Volunteer pilots needed--Challenge Air event in Mesquite, TX 4/1/23

[Jim_R]

I have volunteered to fly for a Challenge Air event in Mesquite, TX next week (for the first time), and the informational email from the chief pilot says they've got 87 kids signed up to fly, and could use several more pilots.

Challenge Air is an organization that schedules flying events so that kids with special needs can get an opportunity to fly (in) a plane. The intent is not only to take them up so they can look around, but also (to the extent possible) allow the kids to hold the yoke for part of the flight and give them some "Hey, I can do this!" inspiration.

I've talked with a couple of other pilots who've done this before, and they speak in glowing terms about the organization, both in its mission and in how the staff manage and run the events. They also say that the kids have been consistently great to fly with, and the smiles and hugs and thanks they get are very personally rewarding. I'm really looking forward to this event!

Here are some relevant links. If you'd like to volunteer, create an account on the website and then register for the Mesquite event as a pilot (there are some documentation requirements, like uploading photos of your pilot cert, medical status, and insurance docs).

Main web page: https://www.challengeair.com/
Create an account: https://www.challengeair.com/register/
Link to Mesquite, TX event to register as a pilot: https://www.challengeair.com/events1/mesquite-tx-fly-day-scheduled-for-saturday-april-1-2023/

I also have contact information for the event's chief pilot, if you'd like to talk to him before signing up. Send me a private message if you'd like that info.

 

[MacFlier]

I'll be there!

 

[murphey]

Just a note in passing….there’s a couple Challenge Air flights a year at KAPA (denver) which is very successful…( big overlap with Young Eagle pilots and ground crew) big smiles on kids, parents and everyone else. But different at the policy level from EAA Young Eagles. A YE rally has EAA insurance in addition to the pilot’s personal insurance. Challenge Air does not have additional insurance, unless it’s changed in recent years.

 

[Half Fast]

My Downs daughter did a couple of Challenge Air events when she was a kid. She had a great time and I was impressed by the event. Fine organization from what I could tell.

 

[WDD]

Way too far for me to schelp over to TX for this, but FWIW, thank you for participating and supporting this!

 

[Abram]

I do a fair amount of charitable flying and I have flown in the Challenge Air event in Ft. Lauderdale for about the past 15 years, including this past January. I can honestly tell you that it is one of the most wonderful things we can do with our airplanes!

It is a wonderful experience to give these kids and their families the opportunity to experience flight in a small aircraft. The joy and gratitude that the kids and their families show is unforgettable.

Do it and have fun!

Abram Finkelstein
N685AS

 

[Jim_R]

Saturday's event was a fantastic experience! Everyone I interacted with--from the main organizers, to the volunteer staff and other volunteer pilots, to the kids and their families--was a pleasure to be around. It was well-organized, and went off without a hitch. The kids I flew with were great. One of my co-pilots had a rigid posture and blank affect (staring straight ahead without acknowledging anything around him) during our meet-and-greet session before we flew, and his mom said she suspected he might be like that the entire flight. But once we took off, he was animated and engaged by the view out the window, and he was interacting verbally with his mom in a way she could understand but I couldn't. When we got back on the ground, he had a big smile on his face, and his mother told me that was a very rare thing to see.

Overall, it was a very positive and personally rewarding experience, and I look forward to participating in future events. In fact, I'm hoping to be in Ft. Worth on April 22 for that event!