ATTENTION RESCUES! READ NOW!

[Jon]

Maxie,

I share your frustration at times and as harsh as this sounds I have learned to just move on if my emails go unaswered. There are far more requests for transports than we can possibly handle. I cannot ever hope to do all that are requested so I do only those that makes sense in terms of distance and that are requested by reliable responsive rescues.

If a rescue is unresponsive when you are trying to set up a transport or respond to a request, consider what will happen if you have a plane load of animals and you cannot get a response to a need such as if you have a problem.

Having said that I try to always answer individual personal requests, but I do not respond to requests that I cannot do if the email is a global one sent to many pilots. I get 30 to 40 emails per day, most of which need some attention on my part so to avoid having a life tied to the computer I do have to focus on the critical items.

[N976T]

Debi,
You might want to mention in future post that it helps us pilots if they can give us the distance in nautical miles so we know how far and how long a particular trip might take. Also, if they know the 3 letter airport ID (which non pilots may not know anything about) that would help also so we can look up those specific airports to find out pertinent information.

Mike

[Steve Foley]

Debi,
You might want to mention in future post that it helps us pilots if they can give us the distance in nautical miles so we know how far and how long a particular trip might take. Also, if they know the 3 letter airport ID (which non pilots may not know anything about) that would help also so we can look up those specific airports to find out pertinent information.

Mike

Hi Mike,

In my opinion, the requester should not specify an airport, as most people don't even know where the local GA airport is.

I've recently added two links to the requests that let you pull up a map showing the transport route on sectionals. One links to skyvector and the other to runwayfinder. Look at any transport request, and click on the link that says 'plan flight with skyvector' or 'plan flight with runwayfinder'. One is green and the other is purple.

It is really up to the pilot to determine the airport, and it's up to the rescuer to get the pup(s) to the airport.

The airport I flew out of had a 1900 foot runway. Many pilots don't feel comfortable flying there. The nearest commercial airport is a mere 4.3nm away, but many people think that it is closed because there is no commercial activity. This is specifically why I've set the forum to ask for zip codes. It's information the rescuer can easily find, and will plot out the course close enough for a pilot to make a determination as to what airport to use.

[Jon]

I'd like to add to Steve's comments which are correct.

When I am speaking to rescues about a transport I will appear to be inconsistent with the selection of an airport. Sometimes it is important for me to use a large airport with good instrument approaches. Other times if weather is forecast to be very good I want to use the smaller airport with cheap fuel.

I also am looking to save fuel ($14,000 worth in 2009 for PNP) so if I can get a rescue to drive 50 miles closer to me, it may save me as much as $50 in fuel cost. So Steve's recommendation to put in your start and end locations is valid and as a pilot if gives me a starting point to determine which nearby airport is best for the transport (and me).

[wayneowens]

Zip codes arent nearly as helpful as airport identifiers would be.
Wayne

[Jon]

Wayne,

While I agree Zip Codes may be a little more cumbersome because we first have to look up where they are and then look for area airports I actually prefer to know exactly where the rescues are located, not the airport they think is the best one.

If for example a post lists Charlotte NC that's OK, but if the rescue is actually slightly west of Charlotte and I am coming from the west to me it makes more sense for both of us to join up at an airport on the west side. Without a zip code I wouldn't know the rescue's location.

However, once I do a transport for a rescue I then know what airports will work out best for us and I don't need zip codes or airport identifiers. But some means of showing the rescue's location is critical as you can understand.

[angelworks]

I would like to personally thank you Jon. I am not an official rescue, just a normal animal lover. A local pilot helped me with a wonderful dog recently and i know how much you sacrifice to do this. Thank you. Angel

I'd like to add to Steve's comments which are correct.

When I am speaking to rescues about a transport I will appear to be inconsistent with the selection of an airport. Sometimes it is important for me to use a large airport with good instrument approaches. Other times if weather is forecast to be very good I want to use the smaller airport with cheap fuel.

I also am looking to save fuel ($14,000 worth in 2009 for PNP) so if I can get a rescue to drive 50 miles closer to me, it may save me as much as $50 in fuel cost. So Steve's recommendation to put in your start and end locations is valid and as a pilot if gives me a starting point to determine which nearby airport is best for the transport (and me).

[chela]

I want to say how much I appreciate this resource. Unfortunately there are some bad apples and/or flakes in rescue and it is a shame that they can spoil it for the rest. I do want you to know that what I personally prefer to do is to move my responses to private emails so I can include the receiving party on the plans. It might look as though there was no response on the forum but we are talking via phone or email. Thank you for doing this, it has been a real miracle.

[P.A.W.S.]

Thank you. After being unable to list a zip code outside the U.S., I was wondering if the PnP program was limited to the U.S. only.
I couldn't post without having a recieving zip, so I just used the closest U.S. zip to their destination.
I hope this was okay.
Does anyone know if pilots fly that far North? (The Y.T., Canada)
Thanks again.

[admin]

Thank you. After being unable to list a zip code outside the U.S., I was wondering if the PnP program was limited to the U.S. only.
I couldn't post without having a recieving zip, so I just used the closest U.S. zip to their destination.
I hope this was okay.
Does anyone know if pilots fly that far North? (The Y.T., Canada)
Thanks again.

We are presently working on adding Candadian postal codes but it is a long process. In the meantime, your only option is to use the closest U.S. zip code along your transport route for sending and Receiving. Hopefully by the end of the summer, barring any glitches, we will have this worked out.

Debi