A six-year-old Hanford, Calif., girl was the first to take advantage of a partnership between Angel Flight West and iFly, a fractional ownership group that splits Columbia 350 aircraft. iFly co-founder and Angel Flight member Erik Lindbergh announced last week that iFly will donate 20 hours of flight time per year for each member of the fractional to Angel Flight West to help people from rural areas get to specialized medical care. Those living in rural areas or needing specialized care that can only be found in a few locations face a real challenge, Lindbergh said. “The speed, safety, utility and comfort of our aircraft lend themselves well to these types of flights, and our membership is very supportive of the organization.” In the case of the little girl, the flight from Hanford, in central California, to Los Angeles for treatment at the UCLA Medical Center cut travel time by about two-thirds. iFly member Dean Shold did the inaugural flight and says he is anxious to do more. Angel Flights are a way that we pilots can really provide a valuable service to people who need assistance while doing something that we love to do – fly, he said.
