Requesting a Flight for the First Time

Our pilots donate their time, aircraft, and all expenses involved to help people who otherwise would not be able to travel for medical treatment or for other compelling humanitarian reasons. When considering an Angel Flight, be conscious of the severity of your request. Although there is never a charge to any passenger or referring organization, our Angel Flight volunteer pilot is making a tremendous sacrifice on behalf of the patient. If you are interested in requesting a flight and sincerely believe your situation is worthy of your volunteer pilot's sacrifice, please review the Mission Guidelines below to see if you are eligible.

Angel Flight South Central arranges free flights for the following purposes:

• Our primary mission is to fly people for scheduled medical treatment not available to them locally, such as chemotherapy or specialized surgery. Note: We do not provide ambulance or emergency rescue service.
• For those waiting for an organ transplant, please call for details.
• We also provide transportation for those facing a life-threatening illness and seeking a qualified second opinion from a regional specialty hospital or clinic. As with all mission requests, a completed AFSC application by a qualified physician is required.
• Transportation for children and young adults to special needs camps is available.  Please note that certain restrictions apply to the transport of minors. 
• Families of wounded soldiers returning from active duty are offered transportation to the soldier’s hospital.
• Angel Flight maintains a list of pilots willing to be activated immediately to provide humanitarian aid in case of a national or local emergency such as hurricanes, earthquakes, or terrorist attacks.   During Hurricane Katrina, we reunited hundreds of families separated during the evacuation from New Orleans.
• Other compelling humanitarian needs for transportation are considered on a case-by-case basis. 

Angel Flight Mission Guidelines

• Passengers must be ambulatory. Angel Flight South Central uses small, private planes (generally 4-6 seats). You should be able to walk and get in and out of a plane with limited assistance. You may have to step up onto a wing (16-20 inches above ground), enter thru a small door and lower yourself into the back seat.
• Primarily for the comfort of the passengers, Angel Flight limits missions to 1,000 miles from starting city to destination city. Restrooms and food service are not available on these flights.
• We do not transport unaccompanied minors. A parent or an adult guardian must accompany passengers 18 years old and younger.
• AFSC does not require that a passenger meet financial guidelines to qualify for a flight. We ask that our passengers have a compelling need before they ask for free transportation, as each mission represents a significant cost to a volunteer pilot. Most of our passengers are unable to purchase commercial tickets, but there are other reasons to ask for a flight. For example, many of our elderly passengers are ambulatory, but are unable to drive or negotiate a busy commercial airport after chemotherapy or surgery.
• Baggage is limited to a total of fifty pounds for all persons traveling.
• Wheelchairs and/or portable oxygen (small aluminum canisters) are approved for travel. Please advise the Mission Coordinator of these special equipment needs when you request a mission. Angel Flight South Central does not provide such equipment or medical personnel for travel with patients.
• A Waiver of Liability Form relieving the pilot and Angel Flight from liabilities must be signed prior to takeoff. This form must be signed before the pilot can fly the patient.
• Under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules, the pilot is the only one responsible for the safety of the flight. Angel Flight South Central coordinates between pilots and patients but assumes no responsibility for the qualifications or performance of the pilot or the airworthiness of the aircraft.
• Pilots make final decisions regarding completion of all missions.  A pilot may delay or cancel a mission in the event of bad weather or other critical safety factors. We ask that passengers ALWAYS have a back-up plan.

If, after reviewing these guidelines, you feel you qualify for an Angel Flight, please call the office at 972-458-0700 or 800-989-2602 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central Time to discuss your needs further. Once you qualify, then your doctor, social worker, pastor or other qualified third party fills out the paperwork.  Completed paperwork must be received by our office FIVE business days before the mission is scheduled for flights within our five-state region, and SEVEN business days for longer flights traveling outside our AFSC region. For example, a flight from Dallas to Orlando requires seven days because AFSC needs extra time to arrange a linking flight through another organization.