This phrase is common in the pilot community when someone needs help, especially when aircraft can be part of the solution. After Hurricane Helene made landfall September 26, members of the Carolina Aviators Network (CAN) turned its social media platform into a volunteer clearinghouse.

In the days immediately following the storm, nearly 6,000 national guardsmen from 11 states deployed as part of relief efforts, with the North Carolina National Guard hauling in more than 100,000 pounds of supplies from the Federal Emergency Management Agency by C-17.

• READ MORE: National Guard Deploys Air Assets in North Carolina Helene Response

The morning after the storm, the CAN Facebook group also exploded with an overwhelming response from its members, eager to volunteer their time and aircraft to help, according to Joel Amick, an organization director at the time. 

With people so willing to volunteer their time and airplanes, they agreed that they needed to do something, and quickly, Amick said. The organization began as a Facebook group in 2021, advertising fly-ins and fly-outs. Today it has more than 7,200 members and is a state-recognized 501(c)(3) corporation in North Carolina and South Carolina.

That “something” turned out to be 1,000 volunteers, including over 300 GA pilots who mobilized and showed up at Statesville Regional Airport (KSVH), which became a major distribution point for supplies to be delivered to the storm-ravaged areas.

According to Erica Zangwill, a 400-hour pilot and CAN president, the organization along with the Hurricane Helene Airlift Relief Facebook group were simultaneously among the first on the scene. 

Airports across North Carolina and South Carolina became collection points.

Supplies were collected at Raleigh Executive Jetport (KTTA), according to Leeanna Tolles, vice president of the organization. Tolles is also vice president of technical operations for an aircraft solutions company and director of maintenance for a Cirrus Service Center—both jobs that require attention to detail. She said she used those skills to help facilitate the relief efforts by air and ground, although the latter was hampered by the lack of roads due to storm damage.

“We had a meeting on [September 30] with several other companies at KTTA, and by [the next day] we were collecting donations from as far away as New Jersey and loading airplanes headed for the mountains, as well as to the larger distribution sites like Statesville,” Tolles said. “Between airplanes and trucks/trailers, we have moved over 100,000 pounds of aid into the mountains. Our collection and dissemination of aid is still continuing as of October 20.”

• READ MORE: Responders Turn to Drones Amid Hurricane Recovery

Vacant hangar space was used for sorting and weighing donations. A wide variety of aircraft were used, including Robinson R44, Eurocopter EC-135, and Bell 47 helicopters. Fixed wing aircraft included a Daher Kodiak, Beechcraft King Air, and Pilatus PC-12, as well as Citation and Vision jets. A Douglas DC-3 and the military variant a Douglas C-47 were used as well as Piper and Cessna trainers, Kitfox and Super Cubs.

The organization worked with airport managers to arrange for hangar space and, in some cases, fuel discounts.

People pitched in wherever they were needed, said Mike Davis, a 4,500-hour pilot with multiple

certificates. Davis said he was surprised by the generosity and compassion of people in general.

“On [October 1] I worked controlling ground traffic through the gate at Statesville,” Davis said. “I took note that we had a car, truck, or SUV passing by me every 10 seconds. I recognized one woman

as she came in. She admitted that it was her third trip. Her car was packed to the roof.

Many people parked their cars by the road after dropping off their donations and went back

inside the hangar to help with the weighing and loading operations.”

Staying ahead of the needs was critical, said Stephen Linson, director of communications for 

CAN and a 430-hour commercially rated pilot. 

“The first 48 hours it was critical to get life-sustainable supplies up to the mountains,” Linson said. “After more information came into play, we found out that medication and life-saving supplies were most important.” 

First Flight

Zangwill said CAN’s  first flight was in the Piper Comanche, carrying 400 pounds of donated supplies to Rutherford County Airport (KFQD) in  North Carolina which was only five minutes away by car from some of the most devastated areas.

“We carried everything from water, baby formula and bottles, to toiletries, first-aid items, dog food, and cleaning products,” she said. 

At the time, powdered baby formula and clean water for mixing it were essential, she said, “along with EpiPens and Benadryl for first responders who were getting stung. The flooding had destroyed yellow jacket in-ground nests, leaving them aggressive.”

In a two-week period, CAN pilots flew 680 flights out of Statesville alone, carrying 34,224 pounds of relief supplies, she said.

The relief flights headed into the mountains of North Carolina required special skills. Low-time pilots or those who didn’t have much experience in the mountains were discouraged from making the flights, or were paired with more experienced pilots. Personal weather minimums were respected. As airlift operations increased, CAN requested that relief pilots have at least 300 flight hours and experience flying in mountainous terrain with a preference for two pilots on board.

