From: steve@lawday.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (Steve Bridges)
Subject: Re: Air Lifeline experience
Organization: NCR Corporation - Law Department
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 18:02:01 GMT

jac@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (John Clear) writes:

>In article <1992Sep5.230825.33148@pro-carolina.cts.com> gatech!pro-carolina.cts.com!delton (Don Elton) writes:
>>If someone flying "air lifeline" or some other such charity flying service
>>were to just donate the money they spend on these missions to the people in
>>need directly they'd probably find that the money would go farther for a
>>commercial flight in many cases.  Again, remember that the urgency for such
>>trips isn't as great as many would have you believe.

>	This may or may not be true, I'm not going to argue it.  The reason
>people want to do charity flights is to use their gift/skill/etc of flying
>to help people.  Donating money is very different then actaully getting 
>involved and directly helping the person.  Someone else can argue which way
>your money goes further...

Join brings up a couple of good points.  I joined the Volunteer Pilots
Association so that I could use the gift/skill/etc of flying to help
people.  With all the pressure now-a-days of people calling for donations
(how many calls have you gotten during the past week -- I've gotten 10),
I'd rather donate my money to something that I can see that helps a person
direct, than some organization where you don't know where the money goes
(like United Way was earlier this year with their chairman and his salary
-- they seem to have cleaned up their act somewhat).

The one mission I was involved in was to tranport a kidney from Dayton to
Toledo (the kidney came from Atlanta).  There are very few flights between
Dayton and Toledo, and the airline that does fly between these 2 cities
(U.S. Air -- I mention them because of the next statement --) CHARGES for
organ transportation.  Come On!  Get Real!  The box isn't that big (it was
about 18 inches on a side), weighed in at less than 5 pounds.  They wanted
to charge something like $50 bucks to transport something that would fit in
the cockpit or in one of the galleys, or even in the overhead.

I got a nice letter after the flight that it had saved the life of a 38
year old school teacher who had been waiting for over 2 years for a kidney,
and was on medical leave from being an elementary school teacher.  That
letter gave me a good warm fuzzy feeling :-)

As far as the safety issue goes (the famous "neither thunderstorms,
windshear, or below minimum IFR conditions" statement from the Lifeline
brochure goes), I won't compromise my own minimums.  Not having an
instrument ticket (I know -- I should start on it), my own minimums are
3000' ceilings, and at least 4 miles viz, and no thunderstorms along route
of flight.  If the weather looks like the mission couldn't be completed, I
won't go, pure and simple.

What else do I get out of flying a lifeguard mission other than that nice
feeling of helping somebody out when other options aren't viable --
experience.

Steve
-- 
Steve Bridges, Programmer/Analyst| NCR - Law Department, WHQ-5
steve@lawday.DaytonOH.NCR.COM ___| Phone:(513)-445-4486 622-4486 (VOICEplus)
Reserve sci.military moderator| "The airplane does not recognize attitude,
providing a maneuver is conducted at one G" -- A.M. "Tex" Johnston