How Do Charitable Aviation Organizations Work Together?
Angel Flight Central is one of several nonprofit organizations that make up the Air Care Alliance (ACA), a nationwide network of organizations that coordinate free flights with volunteer pilots. While each organization serves its own region, we sometimes work together when a passenger needs to travel outside of the area their home organization serves and additional volunteer pilots are needed to help get them where they need to go.
That teamwork can mean different organizations and volunteer pilots working together to cover different parts of a passenger trip.
Where does your flight request go?
If you’re not sure which organization can help with your trip, the Air Care Alliance can help connect you with the organization that serves your area.
You can use the Air Care Alliance Directory to search by the type of assistance you need and where you live. From there, you can find the organization that serves your area and learn how to request assistance.
You can find the Air Care Alliance Directory of Groups below:
Once you’re connected with an organization, they can help you through their flight request process.
Sometimes, getting to treatment takes a team
Angel Flight organizations use a shared flight coordination system called AFIDS. This allows organizations to share available missions with volunteer pilots and, when needed, work with other organizations to help cover a passenger’s trip.
One example is Tamara, who is pictured above. Tamara lives in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and travels to Columbia, Missouri, for treatment.
Tamara is connected with Angel Flight South Central, the organization that serves her area. When she needs to travel to Missouri for treatment, Angel Flight South Central can share her missions with Angel Flight Central. This allows Angel Flight Central volunteer pilots to see her flights and volunteer to help with her trip.
Recently, Angel Flight Central volunteer pilot Todd flew Tamara home to Fort Smith after her treatment in Columbia, MO.
You don't have to coordinate it all yourself
If another charitable aviation organization or volunteer pilot is needed to help with your trip, you don't have to contact them yourself.
Your home organization remains your main point of contact. The organizations communicate with one another, share flight information and work with volunteer pilots to coordinate the different parts of the trip.
You may end up flying with a volunteer pilot from another organization along the way, but you don’t need to keep track of which organization is coordinating each flight.
That part happens between the organizations. You can focus on getting to your appointment, and we’ll work together on the flying!
It takes a team to make these flights possible
Some trips can be covered by one volunteer pilot. Others may require multiple pilots or help from more than one charitable aviation organization, especially when a passenger needs to travel outside the area their home organization serves.
That’s one of the benefits of having charitable aviation organizations across the country working together through the Air Care Alliance. When we can share resources, information and volunteer pilots, we can help make more flights possible for passengers traveling to medical care.
We’re grateful to our friends at Angel Flight South Central and to the other organizations within the Air Care Alliance that work alongside us. And, of course, we’re grateful to the volunteer pilots who donate their time, aircraft and fuel to help passengers get where they need to go.
Whether it takes one pilot or several, we’re glad to work together to help passengers get to the care they need and back home again!
