Patient 

120 Adams 

AirLift 

Boulevard 

Services FN_5 

Fanningdale, New York 11 735 

631-694-PALS (7257)(p) 

631-755-2184(£) 

www.palserviccs.org 

!PATIENT AIRLIFT SERVICES! 

Changing lives, one flight at a time ... 

Board of Oir~ctors 

ALAN SHEINESS 

CHAIRMAN 

JOE HOWLEY 

PRESIDENT VICE• 

CHAIRMAN 

DONNA COLLINS 

TREASURER 

MICHAEL CROWLE Y 

SECRETARY 

MARK HANSON 

BRIAN LISOSKI 

JAMES MCCLOUD 

RHODA KUPFERBERG 

JAMES O'ROURKE 

SCOTT PAIGE 

JAMES PLATZ 

JOHN ROCH ELLE 

RUTHANNE RUZIKA 

STUART WALDRUM 

KEITH WARD 

WILLIAM WEAVER 

Board Member Emeritus 

PETER RYAN 

HAROLD L EVY 

bv Federal Express 

Mr. John D. Duncan 

Director, Flight Standards Service 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

Federal Aviation Administration 

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 June 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 Exemption 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 June 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unless sooner superseded or rescinded."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 highly successful. 

PALS would not have been able to carry out all of its humanitarian flights without 

the fuel reimbursement exemption. The benefits 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 Charitable Medical Flights, published in the Federal 

Register on February 2, 20I3. 

Patiwl AirLift Services is tl 50 I (c)(3) lax-exempt p11blic cbari()• 
PALS has carefully implemented the terms of its Exemption No. 10294, and PALS has 

continued to stress pilot education and safety with all of its volunteer pilots. 

Pilots wishing to qualify for in the PALS fuel reimbursement program must pass 

through a series of steps. Pilots must first supply all documentation proving they meet 

PALS standards to serve as Command Pilots, and provide a copy of their Class II 

Medical Certificate. 

In compliance with the terms ofFAA Exemption No. 10294, PALS has engaged 

Mid Island Air Services (MJAS), operators of an FAA approved flying school based at 

Islip, New York, to develop and administer an initial and recurrent training program 

tailored to cover the specific items required under Exemption No. I 0294. Pilots receive a 

Log Book endorsement from MIAS, and PALS receives a certification of the same from 

MIAS. 

Prior to each flight, PALS obtains the required pilot documentation, including a 

pilot affirmation that all Exemption requirements are adhered to. This includes the 

specific "Pilot Go/No Go Checklist" defined in Exemption No. I 0294. Upon completion 

of the flight, pilots fill out reimbursement requests, which are verified and recorded. 

The program under the Exemption has been very important to the mission of 

PALS. The first training class was completed in February of20 12. Since that time, 69 

pilots have completed training. 

PALS volunteer pilots have flown 254 flights transporting, for example, burn 

victims, wounded warriors, children receiving major medical treatments, and many 

others. 

Accordingly, PALS requests that your office extend Exemption No. 10294. An extension 

would allow PALS to continue to use fuel reimbursement to encourage pilots, who could 

not otherwise afford to participate in our program, to continue to volunteer their time and 

aircraft in support of PALS' humanitarian services. 

We sincerely appreciate the FAA's support ofthe fuel reimbursement program. 

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned. 

cc: John Rochelle 

Eileen Minogue 

Very truly yours. 

Chairman of the Board of Directors 

Patient AirLift Services, Inc. 

Alan.Sheiness@palservices.org 

(949) 289-3672