Creative Agents of Change

Why general aviation is such a blessing

So much has been written and so many stories of generosity and compassion have been told over the past few weeks, but you don't hear much about how private pilots, the people with little planes who fly because they can't imagine not flying, have played a major role in the hurricane relief efforts.

General aviation gets lots of bad press -- every time a plane crashes, or a congressman wants to pontificate about national security, or a developer wants to turn a small, local airport into condos, the people who fly are put on the defensive.  They're usually painted as well-heeled, self-absorbed hobbyists, but the truth is, most pilots don't live in expensive, gated fly-in communities, or drive flashy cars.  They have regular jobs, live in modest homes, and drive older cars because every spare cent goes to feed their real passion, which is soaring above the earth and experiencing true freedom of spirit.  A large percentage of them also passionately believe in helping their fellow human beings whenever the need arises.

For the past three weeks, hundreds of people with their small planes have transported sick babies, lost children, food, water, gas cans, and even penguins, all for no pay or reimbursement, and with the cost of avgas over $4 a gallon, at a substantial cost out of their own pockets.  Why?  Because pilots understand that with the freedom to fly comes the responsibility to do it safely, and to give back to the community.

AVweb has done a tremendous job of telling some of those stories, and on the web site you can read a compilation of the past three weeks.  If you're a pilot who has helped, or someone who has been helped by a volunteer pilot, share your story here.  Post it in comments, or email me.  And for all of you who read this, spread it around.  It's my small way of saying thank you to those people who give so much and get so little recognition for it.

And if you ever find yourself with a sick child to transport to treatment in a far-away medical center, or stranded far from home with no way to get back, call a private pilot.  Chances are you'll get a ride for free and make a great new friend.

Heroes Aren't Hard to Find

My inbox has been overflowing this week with stories of people who are pitching in to help their fellow citizens.

Angel Flight America has been organizing hundreds of volunteer pilots to fly relief missions, carrying supplies in and displaced people out of the affected areas.  "So far we've been operating in and out of the larger airports, but the next step, starting this week, is to start sending volunteer pilots into the smaller fields, near the more remote towns and villages," Patterson said. Working around the clock, AFA has been flying as many as 100 missions per day, working with hundreds of pilots and aircraft. More pilots are always needed, and can register online or call 877-858-7788. "We're putting together a rotation schedule, so pilots can work for four or five days and then go home, so they don't burn out," Patterson said. The need is expected to last at least another two or three months. Besides volunteer pilots and aircraft, AFA also welcomes donations. So far, fuel has been attainable, Patterson said, but "The cost is just killing us."  (Thanks to AVweb for the story.)

Also from AVweb, "Operation Brother's Keeper," based in Atlanta, grew from an effort to provide empty vacation rentals as free temporary shelter to evacuees along with free air transportation. Now they are coordinating the work of volunteer pilots and medical personnel to get into the devastated regions and transport victims out. "We organized on Tuesday and began operations on Thursday [last week]," spokesman Milo Pinckney told AVweb yesterday. They're staging out of Baton Rouge, where they are taking people from shelters and flying them to Atlanta, then on to safe housing donated by vacation-home owners. "So far we've flown 184 sorties in two and a half days, and transported at least a couple hundred people out of a deplorable situation, and reunited families who'd been separated," Pinckney said. "We have 164 aircraft, 240 physicians, and 190 vacation homes." His wife, Gail, operates a vacation-rental company, and he is CFO of a physicians' group and the owner of a Navajo. At first their offers were stonewalled by officials who told them to submit proposals and documents. "All of these medical personnel and pilots already are licensed, and there are leases and contracts for the houses," he said. "We needed to get those people out of there." After more calls to politicians and contacts in Washington, he finally got through to the governor of Louisiana, who gave him authorization to operate. This Tuesday, they extended operations into the city of New Orleans itself, and Milo says they'll keep flying as long as they can, and as long as there's a need. "It's the citizen's responsibility to pitch in, when you have the means, and you have an aircraft and all that training. Time to put it to use," he said. At their Web site, Brother's Keeper is compiling a database of pilots, physicians, and anyone with food, clothing or housing to donate. The phone number is 404-783-1836 or 404-783-1846.

Here in Denver, the Dave Matthews Band added another night to their Red Rocks concert schedule and invited the Neville Brothers.  Tickets sold out in minutes, and all proceeds from the show, expected to be over $1M, will go to relief efforts.  First Data bought a large block of premium seats to donate to some of the New Orleans residents who now find themselves living in dorms at the former Lowry Air Force base.

And from Ernie the Attorney, a heartwarming story about Google reaching out to its affected customers.

   

Time for a New Dialogue

 

The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by the skeptics and the
cynics, whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities.  We need people who
dream of things that never were. - John F. Kennedy

Today I had a long chat with my friend Brent, who lives in Baton Rouge.  I was thrilled to hear from him, not just because I was concerned for his well-being and that of his loved ones, but also because it was nice to hear the story from somebody who is living it, and will be living it for a long time to come.  He and his family were fortunate -- they sustained some storm damage, but nothing serious.  Several of his New Orleans kin are living in Baton Rouge for now, until they sort out their lives, but overall, he feels blessed.

Life in Baton Rouge has become "surreal" as he put it, with helicopters buzzing over every few minutes and crowds everywhere, and while some of it is difficult, Brent was full of stories of the goodness and kindness of his fellow citizens.

We began to talk about possibilities -- the culture of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast will change with the loss of landmarks, people, and a way of life that will never be the same. A substantial part of the tax base is gone, and the economic costs, along with the human costs, will be staggering. 