• READ MORE: Western North Carolina Air Traffic Up 300 Percent After Hurricane Helene

The airspace and radios were busy. “Air traffic could be chaotic at times, but the air traffic controllers did an excellent job ensuring everyone’s safety,” Zangwill said.

When the aircraft landed, the ground operations team unloaded them quickly, with a goal of getting back into the sky within 15 minutes.

One of the most difficult things for pilots, however, was overflying the hurricane-damaged communities, littered with wrecked homes, roads, and bridges, Zangwill said.

“Flying the airplane took precedence over everything else,” she said. “So even while looking down on the devastation, my thoughts were focused on piloting the aircraft and staying ahead of it, maintaining spatial awareness of terrain and other aircraft. This is also where having two pilots aboard was very helpful.”

While TFRs were put in place in North Carolina for emergency response activities, as well as a survey by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris of the affected areas in Raleigh and Asheville, the impact on relief operations was brief and did not cause any major disruptions as supply drops continued near the edges of the TFR, Zangwill said.

The most challenging aspect of the operation was communication. Cell phone service was nonexistent or hit-and-miss as towers became jammed, which became overwhelming as information changed on an hourly basis, she said.

“[However, by day five,] we had transformed into a well-oiled machine,” Zangwill said. “We worked in conjunction with Hurricane Helene Airlift Relief, a Facebook group formed at the onset of the hurricane, to establish an intelligence center of sorts. Volunteers utilized an old-fashioned whiteboard to keep track of supply needs at each airport we were delivering to, along with various other pieces of information they were monitoring and updating.”

Lessons Learned

Pilots who participated in the relief effort say they now have a playbook for future disasters that will help the GA community and ground-based volunteers act quickly to save lives before government agencies and larger organizations have the ability to step in.

“Will disaster relief become part of our focus at CAN? No,” said Zangwill. “But if we can leverage our pilot license and aircraft to assist our neighbors in the event of another disaster, we certainly will.”

Zangwill has advice for other pilots who might want to help after a natural disaster.

“Refrain from photo flights—they only congest the airspace and compromise safety,” she said. “Check NOTAMs and adhere to PPRs, monitor fuel at landing airports (some had fuel shortages), and coordinate with ground contacts to confirm the ongoing need for airlift support. It’s a good problem to have, but we nearly had too much assistance.”

Fundraisers will continue, she said, with efforts now directed toward recovery and rebuilding in those affected regions.

“Additionally, we are hosting a large fly-in toy drive at Woodward Field Airport (KCDN) in  Camden, South Carolina, in a couple weeks to gather toys for families in western North Carolina whose Christmas will be quite different this year,” she said. “We plan to continue our efforts until support is no longer essential.”

The post GA Pilot Group Delivers More Than 100K Pounds of Supplies to Storm-Ravaged North Carolina appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Lorie Robertson, chief development and marketing officer for Patriot Airpark, highlighted the development team’s goals for the project.

“Patriot Airpark is a beautiful 400-acre site that was formerly a cattle farm here in Pocola [Oklahoma],” said Robertson of the city located just west across the border from Fort Smith. “The property is being carefully transformed into an aviation community with a master development plan that includes hangar homes, traditional residences, commercial and retail spaces, and outdoor amenities. The geographic location in the middle of the country creates a perfect hub concept for pilots and businesspeople with interests (and family) in other states.

“The flight time is dramatically less when you start from the middle. Combined with the low cost of living in the region and the incredible cultural and outdoor adventure opportunities in eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas, this is a fantastic place to live.

“Our typical hangar homes will be 5,000 square feet with 2,500 for the hangar and 2,500 or more of living space above or beside the hangar. Ideally, these will be ‘barndominium’ style homes built from red steel and metal siding, but traditional wood construction is also an option. Phase one includes 14 1-acre lots that are ready to go. We also have a construction company that can build homes according to the buyer’s specs, so they have a lot of flexibility with the design.”

Robertson, who previously spent many years in community and economic development, has been friends with Patriot Airpark’s founder, Alex Cardenas, for about 15 years. The two ran into each other one day at a local restaurant, where he asked her to come aboard and help provide additional lift to the fledgling project.

