Can you believe it? Spring is just around the corner. Even though there is still snow on the ground my Ear, Nose and Throat Flight Surgeon buddies tell me the tree pollen counts are already rising!. Most of us have at least mild allergy problems so if you use antihistamines remember that CFR (FAR) 91.17 does not allow "any drug that affects the persons faculties in any way contrary to safety."
A smart choice would be to use non-sedating medications such as Allegra, Clarinex or Claritin. Nasal spray steroids are effective also and allowed by the FAA. Nasal decongestants like Afrin are effective but should be only used in certain situations. Call or write through www.OK2FLY.com and we will be happy to guide you through the wide array of available medications. Fly safe!
Gregory Pinnell, MD
Senior AME/Flight Surgeon USAFR
www.OK2FLY.com
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Av-Flight Saginaw (MBS) Has Moved
Av-Flight Saginaw has moved two hangars to the North on the MBS ramp. Same nice people, new location with lots of interior renovations underway. Follow the signs to the temporary "ground side" entrance on the South side of the building. New signs on the roadways also lead to the new location.
Why We Fly
by Cody Welch, President, Wings of Mercy East Michigan
I thought that I would share today's Mission #1375 (Line #1470) with all of you. It really moved me and served as further evidence that what we do is so very special.
The Recipient was a very ill 62 year old. She arrived at the Asheville (NC) Airport this morning at 7:30 via ambulance from the Hospital where she had been receiving Cancer treatment. She was on Oxygen and the EMT advised that she would go downhill quickly if it wasn't available. She was quite frail. It is unlikely that she would have been able to use commercial air carriers. I boarded the ambulance and visited with her while my co-pilot secured the large tank so that it wouldn't be a missile in turbulence. She was a live wire. She was witty and funny-an absolute pleasure. I had briefed my co-pilot (an EMT also) that he may be needed in flight. He was more than ready but she actually thrived on the 2:35 flight at FL 230. Along the way I asked her why she was headed to Michigan. She said that she was going to move in with her friend. She was born and raised in Saginaw and Higgins Lake. She has been in the Asheville area for a long time. What follows next gripped me and compelled me to write you.
Her friend, age 70, arrived at the plane at Oscoda in a very beat up 30 year old Suburban. He cornered me before he went to greet our Recipient and asked if I knew what was going on. I said that I was not aware. He said the she was an awesome woman that he should have married 25-30 years ago. He said that he had always been in love with her. He said that they were long time friends but that he married another woman. That woman died 1 year ago. Somehow he stayed in touch with her and insisted that rather than be alone with a grave illness (she is very ill with Cancer) that she should be with someone who loves her and will take care of her. She accepted. We facilitated. Wow. These two drove off in that beat up, rusted out Suburban like teenagers in love. I don't know the particulars but get the impression that her days are limited. I also get the impression that all is now right in both of their worlds.
This mission came together quite quickly. I had been following Elaine's emails all week and knew that this mission was not getting any volunteers. I called her yesterday to see how it was going and the wheels started to turn. At the time I was demonstrating [a privately-owned] Jetprop in Philadelphia. I was by myself. The demo was just finishing for the owner pilot and his young fully rated pilot Pete. I asked the prospect if he thought that his young protege would be interested in getting several hours in a Jetprop. I then called [the airplane owner] to see if he was interested in allowing his plane to be used for this purpose. Within an hour we put together a mission and headed for the overnight in Asheville. Meanwhile I got Jackie to make hangar and hotel arrangements as well as secure a discount for fuel. Elaine emailed all of the paperwork. When we got to Asheville, everything was in place. The hotel van took us straight to Wal-Mart for toiletries (no bags with us) and Blankets, Pillows, Water etc for our Recipient. We got a Subway at Wal-Mart to go then headed back to the Motel where we completed Pete's pilot application and volunteer waiver (while dining), faxed the doc's back to Elaine, listed Pete on a Delta Buddy Pass back to Newark and somehow hit the sack by 10PM. This morning the flight was very smooth with light chop perhaps 5% of the flight. After re-fueling at Oscoda, I flew Pete back to DTW and he made his tight connection back to EWR. [The owner's] Jetprop is back in my hangar and hopefully has been sold.
Pete is 29, a 4 year pilot and has never seen an airplane used this way. He is a former Cop and EMT who gave up the security to pursue a flying dream. He expects to be hired as a NJ State Trooper soon and will be in the pool to fly EMS Helicopters for New Jersey. Somehow, some way the impression that he formed will help many other people over his lifetime. He is a great young man.
My thanks to Elaine once again for everything. My thanks to the [airplane's owner] for allowing us to use the plane. I am so fortunate that this opportunity came my way. What an honor to be a bit player in our Recipient's life.
Cody
I thought that I would share today's Mission #1375 (Line #1470) with all of you. It really moved me and served as further evidence that what we do is so very special.
The Recipient was a very ill 62 year old. She arrived at the Asheville (NC) Airport this morning at 7:30 via ambulance from the Hospital where she had been receiving Cancer treatment. She was on Oxygen and the EMT advised that she would go downhill quickly if it wasn't available. She was quite frail. It is unlikely that she would have been able to use commercial air carriers. I boarded the ambulance and visited with her while my co-pilot secured the large tank so that it wouldn't be a missile in turbulence. She was a live wire. She was witty and funny-an absolute pleasure. I had briefed my co-pilot (an EMT also) that he may be needed in flight. He was more than ready but she actually thrived on the 2:35 flight at FL 230. Along the way I asked her why she was headed to Michigan. She said that she was going to move in with her friend. She was born and raised in Saginaw and Higgins Lake. She has been in the Asheville area for a long time. What follows next gripped me and compelled me to write you.