But what if, out of our mourning, we created a new dialogue, not just along the Gulf Coast, but in the entire country?  What if, instead of focusing on the debacle of our government not helping people, of not funding the restoration of the levees, of a culture of corporate greed that advances development at the expense of the environment, we began to imagine a new future?

What if we could eliminate poverty?  Educate ALL children?  Make sure that everyone has access to decent healthcare and a reasonable means to pay for it?  What if we developed renewable, non-polluting sources of energy?   What if America became, once again, a shining example to the rest of the world that people can work together to solve the problems that face society, and do it in a way that allows every one of us to live a complete, responsible, purposeful, and fulfilled life?

I'm not saying that we need to ignore the incompetence of FEMA and Homeland Security, or pretend that pork barrel politics didn't contribute to the problems with New Orleans' infrastructure, or forget that the city and state didn't implement an effective evacuation plan.  And I'm not saying that the anger, horror and frustration that have gripped the country for the past 10 days aren't understandable and justified.  But when we're ready to stop the partisan finger pointing, and charges of racism, the worry about whether or not using the term "refugee" is a slam, we have an opportunity to create a new way of life.

The economic costs of this disaster will be in the hundreds of billions of dollars -- it's money that could have been better spent solving the problems before they occurred.  No amount of money can prevent a hurricane, but if we had a more environmentally respecful energy policy, a populace that could afford to evacuate themselves, and critical thinkers who understand that the common good comes ahead of personal greed, we would be way ahead in mitigating the damage.  How can we NOT afford to change?

As we did after September 11, and after the Asian tsunami, Americans have demonstrated their humanity and stepped forward in droves to help their brothers and sisters in need.  Once the immediate crisis is over, we have a decision to make -- do we go back to the status quo and wait for another calamity, or do we seize the opportunity to envision a new future and create a new world for ourselves and our fellow inhabitants of this planet?

We've demonstrated that we can put aside our self-absorbed cynicism to help in a time of crisis -- maybe it's time to put it away for good.

Bear Search and Rescue needs your help

Three years ago this week I met Capt. Scott Shields and Bear, his Golden Retriever, at the Flight Across America ceremony in NYC.  They had been the first animal rescue team on scene at Ground Zero, and had spent six months working in that hell hole, assisting first in the rescue efforts, and then in recovery.  Bear had sustained a severe injury doing the recovery work, and when I met them, he was frail, sick, and seemed very tired.  A few weeks later, Bear passed away.

Scott channeled his grief into the Bear Search and Rescue Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization that funds training and equipment for search and rescue teams across the country.  Today I received this letter from Scott:

September 3, 2005

Dear Friends:

The Bear Search and Rescue Foundation www.bearsearchandrescue.org (one of the country's leading non-governmental funders of Search & Rescue Teams) is deploying to Louisiana a team made up of New York Search and Rescue, Aviation Fire Department, Wisconsin‘s People & Paws Search & Rescue, Metro New York Search & Rescue, Wisconsin Technical Rescue Team, Michigan Tech Rescue, Battery Park Emergency Response Team under General Sidney Baumgarten, and many others. This mission is under direct orders from Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco.

Zodiac Boats of North America has offered 22 boats and their personnel to the next team we deploy. Maritimes Solutions of Freeport, NY has already donated 6 boats. Hills Science Diet has offered any of their products that we require.

We ask for your support. We expect that this operation will fully deplete the Foundation’s resources. Fuel alone at this time will cost an astronomical amount. Whatever you can do to assist will be appreciated, especially making cash and/or equipment donations.

Training in marine rescue has become of primary importance and we would ask for any volunteers to be water trained in small boat rescue. As of this time we have been told that the team’s primary function will be as small boat rescue crews with building extrication.

We have promised to make Bear’s legend a legacy for all who serve so that others may live; we will keep this promise.

Please feel free to contact us by phone at 732 713 6298.

 Sincerely,   

Capt Scott Shields, President
Bear Search & Rescue Foundation
“Bearsdad”

Right now there are hundreds of charities asking for financial help to assist the people of the devastated Gulf Coast, and the need is tremendous.  If your heart calls you to give to an organization that's on the ground helping in a tangible way, I know that Scott and his volunteer search and rescue teams would be most grateful.

Thanks!

More ways to give:

Instapundit

flood aid

hurricane katrina

If you want to help...

This morning's edition of AVweb  lists opportunities for pilots and for vacation home owners who want to assist the relief efforts on the Gulf Coast.

• Rol Morrow, Chairman, Air Care Alliance contacted AVweb stating, "useful information along with the only listing of all known volunteer pilot organizations is available on the Air Care Alliance website.
• For those unable to physically lend aid, vacation-home owners willing to donate their properties to families devastated by the storm are being urged by Gail Pinckney of Vacation Rentals for Families to list the location and duration the property will be available. Phone contact is listed as 770-939-0396 and email at grp315@att.net
• Vacation Rentals for Families also told AVweb they are attempting to organize free air transportation for refugees. Private aircraft owners interested in the effort may visit the organization's web site or call 678-799-1628 for details. A first mission is planned Friday for departure from Peachtree DeKalb Airport. along with private aircraft owners organized by Chase’Dev Enterprises will be organizing free relief airlift flights for affected families, from airfields close to the damaged areas in Louisiana and Mississippi; to relocate victim families to the donated homes."
• Aviation Coast Guard Auxiliary is always looking for volunteer aviators and those already trained have been mobilized and is (sic) at work.

Many of the airports in the region have been damaged, and much of the area is under day VFR only, with TFRs in place over New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast, so if you're a pilot that wants to help, contact one of the organizations above.