Seth Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Tomorrow morning I'm conducting my first Angel Flight. Any pointers? The two passengers have been on many Angel Flights in the past (cancer treatment evidently), but besides ingress and egress, is there anything else that one normally wouldn't think of or has experienced? Thank you all in advance for the advice and suggestions. -Seth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooneygirl Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Hi Seth, Congrats on being an Angel Flight volunteer. I think that it would be best to have a complete pre-flight briefing with the passengers. I always talk about what happens if the door pops open ["Nothing, as many aircraft don't even have doors"] that it might sound like the engine is at idle before landing ["It is part of the normal approach to have changes in power, which result in sound changes"] and "if you feel ill in the slightest let me know, we can stop. Your comfort is of the utmost importance to me." Personally I think that Angel Flights are a lovely way to promote general aviation to the non-pilot public. You might ask if they ever thought about learning to fly. Anyway, those are my two cents. Have fun, I hope it is a smooth trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdrake Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 I've done a few with AFE. Generally speaking, the passengers are quite savvy and a pleasure to fly with. Some thoughts gathered over the years: 1. Make sure all of the passenger paperwork is complete and sent before they board your plane. 2. Ensure an ample supply of air sickness pouches as sometimes the passenger may be on meds that will cause air sickness. Make sure the passenger knows where they are stowed. 3. Focus on flying and observe sterile cockpit procedures. There is lots of time to chat in cruise. It is very tempting to want to explain what you're doing during taxi, t/o, etc. Do that while you're warming up at the FBO. Don't let chat distract you from job #1. 4. Explain how the radios work and that from time to time, you'll need to listen and respond to radio calls (i.e. sometimes silence is golden on the intercom) 5. Bring a blanket for the passenger (the heat in my J works well until you get down into the 20's), they may not use it, but if they need it... Also maybe bring a couple bottled waters. It gets dry up there. 6. Enjoy the experience. Some of my best flying experiences have been on Angel Flights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amelia Posted February 3, 2011 Report Share Posted February 3, 2011 Dittos to those who've found Angel Flights rewarding. I have, too. The passengers are generally delightful folk, and most have problems I don't know that I could handle with such grace and dignity. They're generally quite grateful, and some even get a real kick out of the aviation part, though most seem to need to sleep, and a few are actively apprehensive. Only one has ever gotten airsick, and he was the healthy father of an AF baby-- in perfectly smooth air, yet. Climbing into and out of a Mooney has been troublesome on occasion, but so far, it's been do-able- even with paraplegics and a lady with a freshly-broken leg. I've been grateful for good help from supportive line personnel. I always tell them (or at least try to remember to tell them) to feel free to ask any questions, and I'll explain what that blinking light means, why the stall horn bleats on landing, and other possibly alarming noises and sights. Also I often share the fun of flying-- enlisting their aid in looking for other aircraft, letting them try out the controls, pointing out geographic landmarks, weather phenomena, if they're interested. The kids, especially, really get a kick out of that. You might emphasize how important weight is. Twice now, I've had AF pax show up with a hundred pounds of luggage when the setup form claimed they had 30. The last one said she thought the 30 pound limit only applied to personal stuff, that the baby seat and 80 pounds of heavy medical paraphernalia didn't count. Good thing I got a heads-up from the linking pilot, and only loaded enough fuel to make that one leg, but even then, it was a near thing, W&B-wise. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooney27239 Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Quote: Seth Tomorrow morning I'm conducting my first Angel Flight. Any pointers? The two passengers have been on many Angel Flights in the past (cancer treatment evidently), but besides ingress and egress, is there anything else that one normally wouldn't think of or has experienced? Thank you all in advance for the advice and suggestions. -Seth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parker_Woodruff Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Veterans Airlift and Angel Flight are great. Unfortunately I have only one a couple (maybe 1?) in the past year or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooney27239 Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Seth; I forgot to mention that there are some patients that fly into GAI for treatment. In fact I have a mission scheduled for next month that I will pick the patient up at GAI and return him home to Galax, VA. He recieved treatments at the University of MD Shock Trauma Center for a gunshot wound to the face. I have flown him before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLRDMD Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Quote: Seth Tomorrow morning I'm conducting my first Angel Flight. Any pointers? The two passengers have been on many Angel Flights in the past (cancer treatment evidently), but besides ingress and egress, is there anything else that one normally wouldn't think of or has experienced? Thank you all in advance for the advice and suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSMooniac Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Now we need a PIREP! Good on ya for volunteering! I've been an Angel Flight Central pilot for 3.5 years now and enjoy it immensely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted February 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Thank you all for the great suggestions. I made sure to bring a blanket and water for the passengers and both were indeed used. The two passengers chose to sit in the backseat and they were previous Angel Flight flyers, so they knew the drill. They were both asleep (not because I flew at 12,000 feet - I actually cruised at 6,000) within about 30 minutes and woke up as I was maneuvering for the pattern. I specifically requested a very shallow decent as they were sleeping and I didn't want their ears to pop. I started down far enough out that my rate of decent was around 200 fpm. The entire trip was about 1.6 hours from crank to engine shutdown. I'll be flying a lot more Angel Flights in the future. I'll also check out Veteran Airlift. I admit it took a few radio mistakes in order to ensure I said "Angel Flight 67M" as opposed to "Mooney 67M." This was my last XC before annual, I dropped off my Mooney at Freeway (W00) for it's annual just before the Super Bowl. -Seth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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