A pony-tailed pilot, his 414, and 30 dogs

Tarheelpilot said:
Very true. let me know when you find a culture that puts as much value on a human life. I haven't found one yet.
Click to expand...
I believe gypsies come close. At least when it comes to their own. They will gladly stab/murder white people all day, no problem. But they protect their own - especially the elderly - like a hawk.
 
BigBadLou said:
I believe gypsies come close. At least when it comes to their own. They will gladly stab/murder white people all day, no problem. But they protect their own - especially the elderly - like a hawk.
Click to expand...
I guess I have some gypsy blood in the wood pile.

To be clear I don't judge other folks for what causes they help or don't help. My statement was regarding my inability to understand some things not the validity of anyone else's choices.
 
BigBadLou said:
And most Americans will probably be surprised at the great lengths the Indians (real ones) will go to save a cow.
Each culture has its own.
Click to expand...

Just as well. Imagine if we were having to figure out how to send rescued cows around the country. :eek:
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I did notice a decrease in airflow in the 414 for certain - uhh - smelly events.
Click to expand...

The trick there in a pressurized plane is when you detect a smelly event is to start raising the cabin altitude temporarily so you increase the rate at which the fouled air is leaving the cabin. Nothing too crazy, just climb the cabin at 500-1000 fpm for a minute that is long enough usually, then you bring the cabin altitude back down again. I've had to do that a few times not with dogs but with stinky dudes who had eaten too much meat mixed in with beer.
 
BigBadLou said:
But they protect their own - especially the elderly - like a hawk.
Click to expand...

I understand what you mean and agree with it, but like a hawk is a bad metaphor. Hawks and birds of prey in general have no contact with, or affinity for, the elderly once they are mature adults.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
I'm surprised at the length Americans goto to save a dog.
Click to expand...

What surprises me is that I see countless dog-flight posts, but effectively zero related to Angel Flight or similar. I did a few dog flights and then stopped as it really just seemed an incredibly inefficient way of helping animals (and the vast majority of the coordinators were completely useless). I now fly Angel Flights instead.
 
Katamarino said:
What surprises me is that I see countless dog-flight posts, but effectively zero related to Angel Flight or similar. I did a few dog flights and then stopped as it really just seemed an incredibly inefficient way of helping animals (and the vast majority of the coordinators were completely useless). I now fly Angel Flights instead.
Click to expand...

The standard Pilots'n'Paws flights I agree are typically very inefficient, but they're also usually filled by people who are looking for reasons to bore holes in the sky anyway, so it's doing something more productive than the $100 hamburger. We end up having $/dog being about equivalent to road transports because of the number we fit in the plane. The 414 is actually shaping up to be more efficient than the 310 on a $/dog basis due to its increased capacity, and it's more fuel efficient on the $/dog basis.

Of course, you can also argue whether the transports make sense at all vs. trying to focus on spay/neuter (this assumes you want to do anything to help animals, many people don't). Part of the goal of transports is also to get rid of puppy mills, so you have multiple objectives going on. Like with most issues, it is complex and there are multiple viewpoints. Obviously, transport is the one that I have latched onto as worthwhile in large part because it's an area where I can personally make a difference and it matches well with my capabilities and what I enjoy doing.

Likewise, Angel Flight (and the similar related organizations) is also a great cause. I've done one Angel Flight, but it doesn't fit as well into the kind of flying I like to do. Now with the 414, I do plan on getting a stretcher at some point and doing specialized missions that the standard Angel Flight organizations don't cater to, but that's a future state once we get the plane a bit more sorted out. Not that it's unsafe, but there are a number of details that I want to work on. Baffles, etc.

I respect the views of people who disagree with what I do (there are a lot of such folks who have told me everything from "That seems dumb" to "You have to be a ****ing idiot to do that," including to my face). My opinion is that any virtually charitable work you do is positive regardless of specifics or form. If nothing else, it creates more good will in the world, something that seems to be lacking these days.
 
Last edited:
Ted DuPuis said:
My opinion is that any virtually charitable work you do is positive regardless of specifics or form. If nothing else, it creates more good will in the world, something that seems to be lacking these days.
Click to expand...

Agree 100%.
 
Katamarino said:
What surprises me is that I see countless dog-flight posts, but effectively zero related to Angel Flight or similar. I did a few dog flights and then stopped as it really just seemed an incredibly inefficient way of helping animals (and the vast majority of the coordinators were completely useless). I now fly Angel Flights instead.
Click to expand...
Please do not forget that dog flights and Angel flights have pretty different rules.
While anybody can fly pups (including student pilots! :) ), Angel flights are strictly controlled, require CPL and minimum number of hours etc.
Also scheduling is much tighter for Angel flights where the patients need to be at their destination at certain time (usually during daytime office hours). That kills it for us weekend fliers.

FWIW, I have seen a few pilots here mention their participation in Angel flights. But until I become rich to the point where I don't have to work, can fly whenever I want and have a fast twin with A/C, I cannot help on the people front much. :(
 
Dog flights can be more fun if you're an animal lover. Angel Flights are more of a chore in the sense you're flying around people who can be sick or uncomfortable. It is not for everyone. I've done my share of Angel Flights and I can't say I've enjoyed all of them. I've had some patients who were miserable and to be honest no fun to fly with. It is definitely more of a duty.

Flying a cute dog somewhere is different...less of a chore more of a fun thing to do and useful too to the people who care about what happens to that dog.
 
I actually have minimal physical interaction with the dogs anymore. Generally, the sending and receiving groups handle getting the dogs in and out of the crates, I just get the crates in and out of the plane and fly them, and then sometimes I'll work on getting the dogs out of the crates upon arrival (especially if there are crates that it's easier to leave in the plane).

In the earlier days, I did all the loading of dogs into crates. In the end, I realized that I was the wrong person to do this job. The individuals from the rescues are loading dogs in and out of crates or cages every day, I only do it on a trip. Plus they know the dogs much better (at least on the sending side). The whole setup has changed a great deal from the early days in the Aztec. With the Aztec I had some wire crates as well as the hard plastic ones, and sometimes soft crates. The wire crates and soft crates proved a real pain. Wire ones don't contain messes (there will be messes), soft ones get ripped to shreads. The hard plastic ones are the way to go.

Configurations have also gotten better, more than anything a function of the plane and the crates that fit well in it. I had one crate in the Aztec (which was typically around 60-80 lbs with dogs in it) that had to go up and over during loading. I'm amazed I never hurt myself doing it, it required an amazing amount of contorting to get in. The air stair door in the 414 makes for remarkably easy loading, although it does heavily benefit from a second person. The Aztec and 310 were basically one man shows for loading and unloading. Usually there's someone else around who can help whether it's a volunteer or a co-pilot.

Speaking of which, looks like I may have an empty right seat this weekend.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I respect the views of people who disagree with what I do (there are a lot of such folks who have told me everything from "That seems dumb" to "You have to be a ****ing idiot to do that," including to my face). My opinion is that any virtually charitable work you do is positive regardless of specifics or form. If nothing else, it creates more good will in the world, something that seems to be lacking these days.
Click to expand...

I certainly don't disagree with your work. Like you say, it's all contributing to good in the world.
 
Katamarino said:
I certainly don't disagree with your work. Like you say, it's all contributing to good in the world.
Click to expand...

I wasn't saying otherwise, just providing my thoughts on your statement since they are some common questions.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top