Patient AirLift Services 

# FN_5 120 Adams Boulevard Fa nnin gdal e, New York 11 73 5 631-694-PALS (7257)(p) 631-755-2184(£) www . palserviccs . org !PATIENT AIRLIFT SERVICES! Changing li ves, one flight at a ti me ...
Board of**Oir~ctors**

ALAN SHEINESS CHAIRMAN JOE HOWLEY PRESIDENT VICE • CHAIRMAN DONNA COLLINS TR EASURER MICHAEL CROWL E Y SECRETARY MARK HANSON BRIAN LISOSKI JAM ES MCCLOUD RHODA KUPFERBERG JAM ES O'ROURKE SCOTT PAIGE JAMES PLATZ JOHN ROCH E LL E RUTHANNE RUZIKA STUART WALDRUM KEITH WARD WILLIAM WEAVER Board Member Emeritu s PETER RYAN HAROLD L E VY 

### bv Federal Express Mr. John D. Duncan Director, Flight Standards Service U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Admini stration 800 Independence Avenue , S.W. Washington , D.C. 2059I Re: Exemption No. 10294 March 5 , 20 I5

Regulatory Docket No. FAA-2011-0324 --Request For Extension Dear Mr. Duncan: On Jun e 22, 20 I1 , the Administration 's Flight Standards Service issued the attached letter advising Patient AirLift Services , Inc. ("PALS " ) that your office had granted PALS ' Petition For An Exe mption from Section 61.113(c) of Title I4 , Code of Federal Regulations (I4 CFR) to allow the reimbursement of its volunteer pilots for fuel costs incurred in conducting charitable flights. Subsequently , we filed for and received an extension to that exemption that letter stated that "exemption terminates on Jun e 30 , 20 I5 unless sooner superseded or rescinded. " We are writing to you at this time to request at least an additional two (2) year extension of Exemption No. I 0294. Not all pilots can afford to make charitable flights that sometimes can require hundreds of dollars of aviation fuel for a single flight. As a result of Exemption No. I 0294 , PALS has been able to encourage pilots to volunteer their time and aircraft for flights transporting children and adults for access to healthcare and for other hwnanitarian purposes. The program has been hi gh ly successful. PALS wou ld not have been able to carry out all of its humanitarian flights without the fuel reimbursement exemption. The benefi ts from this type of charity flying were recognized by Congress in Section 821 of Public Law II2-95 , and acknowledged in the FAA 's Policy Clarification on Charitab l e Medical Flights , published in the Federal Register on February 2 , 20I3.

Patiwl AirLift Servi ces is t l 50 I( c )(3) lax-e xemptp11blic c bari()•PALS ha s carefully implemented the terms of its Exemption No . 10294 , and PALS has continued to stress p ilot education and safety with all o f its vo lunteer pilots. Pilot s w ishing to qualify for in the PAL S fue l reimburs ement program must pass through a serie s of steps. Pilots must first supply all documentation proving the y meet PALS s tandards to serve as Command Pilots, a nd provide a co py of their Class II Med ical Certific ate. In compliance with the terms ofFAA Exemption No. 10294 , PALS has engaged Mid Is land Air Services (MJAS), operators of an FAA approved flying schoo l based at Islip , New York , to develop and administer an initial and rec urrent training program tailored to cover the specific items required under Exemption No. I 0294 . Pilots receive a Lo g Book endorsement from MIAS , and PALS rec e iv es a certification of the same from M IAS. Prior to each flight , PALS obtains the requ ire d pilot documentation , including a pilot affirmation that a ll Exemption requirements are adhered to. This includes the specific " Pilot Go/No Go Checklist" defined in Exemp tion No. I 0294. Upon completion o f the flight , pi lots fi ll out reimbursement re qu ests, which are verified and recorde d. The program under the Exemption ha s been very important to th e m i ss ion of PA LS. The first traini ng class was completed in February of20 12. Si nc e that time, 69 pilots have comp leted training. PALS volunteer pilots have flown 254 fli g ht s tran s port ing , for example, burn victims , wounded warriors , children receiving major med ic a l treatments , and many others. According l y , PALS r equests that your office extend Exemption No. 10294. An extension would a ll ow PALS to continue to use fuel reimburs e ment to encourage pilots, who cou ld not otherwise affo rd to participat e in our program, to continue to volu nteer their time and airc raft in support of PALS' h umanitarian services. We s incerely apprec iate the FAA ' s s upport ofthe fuel re imbursement program. Should yo u have any questio ns , please do not he s itate t o contact the unde rsigned.

cc: Jo hn Roche ll e E ileen Mi nogue Very trul y yo urs .

Chairman of the Board of Directors Patient AirLift Serv ice s, Inc. Alan.Sh eine ss@ pal se rvices.org (949) 289-3672