Many pilots work on their pilot’s license for a career in aviation while some work on it because it was a dream from a young age. I was one of the latter. I had always wanted to fly, but didn’t think I could accomplish it or afford it. After my children were grown, I was able to afford flying and believe it, or not, I could actually accomplish it too!
Once I received my private pilot license, I started wondering what I was going to do with it, other than fly to the beach and mountains now and then. I didn’t think it was much fun flying the 10 minutes to our local practice area and doing some steep turns and stalls. I know quite a few pilots that do just that….. every two weeks they rent a plane, fly to the practice area, do a few maneuvers, fly back and do a few touch and goes then tie the plane back down. They feel this keeps them current (but safe?) enough to put their families in a plane twice a year to head off to the beach (the same beach they go to every year.) My instructor told me NOT to be one of those pilots. Don’t be the pilot that has 300 hours in their logbook, but it’s the same hour over and over. I needed something to do with my private pilot’s license. I needed a REASON to fly.
I actually bought a book written by LeRoy Cook 101 Things To Do With Your Private Pilot’s License right after receiving my ticket. It had some great ways to keep your skills up and fun flying to do. After reading his book, I did some research on different organizations which use pilots as volunteers. There are many organizations out there and I will discuss two I have worked with which have fulfilled my desire to give back.
The first organization that is dear to my heart is Pilots N Paws. Pilots N Paws is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. They help pilots and animal rescue volunteers connect. I have flown dogs and cats to new homes and foster homes. It’s very rewarding knowing that you have saved an animal’s life. All the animals I have transported have done great in the airplane and never have had a problem. I always have a co-pilot and sometimes even an animal wrangler that tags along. I have found that Pilots N Paws is a way in which I can give back to the creatures that don’t have a voice.
So what if you aren’t an animal lover or you don’t have your own plane yet? Then look into the EAA Young Eagles program. The EAA Young Eagles program is a network of volunteer pilots that donate their time and/or plane to take young people, ages 8-17, for their first flight. As of November 2015, over 1.9 million young people have been taken for flights with Young Eagles Volunteers. Even if you don’t have your pilot’s license yet, there are numerous ways you can help out this organization. This past March, I helped organize a Women of Aviation Fly-In at our local executive airport. The EAA 190 Chapter of the Young Eagles took up 90 young people that day. It’s just amazing to see the excitement on a young person’s face during their first flight. The Young Eagles program was started in 1992, I was already married with children by that time, but I would have loved to fly with a Young Eagles Volunteer when I was young!
There are many more organizations that would happily take pilots as volunteers, but the most important thing is to fly! Early in my flying career, when I was doing unusual attitude and spin recovery training with the airshow performer, Greg Koontz, and he told me, “Get out there and fly more! You have to fill your bag of tricks with knowledge to recover if anything goes wrong.” That statement made me realized that I needed to fly a lot more, so I have found ways to get hours in by helping others out.