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Zippy9641

Filing Flight Plan
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Oct 13, 2024
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Zippy9641
Hi Folks, I am 59 years old and just took my first discovery flight yesterday. I want to A) help people as a volunteer for an NGO or non-profit. Not looking to make money unless it's part-time. What are some good organizations? I have heard only of Angel Flight. B) Given that, is there a way I could get subsidized, from the government or some other entity for my ppl or cpl? any advice?
 
No such subsidies. That would be nice.

No, you can’t get paid until you get your commercial pilot certificate, and then you have to have your own commercial operation (non trivial) or fly for one.

Many fly for Pilots-n-Paws. Like Angel Flight and many other similar entities, the pilot pays his/her own bills. You can deduct from taxes.
 
Hi Folks, I am 59 years old and just took my first discovery flight yesterday. I want to A) help people as a volunteer for an NGO or non-profit. Not looking to make money unless it's part-time. What are some good organizations? I have heard only of Angel Flight. B) Given that, is there a way I could get subsidized, from the government or some other entity for my ppl or cpl? any advice?
Join a local EAA chapter and help with Young Eagles
Join local Angel Flight and help with ground transport when needed
Forget about volunteering, keep your job (or get a new one) to pay for flying lessons.
 
Welcome to the forum ,would be nice if there was an organization to help with funding ,but one does not exist.
 
Good advice above. As the saying goes- The way to become a millionaire in aviation is to start as a billionaire.
 
There are a surprising number of scholarships. Most are geared towards young folks, but it's worth it to look into them. Many go unawarded because no one applies.
 
I will give you your first ground training lesson for free.

Q. What makes an airplane fly?
A. Money. If you don’t have money the airplane isn’t going to fly.

If the govt paid for flight training, you would be at the end of a line of 1 million.
 
Hi Folks, I am 59 years old and just took my first discovery flight yesterday. I want to A) help people as a volunteer for an NGO or non-profit. Not looking to make money unless it's part-time. What are some good organizations? I have heard only of Angel Flight. B) Given that, is there a way I could get subsidized, from the government or some other entity for my ppl or cpl? any advice?
There is a lot of cynicism here, mostly from people who have the hole in their wallets from experience.

I took my first lesson at 57 in September 2020 (full-blown covid) and immediately wanted to do the things you mentioned. I had the same idea(s). Getting a commercial rating is the only way to do them as PIC. Reframe your ambition to be part of the non-profit leadership and hire the pilot; then, you can feel all of the pain of operating the plane without going full commercial.

Set the goals and stay goal-oriented.
 
Another way to volunteer and also get some free flying time is Civil Air Patrol.
 
Hi Folks, I am 59 years old and just took my first discovery flight yesterday. I want to A) help people as a volunteer for an NGO or non-profit. Not looking to make money unless it's part-time. What are some good organizations? I have heard only of Angel Flight. B) Given that, is there a way I could get subsidized, from the government or some other entity for my ppl or cpl? any advice?
As mentioned, with extremely few exceptions, payment for flying is reserved for those with commercial certificates and even that is significantly limited by the rules applicable to commercial operations. For most of us, reimbursement for charitable flights is limited to taking the appropriate charitable deduction. There is some fuel reimbursement available through some organizations (like Angle Flight), the conditions for qualifying for that are based on waivers of the regular rules by the FAA and so similar to those associated with a commercial operation that some folks call them "Part 135 Light."

If you are looking for charitable transport organizations in addition to Angel Flight, a very popular one is Pilots N Paws. For the big picture, many of not most of the organizations are under a big umbrella, the Air Care Alliance. You can search for organizations in your area here.
 
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