Her friend, age 70, arrived at the plane at Oscoda in a very beat up 30 year old Suburban. He cornered me before he went to greet our Recipient and asked if I knew what was going on. I said that I was not aware. He said the she was an awesome woman that he should have married 25-30 years ago. He said that he had always been in love with her. He said that they were long time friends but that he married another woman. That woman died 1 year ago. Somehow he stayed in touch with her and insisted that rather than be alone with a grave illness (she is very ill with Cancer) that she should be with someone who loves her and will take care of her. She accepted. We facilitated. Wow. These two drove off in that beat up, rusted out Suburban like teenagers in love. I don't know the particulars but get the impression that her days are limited. I also get the impression that all is now right in both of their worlds.
This mission came together quite quickly. I had been following Elaine's emails all week and knew that this mission was not getting any volunteers. I called her yesterday to see how it was going and the wheels started to turn. At the time I was demonstrating [a privately-owned] Jetprop in Philadelphia. I was by myself. The demo was just finishing for the owner pilot and his young fully rated pilot Pete. I asked the prospect if he thought that his young protege would be interested in getting several hours in a Jetprop. I then called [the airplane owner] to see if he was interested in allowing his plane to be used for this purpose. Within an hour we put together a mission and headed for the overnight in Asheville. Meanwhile I got Jackie to make hangar and hotel arrangements as well as secure a discount for fuel. Elaine emailed all of the paperwork. When we got to Asheville, everything was in place. The hotel van took us straight to Wal-Mart for toiletries (no bags with us) and Blankets, Pillows, Water etc for our Recipient. We got a Subway at Wal-Mart to go then headed back to the Motel where we completed Pete's pilot application and volunteer waiver (while dining), faxed the doc's back to Elaine, listed Pete on a Delta Buddy Pass back to Newark and somehow hit the sack by 10PM. This morning the flight was very smooth with light chop perhaps 5% of the flight. After re-fueling at Oscoda, I flew Pete back to DTW and he made his tight connection back to EWR. [The owner's] Jetprop is back in my hangar and hopefully has been sold.
Pete is 29, a 4 year pilot and has never seen an airplane used this way. He is a former Cop and EMT who gave up the security to pursue a flying dream. He expects to be hired as a NJ State Trooper soon and will be in the pool to fly EMS Helicopters for New Jersey. Somehow, some way the impression that he formed will help many other people over his lifetime. He is a great young man.
My thanks to Elaine once again for everything. My thanks to the [airplane's owner] for allowing us to use the plane. I am so fortunate that this opportunity came my way. What an honor to be a bit player in our Recipient's life.
Cody
Sunday, March 1, 2009
New Growth for Wings of Mercy East Michigan
After work behind the scenes for over a year, just this week President Cody Welch signed a 1 year Memorandum of Understanding with a small VPO called Volunteer Mercy Pilots (VMP) operating out of KLAN and servicing Recipients in Ingham, Eaton and Clinton counties. Wings of Mercy will be assuming their operational duties, while VMP continues fund raising activities in its service area. LANSING AREA PILOTS--please help us identify Pilots and Aircraft you think might be interested in flying for Wings and reply with names, phone numbers and e-mails of potential candidates.
Termination of Satellite Monitoring of 121.5 MHz ELT's. - ARE YOU READY?
Notice Number: NOTC1518
Termination of satellite monitoring of 121.5 MHz ELTs will happen in under a month. Are you ready?
On 1 February 2009, the International Cospas-Sarsat [1] Organization (U.S. included) will terminate processing of distress signals emitted by 121.5 MHz Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs). Pilots flying aircraft equipped with 121.5 MHz ELTs after that date will have to depend on pilots of over flying aircraft and or ground stations monitoring 121.5 to hear and report distress alert signals, transmitted from a possible crash site.
Protect each other…
Currently only 12-15% of the registered aircraft in the United States are flying with 406 MHz ELTs. This means that there is at least an 85% chance that an aircraft in an accident will only transmit a 121.5 MHz signal, thus remaining silent to the satellites. It will be up to other pilots monitoring the 121.5 MHz frequency in the cockpit to alert Search and Rescue authorities to accidents involving 121.5. When you fly, look out for your fellow pilots and when possible monitor 121.5 MHz.
If a 121.5 MHz ELT is heard on guard, report to the nearest air traffic control tower, the time and location of when you first detect the ELT, when it is the loudest and when it drops off your radio. Listening and reporting may well be the difference that saves a life.
Termination of satellite monitoring of 121.5 MHz ELTs will happen in under a month. Are you ready?
On 1 February 2009, the International Cospas-Sarsat [1] Organization (U.S. included) will terminate processing of distress signals emitted by 121.5 MHz Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs). Pilots flying aircraft equipped with 121.5 MHz ELTs after that date will have to depend on pilots of over flying aircraft and or ground stations monitoring 121.5 to hear and report distress alert signals, transmitted from a possible crash site.
Protect each other…
Currently only 12-15% of the registered aircraft in the United States are flying with 406 MHz ELTs. This means that there is at least an 85% chance that an aircraft in an accident will only transmit a 121.5 MHz signal, thus remaining silent to the satellites. It will be up to other pilots monitoring the 121.5 MHz frequency in the cockpit to alert Search and Rescue authorities to accidents involving 121.5. When you fly, look out for your fellow pilots and when possible monitor 121.5 MHz.
If a 121.5 MHz ELT is heard on guard, report to the nearest air traffic control tower, the time and location of when you first detect the ELT, when it is the loudest and when it drops off your radio. Listening and reporting may well be the difference that saves a life.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Welcome!
Welcome to the first blog post of Wings of Mercy East Michigan. This blog is where patients, their families, volunteer pilots, and anyone that is interested in our organization can interact. Please let us know what you think.
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