“Alex, the owner of the property, spent the last year and a half building a lake and other amenities,” she said. “The lake has a 1.5-mile trail around it, and several peninsulas that offer dry camping sites and picnic tables. It’s a really nice amenity that is great for camping, fishing, and kayaking, and it will complement our future RV park. Alex has invested considerable time and money to lock in the right outdoor amenities at Patriot Airpark. He has built a footgolf course [played with a soccer ball], cleared land for soccer fields, and started building mountain bike trails through the woods on the north side of the property.” 

Cardenas, a veteran and entrepreneur, already has moved to Patriot Airpark and is raising his family there. 

“We don’t want to overbuild the community,” Robertson said.  “We want to protect the rural lifestyle and the outdoor opportunities for adventure—the sports, the trails, the fishing, and everything that goes along with what makes Patriot Airpark special. In the initial concept plan, there are around 230 [lots]. Not all of those would be hangar homes, though. The property is naturally split by the orientation of the runway.

“Lots on the west side of the property will be aviation homesites, and the east side will be traditional single-family and multifamily residential. Airplane hangars are also a part of our master plan, as well as commercial, retail, and restaurant spaces that will bring homeowners together as a micro-community.” 

At Patriot Airpark, there is one newly constructed hangar, which is the site of a skydiving operation, Adventure Skydive Center. This is one of many businesses that the development team expects will be based on-site. The airport runway, recently designated by the FAA as OL42, has been established for more than 20 years and will soon host an exciting aviation event.

“We are hosting a National STOL Series qualifier event, Arklahoma STOL, on May 24-25,” she said. “This will be our first event, but our goal is to host the national finals [for the National STOL Series] next year, or at the latest, in 2026. We really want to bring that event here to the central United States.”

The National STOL event is expected to attract pilots from around the country as well as at least 1,000 aviation fans. Spectators are welcome to fly in before the competition starts. Choctaw Casino & Resort is less than five minutes away in Pocola, Oklahoma, and there will be a shuttle running to and from the hotel. Camping and RV spots are available before, during, and after the event through the holiday weekend. The event schedule and camping information can be found on the Arklahoma STOL website.  Registration for pilots is on the National STOL Series website.

Robertson advised that the interest in the area hasn’t been limited to attendees of the short takeoff and landing competition. Rather, Fort Smith and its surrounding communities have been the focus of aviation headlines for other reasons as well recently. 

“Within 15 minutes of Patriot Airpark, you have Fort Smith Regional Airport (KFSM) and Ebbing Air National Guard Base, which is home to the Arkansas Air National Guard. Ebbing was chosen by the U.S. Air Force to be the new site for the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program,” Roberterson said. “The Air Force estimates that as many as 1,000 families or more will be relocating to this region. The housing market is tight, so it’s great that Patriot Airpark is already established. We have real estate, and we are ready to build homes. We could start pouring foundations next week if we wanted to. Talk about impeccable timing.

“Everything seems to be falling into place—the development, the event, the amenities. It’s the perfect place and time to start this development because there’s nothing exactly like it in the market. We’re inviting prospective buyers to come on over to OL42 and ‘land where they’ll love to live!’”

The post Development Underway for New 400-Acre Fort Smith Metro Area Airpark appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“I think that one of the biggest travesties that I see in general aviation is that people spend the time and money to get a pilot certificate and then not fly on a regular basis,” said Ackerman, who owns North Omaha Airport (91NE). “They use their resources to buy a plane, fly it for a little while, and then some barriers keep them from flying.”

He understands common obstacles, including those he’s experienced himself. 

“People don’t fly enough for a variety of reasons. Whether it’s ‘My databases on my plane aren’t updated, so I can’t go,’ or, ‘I don’t know enough pilots and don’t have the community built up yet, in terms of where to fly on the weekend.’ I see a lot of hangar queens out there, and providing facilities that foster flying more is what is needed in general aviation,” he said.

Ackerman, who previously held leadership positions with a national hospitality organization, purchased the airport in late 2021. The purchase was partially the result of him seeing gaps in pilots’ desires to visit new destinations and them rarely doing so. After months of detailed planning and design work, the private pilot unveiled the concept to the public in January of this year. 

“The hallmark of the project is what I call The Aviators Hotel,” Ackerman said. “One of the things that I recognized as I’ve flown around, and again—being new and excited about going different places—is that it’s really hard to seek out somewhere brand new to fly to. That’s because I think that there is a lot of friction in that process.”

“So, if you think about it, if you’ve never been to Omaha or another place before, there are a lot of logistical concerns.” 

