Reflecting on my first 25 years as a volunteer pilot, what I feel most profoundly is gratitude.

I’m grateful to Fr. Larry for founding Angel Flight NE and for shepherding our organization through countless peaks and valleys.

I’m grateful to Angel Flight’s caring and dedicated staff for their all-out, always-on efforts to meet the needs of so many.

I’m grateful to my hundreds of fellow volunteer pilots, whose commitment ensures at least one of us will be available to transport a patient “as long and as often as they need our help”.

I’m grateful to the air traffic controllers, airport administrators, and FBO employees who go out of their way to prioritize and support our operations.

And I’m grateful that living when, where, and how I do enables me to contribute to Angel Flight’s cause.

But most of all I’m grateful to my passengers – the patients and their families whose poise and perseverance so inspire me and whose journeys lend such meaning to Angel Flight’s mission. Oftentimes the folks I fly become my friends, and I watch as some grow up and others grow old. While I might be giving them a lift, it’s really they who offer me a gift.

And for that I am eternally grateful.