Rescue Flight Planning

This is a step by step procedure on how to plan a rescue flight. Not all will be the same, but this will show you the basics that are involved. Hopefully these steps will take what might seem to be a daunting task and make it more managable.

1) Determine a need for transport

We have found that the Petfinder.com forum is the best resource for locating information on animals that need transportation. This is where Rescues and Shelters post requests for transportation, particularly over long distances. You will also see efforts to put together ground transportation using several drivers.

It is at this point that you need to choose a new project. The factors to consider are how far and how many animals are involved. A simple transport within a state or to a neighboring state might be the best way to begin. These can usually be handled by one pilot if there is one available in that area. Some pilots are willing to fly to other areas to conduct a rescue flight.

2) Get the information

You will see a lot of postings from shelters, and not all of the important information will always be included. We have a Flight Planning Form available that you can download and print that will help keep the information organized. It's located in the Files Section of this site. Here's the information that you'll need:

> Distance to be covered - Is the transport going to be from a southern state to the northeast or west or is it just to a nearby state. The further it is, the more complicated you can expect things to get. You will want a printed atlas for this. You can also expect to learn a great deal about the geography of our country!

> Contact names and numbers at the shelters - Call the shelters to get their address as well as a contact name for this particular project. Someone at each location should be familiar with the plans to transport the animals and will likely be very happy to hear from you! 411.com is a good site for finding phone numbers. This is also a good time to get detailed information about the animals to be transported, ie, how many, how heavy (very important), do they have all the paperwork for transport, are cages available, how large are they, etc. These will be some of the first questions you'll be asked by the pilots.

> Closest airports to the sending shelter and receiving shelter - Kyler's Nearby Airport Locator is perfect for this. The airports to choose should have paved runways of at least 3000 feet and preferrably have fuel available. This detailed information will come from the next step...

> Distance between the airports - Once you have the names of the nearest airports, go to the Great Circle Mapper site and type in the airport identifier codes separated by dashes (e.g: KHPN-KBDR) in the "Paths" box. Check the "Mark locations along path" box and change the "Path Distance" to "nm" for Nautical Miles. Next, click "Display Map" and you'll see a route map with the airports shown as well as the distance (and course) between the aiports.

If it's a very long distance (> 500nm) you can expect to have more than one pilot and a few refueling stops involved.

> Contact information at the airports - Go to airnav.com and look up the airports you found. Click on the "Airports" tab then enter the airport code. This is usually four letters that begin with "K", such as KPHX or for some smaller airports, it could be "44N". You'll see a lot of information about the airport here and some studying will be needed if you are seeing this data for the first time.

You'll want to get contact information at the airport. Many airports have FBOs (Fixed Based Operators) which are businesses at the fields. Having a contact there is handy. Sometimes there are landing or service fees, but I have found that gently asking if they can be waived will usually be met with agreement given the volunteerism of this project.

> Search for pilots along the route - This is the hardest part. While a pilot may be based along that route, you need to be careful about your expectations. Each pilot has a comfort zone and remember that they are volunteering their time and a LOT of money to do these flights. Do not contact pilots unless you are very familiar with what you will be presenting. You are asking them if they would like to be involved; you are not handing them a route assignment! You will also need to stay in touch with them, so find out their preferences for being contacted, ie, email, phone, etc. You should provide them with the contact information at the shelters and at the airports.

Generally speaking, pilots should not be expected to have to get the animals to or from an airport. Most times, they will be flying in and will not have ground transportation. The shelters will hopefully be able to transport the animals to and from the airports to meet the flights.

3) Setting a time and day for the project

This will largely depend on weather, so a great deal of flexibility on everyone's part will be required. Pilots have the final say because they are most affected by the weather. Projects may end up being delayed several times. While there is always an urgency in removing animals from their sending shelters, it makes a BIG difference to the shelter staff if a plan is in place to remove an animal. Keep the shelters updated if plans change! They are looking after the animals and it is important that they feel like their extra efforts are appreciated!

4) Make sure that the details are covered

The meeting dates and times should be agreed to by everyone involved. Contact numbers should be exchanged. Nothing is worse than having connecting flights not meet, leaving a pilot in a bind and an animal in a bad situation.

The plan must be seemless. Someone needs to get the animal(s) from the sending shelter to the airport. There should be someone at the FBO at airport who is aware of this project. The first leg pilot should know who to meet. You should have all three contact names and numbers and be available by phone during the project.

The same goes for intermediate airports and connecting flight pilots if used. Of course, the numbers for everyone involved at the final airport, gound transportation, and receiving shelter should also be on hand.

This is an example of just the most basic elements involved in planning a rescue flight. Sounds like a lot? It is, but these flights aren't planned in an hour. Take your time. Accuracy is more important than rushing. In fact, it's good to practice these procedures a few times by planning projects but not contacting anyone until you are comfortable with the resource sites and how the project works.

You'll quickly see why a pilots license isn't needed for some of the most important work! Feel free to ask me or Julia if you have any questions. We want this to work and we want to save lives with your help.

Clark &