“Number one, you have to figure out whether your plane is going to be outside overnight,” he continued. “And I think that’s one of the biggest fears of airplane owners. Will there be storms, frost, or any number of things that could affect your plane? Second is, where do you stay? A lot of people may fly to second homes or visit a relative or someone that they know. Otherwise, you have to figure out where in town you want to stay. Third, you have to figure out transportation. A lot of places have a crew car, where some are better than others. I think that most pilots would say that the common crew car is a 1990s Buick LeSabre, that hopefully is there and hopefully starts,” he said with a laugh.

“Number four, what do you do once you land? If you’ve never been to Omaha, or any number of other places, what do you do when you are there? Is there a good restaurant to go to, an interesting event, a museum, or whatever? And then lastly, is itinerary planning. Packaging up a deal to make it super easy to fly into somewhere new is the opportunity that I saw with making The Aviators Hotel concept. Let’s solve the five biggest reasons that pilots don’t explore new places and just make it super easy to get off the ground and come somewhere new.” 

Ackerman feels that this planned development at North Omaha Airport will solve the five problems he mentioned, as well as attract new visitors to Nebraska’s most populous city. In addition to the development’s flagship building—the (up to) 76-room hotel—there will also be a total of 38,000 square feet of hangar space dedicated to transient aircraft. Additionally, there will be 13,000 square feet of other interior space that will house various “country club” type amenities. 

Ackerman is presently soliciting feedback from the pilot community regarding elements that should be included in the final site plans. Some aspects that he may incorporate include a spa, a pool, a kid’s area, a flight center, a lounge area with golf simulators, a fitness area, a restaurant, and a cocktail bar.

With a package of offerings that aviators won’t find at other airports, Ackerman expects that the project will be a significant draw for those from both near and far. 

“I think that the target market will be visiting us somewhere from 250 to 500 nautical miles away,” he said. “I think the net is potentially larger than maybe people realize because there are so many pilots that are looking for a destination where they can go hang out. And when you start putting things like a hotel, to where pilots can now have a long weekend there, you start potentially drawing people from a considerably larger area.”

“Omaha has a diversity of great products to do. First of all, the food and beverage scene here is very underrated. There are a ton of really nice restaurants that offer memorable experiences that come to mind, that everyone would enjoy. We have a couple of amazing museums here, as well as an Orpheum Theatre that has a bunch of Broadway-produced and other shows that come to town. Then you have events like the College World Series, that’s here every year, the Olympic Swim Trials, and other similar caliber sporting events. Those are the things that come to mind that would be attractive reasons for people to come to the Omaha area.” 

During initial planning, it was expected that the development would be completed next year. But from feedback received from the city and other stakeholders, there are some additional items that Ackerman must account for. As a result, he says that a more realistic time frame is for the project to be completed by the end of 2025. 

“There is some work to do on the infrastructure around here and I think that any airport would be remiss to say that they don’t,” he said. “But our runway is in really good shape and was done in the 1960s, actually. Outside of some crack sealing and things, it’s really held up well over the years. The taxiways are pretty good overall, but there are some spots that we would like to address before opening the airport more broadly. There is also a runway extension that is a part of the plans that I would like to see put in place soon as well. It will be a 400-foot extension and the runway is currently at 3,173-feet now. The additional 400-feet adds an additional buffer for, say, a Piper M350 on a hot summer day trying to get over obstacles at either end of the runway.”

“Today, we are a privately-owned, private-use airport, so we do not get a lot of transient traffic,” he concluded. “That’s partly because of some trees that have grown into the airspace that violate state standards. So, the hope is to work with the city and our neighbors to have those trimmed and get back to being a public-use airport. In terms of airplanes, we have 24 based at the airport today and see mostly local traffic. My hope is that coming this spring, we start offering the basis for airport membership opportunities. This would unlock some benefits, like fuel at cost for certain tiers of membership, for example. We are starting to look at unique ways to help aircraft owners, in terms of easier maintenance, insurance, and use, and have a lot of ideas that will hopefully make the whole aircraft ownership experience better.”

The post New Aviators Hotel Plan Aims to Take the Friction Out of Flying appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

At the airlines, the familiar requirements of FAR 61.57 are superseded by FAR 121.439, which also requires three takeoffs and landings every 90 days but specifies the same aircraft type, with no differentiation between day and night operations. Lapsed recency can only be reestablished under the supervision of a check airman and must include a V₁ cut and an ILS approach to the lowest authorized minimums. Reestablishing landing currency in the simulator has always been a routine chore for international relief pilots—but during the pandemic, many domestic pilots were also sent to do their “bounces in the box.”

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