common cancer among American women. Angel Flight West’s (AFW) volunteer pilots and airline partners help patients fight ca… Jessica Hayes Read More »
From Operations Coordinator to Mission Assistant: Natalie Takes to the Skies October 7, 2022 As the central nervous system of Angel Flight West, the Mission Operations Team coordinates each of 5,000+ flights that crisscross the Western United States every year. Made up of five dedicated coordinators, this team verifies passengers are safe for flight, talented volunteer pilots are on-hand to complete each mission, and flight schedules are thoroughly vetted. Through it all, its members stay in close com… Jessica Hayes Read More »
Unexpected Help: Tristan Travels 500+ Miles to Treatment September 25, 2022 Ashlee was eight-and-a-half months pregnant when her three-year-old son, Tristan, was diagnosed with leukemia. Suddenly, their family’s world was turned upside-down. Life was a dizzying blur, full of unanswered questions. “There’s so much information,” Ashlee said. “You don’t know what you’re going to need. You don’t know how you’re going to survive.” To further complicate matters, Ashlee and her husband, C… Jessica Hayes Read More »
