Pittsburgh, PA pilot & plane available

[tjd]

Just "moving" my post from the old board over to the new one. I'm based in Pittsburgh, PA at KAGC and own a Warrior. I'm currently VFR-only but will try to help out however I can.

I did contact Animal Friends to offer my services, they said they didn't have a need at this time but they'd keep me in mind (and they enjoyed the link to the newspaper article about Jon).

todd.

[Jon]

tjd, thanks.

Be patient. We have just got this new site on line as I am sure you can see. We are trying to simultaneously get pilots to volunteer to transport animals, while also trying to get shelters and rescues think aviation.

It is going to be slow going, but as we develop some sort of critical mass the activitiy is sure to pick up.

I have taken at least two pups to Pittsburgh and the gal that I have taken them to is someone you may want to contact via email. She is active in rescue work. The ideal situation is if all who participate via pilots and paws or their own efforts develop relationships with rescues and shelters and pilots and work together. We hope you make this site a common meeting place, but if you want to work direct I can give you Sue's email address and an introduction. She lives in Moon township a few minutes from PIT.

[Debi]

Hey Todd and others, glad to see you made it over here! Jon is correct, I know of two rescues in western PA who need dogs transported all the time. I would be happy to give you their contact information or share yours with them should you give me permission to do so. Both have worked with our pilots before and truly appreciate your gift to them.

Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas for how to better communicate and get pilots together with shelters and rescue groups. Any suggestions for usefull information on the website would be welcome as well!

Debi

[tjd]

Hello,

I'm not sure what the best way of making the connections is -as you say it will take some time to work those things out. Angel Flight seems like a good model, i.e. have a posted list of available missions that the pilots can sign up for.

I don't mind you sharing my contact info with shelters as long as the proper expectations are set. At the moment I'm VFR only and only about 150 hours so I'm very conservative about weather. Time and money are also obviously limiting factors. Then, you never know when something like this ongoing temperature gauge fiasco I'm having (grumble) are going to put you out of commission for an extended period of time. So, unfortunately I'll probably have to say "no" to a lot more missions than I can say "yes" to, and I'd hate for the shelters to take that the wrong way and get frustrated with the program.

I could probably mitigate that to some extent by offering to drive when I can't fly but obviously it's difficult to cover the same kinds of distances by land. (Plus my wife and I both drive very small cars!)

I did meet someone named Diane in Weirton via the other board, I explained my situation to her and once I actually have a working plane again I'm going to try to set up a mission with her, and see how it goes from there.

thanks,

todd

[Jon]

Since I started in Feb with no background in transports I lurked on various sites on the internet that seek volunteers for transports. When I saw one that I could handle (originating or coming through my area, a quantity of animals I could handle, a distance within my range etc.) I would contact the transport coordinator or the sending and receiving parties.

After a while I had developed relationships with rescues, shelters and fosters and we now arrange and do transports via a few emails. In most cases none of my transports are ever posted because I just respond now to an email request with a yes or no. If I agree to do the transport we arrange among ourselves the details.

It just takes a little time, and experience to get established. I can say that by having a reliable transporter available the rescues can pull animals at risk and their only worry is finding permanent homes or rescues willing to find permanent homes. Prior to aviation as the transport means ground transports were the rule and they were extremely difficult to arrange which undoubtedly contributed to the unnecessary death of animals that could not get to safety.

[kowalchukc05]

This puppy named, Bingo, needs to get from Athens, GA to Unionville, PA 19375. I would be able to drive the last leg or two to get the puppy to rescue. The puppy has ringworm and needs to get to the rescue ASAP for treatment. Please open your heart and help.

The puppy that is located in Athens, GA and will be killed tomorrow, has a rescue that will take him/her (http://www.lamanchaanimalrescue.20megsfree.com/), La Mancha Animal Rescue, in Unionville, PA, but I need help with transport, if anyone can help or knows or transport groups that may be able to help, please let me know ASAP, as the puppy will be killed tomorrow. The rescue I located for the puppy is located in PA. Please try everything you can to help this puppy. I can help w/the last leg of the transport.

TO HELP: MONEY/GAS CARDS TO WHOEVER CAN PULL/TRANSPORT THIS PUPPY!

Nichole
ndamico@nursing.upenn.edu
Cell: 610-739-3902

[tjd]

Ok, finally my plane is back up and running again. I'm doing my first flight this weekend (arranged on another board) from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia.

[Kimberley]

I am not sure if you are available, or not for a Saturday rescue transport.
I have 4 puppy mill dogs that need to fly out of Lancaster,Ohio on to DE, but if we can get them to MD there is a pilot who can take them the rest of the way. Let me know thanks.