Flying for public benefit
Keeping you in the air and feeling good about it
For over 30 years Richard Jacobs has been staying current and giving back to his community through flying volunteer air transportation missions for people in need of far-from-home medical treatment through organizations like Angel Flight NE (Northeast).
“It's something that you're helping somebody,” Jacobs said. “There's no such thing as minor surgery if you're a patient. And I don't want them to worry about having to get back and forth either to the hospital or to their checkup.”
Angel Flight organizations across the country have been providing free medical transportation to patients in need since 1983. And Angel Flight NE has provided over 108,000 free flights since its inception in 1996.
Flying for public benefit isn’t just a way to give back to your community and get the warm fuzzies inside— it’s also a great way to keep yourself current and your insurance companies happy by flying regularly. According to Jacobs, there are nearly always missions available. For example, in the second week of August there were 14 missions still awaiting a pilot.
Pilots interested in volunteering are required to be instrument rated and have at least 500 hours total time, 400 hours of pilot-in-command time, and 50 hours in aircraft type. Jacobs has over 6,000 total flight hours, and after 900 missions with Angel Flight recommends treating an Angel Flight like any other flight, with prior planning, professionalism, and care. For those interested, he also recommends reaching out to current Angel Flight pilots for mentorship.
Now closing in on his 1,000th flight, Jacobs shows no signs of slowing down.
