About Angel Flight :: Our Mission & History

Our Mission

The Mission of Angel Flight is to provide free air transportation to those who need it most. We serve the community by flying patients to distant medical facilities, delivering supplies to disaster areas and reuniting families during desperate times.

This community service will be made available to any individual, medical agency or health care organization within the States of Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, and the Carolinas. It is also available, via coordination with other pilot organizations in the national Air Care Alliance, across most of the United States.

We help families by eliminating the concern of how to get to necessary medical care, so that the families are able to focus on a resolution for the medical condition. Hopefully, this will help the patient to a more speedy recovery and will enable the family to resume participation in their communities and workplaces.

Our History

Angel Flight is the original volunteer pilot organization that has been serving Georgia and surrounding states in the South since 1983 by providing free air transportation for any verifiable medical need. Jim Shafer, a medical industry professional and private pilot, organized Angel Flight by recruiting 15 pilot friends to rise and meet the needs of the community. Angel Flight incorporated in Georgia in 1984.

Until 1990, Angel Flight operated as a loosely organized non-profit volunteer pilot group whose annual revenues were consistently less than that required for reporting purposes. The operations were comprised of in-kind contributions by pilots and other volunteers. Volunteer time was not tracked. Individuals gave of themselves when they were able. Due to increased media coverage in July 1990, it became readily apparent that several public benefit flying organizations had formed throughout the United States during the 1980s. It was recognized that a commonality of purpose existed among these organizations. In November 1990, nineteen volunteer pilot organizations met and formed the national Air Care Alliance (ACA) to help ensure patient travel across the country. Angel Flight is a charter member and our Executive Director volunteers on the board of directors for the ACA.

From 1990-1993, operating on a part-time basis, Angel Flight coordinated approximately one mission per week. In June 1993, Angel Flight began operations full-time and increased to two missions per week. This trend continued through 1999, maintaining an annual average of just over 200 flights. We are proud to report that our missions have increased about 645% from the year 2000. We soared to an amazing 1,786 missions in 2005, including 450 flown for Hurricane Katrina relief. In 2006, we coordinated 1,761 missions, and to date in 2007, we have coordinated 2027 missions. Our generous contributors and pilots are the resources that have made this growth possible.

On a daily basis for many years, we have responded to disasters on a personal level. But after the 9/11 tragedy, we were forged into a mission for a very different kind of disaster. Our unique resource of volunteer pilots enabled us to be a truly valuable source of assistance to the relief efforts. With commercial air traffic grounded, our volunteer pilots were able to provide many valuable services in an expeditious manner. On September 12th, we received special permission from the FAA and began flying disaster relief coordinators, mental health counselors, fire fighters and rescue workers to Ground Zero and the Pentagon. Additionally, we continued the flow of blood for several states in the South. Blood samples are typically sent daily via commercial air transportation to testing centers before it can be administered to patients. Centers from all across the South called Angel Flight to transport blood samples to testing centers during this critical time. Within two weeks of the 9/11 tragedy, we coordinated over 70 missions to directly support the relief efforts and to help mitigate problems that resulted from the disaster. Under normal circumstances, Angel Flight flies patients to the medical care they need. However, the attacks our country suffered were by no means normal and we felt in this case, we needed to fly the medical care to where the need existed.

In recognition of our extraordinary support after the disaster, Angel Flight received a Commendation from Georgia Governor Barnes, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Louisiana Governor M.J. "Mike" Foster, a Certificate of Appreciation from Tennessee Governor Sundquist, The Dekalb County Community Service Award and Mississippi Lt. Governor Amy Tuck presented a proclamation on the Senate floor during session.

We have continued to work closely with the American Red Cross in disaster relief within the southern states. Our volunteer pilots are able to help position American Red Cross volunteers where needed when natural disasters require their assistance. We have been privileged to be the recipient of the 2005 Outstanding Group Award given by the Atlanta Chapter of the American Red Cross. The Outstanding Group Award is presented to organizations outside the American Red Cross for having made a significant contribution to the community through the delivery of Red Cross services. The award is presented each year at the Volunteer Recognition Ceremony of the Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter.

In the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, with ground transportation at a standstill, our volunteer pilots were able to provide many valuable services through air transportation. Angel Flight was privileged to be a 'first responder' and fly 450 relief missions transporting life sustaining supplies, medical equipment, and volunteer personnel into some of the hardest hit areas of the disaster. We supported over 50 communities that were otherwise inaccessible by road. As importantly, we reunited dozens of Gulf Coast families. These missions were of critical and life-saving importance to those in the hurricane ravaged zone. In recognition of our efforts, Angel Flight received a commendation from Governor Sonny Perdue in October, 2005.