What is Angel Flight?

The mission of Angel Flight is to facilitate access to health care by arranging free air transportation in private aircraft. Angel Flight links volunteer private pilots with needy people whose health care problems require long distance travel to and from medical facilities.

Angel Flight also has a small group of special volunteer pilots known as the Disaster Response Team. They have been issued State ID cards and are available to assist the California Office of Emergency Services in times of state or federally declared emergencies.

Angel Flight is a tax exempt, nonprofit organization.

Angel Flight is an opportunity to combine your love of flying with volunteer community service. Your participation will benefit people whose medical problems have left them without the funds to reach places where they can get needed diagnosis or treatment.

Who Belongs to Angel Flight?

The members of Angel Flight are private pilots (aircraft owners and renters) and non-pilot supporting members whose common interest is in helping others.

An instrument rating is not necessary to fly on most Angel Flight missions, although we encourage all members to obtain the rating so they will be available for flights under a wider range of conditions. Less-experienced pilots are encouraged to fly as copilots and participate in that way.

Interested non-pilot supporting members (including the non-pilot spouses of pilot members) are also very welcome. Non-pilot members are eligible to act as "copilots" on missions, in order to assist the patient. There is also a substantial amount of on-the-ground work for which everyone's help is valuable and appreciated.

Angel Flight offers transportation to people whose medical problems make it necessary for them to travel for diagnosis or treatment, and who lack the financial resources for transportation. Angel Flight will also carry, without regard to financial need, people whose condition or location makes it difficult or impossible for them to use other means of transportation.

Typical examples of Angel Flight missions include carrying cancer patients for chemotherapy, surgery or other treatment, between their home and the treatment facility; carrying people with kidney problems to obtain dialysis or kidney transplants; carrying patients with heart problems for specialized diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up; and transporting children to and from "special needs camps" such as camps for burn survivors, camps for children with renal disease and camps for children with life-threatening illnesses. Angel Flight also responds to many other compelling human needs for which free air trans-portation would be of value.

The patients flown by Angel Flight must be ambulatory and medically stable. They must be able to get in and out of the aircraft on their own (or with limited assistance), sit up for the duration of the flight, and not require medical treatment during the flight.

Patients often have a friend or family member accompany them.

Angel Flight pilots also transport corneas, blood, other tissue, and technicians for harvesting of organs.

Where Do the Calls Come From?

Most requests for Angel Flight missions come from the social workers or discharge planners at hospitals and health care agencies. Calls also come from charitable organizations and societies such as the American Cancer Society, The American Heart Association, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation. We also get referrals from related aviation-oriented charities such as the Corporate Angel Network (CAN) and AirLifeLine. These are agencies that generally work with people who are financially needy (or have become so due to the cost of treating their illness).

By using the expertise of these agencies and their personnel, we determine that a person meets our medical and/or financial-need criteria and thus justifies the pilot's donation of time and flying expenses.

What Kind of Aircraft Does Angel Flight Use?

Most Angel Flight aircraft are single- or twin-engine, propeller-driven aircraft. They range from two-seat homebuilt models (used for non-passenger missions) to pressurized, cabin class aircraft.

The majority of our missions are flown in single-engine, four-seat aircraft. Most mission requests we receive are well within the capability of such aircraft. You do not need either a large or a fast airplane to be of assistance to most people who seek Angel Flight's help.

How Far Will Angel Flight Fly on a Mission?

Most Angel Flight missions are within a 500 mile radius of the pilot's home base airport. The majority of the flights are within a 350 mile radius. Angel Flight serves all the Western states. We typically do not fly outside the borders of the United States. Affiliated organizations scattered across the country can in some cases relay patients or cargo. We occasionally connect with corporate or commercial flights for longer distances. In such cases our role is often to bring a patient from a remote location not served by public transportation to a major airport.

What is My Liability?

Flights you make for Angel Flight have the same status as any flight made with passengers by a private pilot under Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. You have no greater liability when flying a passenger for an Angel Flight mission than when flying a friend or neighbor.

What About Insurance?

All Angel Flight pilots, whether aircraft owners or renters, are required to have liability insurance in order to fly as the pilot-in-command of a mission.

Because Angel Flight pilots receive no financial remuneration for their services, the flights are non-commercial and covered under a pilot's normal liability policy. As an added precaution, all passengers flown by Angel Flight sign a waiver of liability naming both the pilots and the Angel Flight organization.

Who Pays for the Flights?

The pilot-in-command is responsible for all mission costs. These costs may be tax deductible as a charitable donation.

Several FBOs offer fuel discounts for pilots who are on Angel Flight missions, and we have agreements to waive landing and tiedown fees at many major airports throughout our service area.

How Do I Join?

Simply fill out an application form and send it with your membership fee. If you are a pilot, you will also need to send a photocopy of the front page of your owner's or renter's liability insurance policy to our office. You will receive an Angel Flight membership kit.

To request a membership application, please click here.

What Happens After I Join?

You will receive a member notebook and ID card. Pilots will be told how to arrange an orientation flight with one of our Mission Orientation Pilots before being cleared for pilot-in-command duties. This orientation flight will orient you to Angel Flight procedures. You will be asked to present your pilot's license, current medical certificate, and to fly basic private pilot maneuvers. If you would like, the Mission Orientation CFI can make this a Biennial Flight Review, or an instrument competency check, for which there is no charge.

What Happens if I'm Called and Can't Fly a Mission?

A pilot is free to decline any mission, whether for financial, scheduling, weather, or personal reasons. We encourage pilots to recognize their limits, and to fly only when they feel completely comfortable doing so.

When unable to fly as PIC, pilots can participate by being copilots.

Are There Regular Meetings?

Yes. Meetings are held most months in Southern California, and quarterly meetings in Northern California. There are also occasional gatherings in San Diego, Orange County, Central Coast, Arizona, Nevada, and other locations where there is a concentration of Angel Flight pilots. While not mandatory, these gatherings are an opportunity to meet other Angel Flight members and to learn more about aviation.

There is usually a pre-meeting meal, where members have a chance to socialize, tell about recent mission experiences, and do a bit of hangar flying. In addition to chapter business, the meeting program features speakers from throughout the aviation world _ test pilots to safety experts. Health care and social services personnel make occasional presentations to familiarize Angel Flight pilots with the needs of the people they fly. We occasionally have our meetings at places of particular interest to pilots such as a flight service station, approach control facility, or aerospace company. Guests and prospective members are always welcome.

For the time and location of our next meeting, check out our News page, or our Calendar of Events. You are very welcome to attend any meeting as a guest.

Besides the regular membership meeting, there are periodic meetings of the several committees that do much of the nuts and bolts work needed to keep Angel Flight flying. These committees include Mission Orientation (CFIs), Mission Coordination, Public Relations and Fundraising. While participation in these committees is optional, members find the more they put in, the more they get out of Angel Flight.

From time to time we also stage fly-ins on weekend afternoons to a variety of interesting locations.

Can Angel Flight Use Non-pilot Members?

Yes! Many non-pilots join because of their enthusiasm for the mission of Angel Flight. Non-pilot members often fly along on missions to give attention to the patients being flown. Non-pilots also assist Angel Flight in their own areas of expertise and interest such as writing, computers, mission coordination, telephoning, fundraising and planning special events.

Requesting an application

To request more information about Angel Flight, or to receive a membership application by FAX or in the mail, please click here.

Angel Flight West