Angel Flight West’s volunteer pilots carry out acts of generosity each day by donating their time, talent, and resources to help others. Each time a mission is flown, a patient accesses the healthcare resources they need while being uplifted with hope.
Meet the volunteers who make it all possible in this monthly newsletter and, if you’re a pilot in the West, get involved today by visiting angelflightwest.org/pilot-page.
Volunteer Pilot: Art Schmidt
Wing: Montana
Aircraft: Piper PA-28 series
AFW Member Since: 2023
Tell us a little about yourself and how you got involved in general aviation.
Both my wife and I are “later in life” pilots. I got my certificate six years ago. My wife got hers a year later around the same time we bought our plane. I then got my instrument rating.
How did you hear about Angel Flight West? What made you decide to sign up?
Before I was involved in aviation, I had heard of AFW through a colleague at work who was a command pilot. After my wife and I became pilots, we met another pilot couple that told us how much AFW has meant to them in their lives by giving back as command pilots. It was an impactful conversation because I began the process to sign up the next day. We’ve been volunteers for two years and have completed nine missions.
Tell us about your missions. Have there been any particularly impactful experiences that you’ve had that you would like to share?
Every mission is unique, and the passengers are always appreciative. My most impactful mission was flying a one-year-old boy back from Colorado with his mother. We have a grandson the same age, and it added a unique connection to the mission. Plus, this flight also included another passenger who we’ve flown a number of times for checkups in Denver. That mission highlighted how much the AFW organization and network of pilots can impact the rural we communities we have in Montana.
Why should other pilots look into getting involved with public benefit flying by signing up for Angel Flight West?
Making a difference through AFW is incredibly rewarding. You can only do so many hamburger runs before the novelty wears off. For us, AFW has turned flying into meaningful purpose…flying for something bigger than yourself.
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Learn more about our mission today at angelflightwest.org/pilot-page
Sign up to change lives through gifted flights at afids.angelflightwest.org
