Pilot FAQs

In order to fly a mission, a volunteer pilot must provide the aircraft whether as an owner, renter, or flying club member. The pilot must also pay for all associated expenses.

Yes! Many of the places we are asked to fly are busy airspaces. Busy airspace means a pilot may wish to have another pilot join the flight to help them with traffic, radios, and other flying tasks.

Yes! You, too, might be asked to join an experienced pilot to help them with radios, traffic, and other flying tasks.

A pilot must use a powered aircraft that is up to date on all required inspections, ADs, or any other required maintenance. This includes experimentals. While even people with a two-seater available can join us, the most common need probably fits within any aircraft that has 400 to 500 pounds of useful load after fueling and the pilot are aboard. That is certainly not a requirement, but it may influence some pilots’ efforts to attain access to specific aircraft. Your flights for Elevated Access must also be covered by insurance.

The process begins when we receive a request to transport a passenger from A to B, any scheduling constraints, and with passenger weights. We check our volunteer pilot list for pilots that are near A or B, and we send an email to each of them with all those details. It is completely up to the pilot to make their own choice as to whether to accept a given mission. The first pilot to accept is assigned the mission and put in touch with the passenger to make final arrangements.

Some flight requests have been as short as 200 miles while longer ones have been over 600. For trips less than 400 miles, we will try first to find a pilot that can do the entire trip. For longer flights, we may coordinate a relay of multiple pilots with multiple aircraft.

We are building out a national network of pilots which means the flights could be anywhere, including Alaska and Hawaii. Every state has a need for this kind of support, even deeply supportive states like California, Oregon, or New York. Just because abortion is protected and legal in some states does not mean every person in those states has access to every medical procedure at their nearest hospital.

We do ask our partners about whether airlines is an option for longer trips or trips between two cities have have direct airline service. However, you need a driver’s license or other photo ID to travel with an airline. Most of the people that come to our partners for assistance are doing so because they do not have their own resources to make these trips, and part of that can include not having a photo ID.

The passenger and pilot both sign a liability waiver that also includes reminders about flight details. The waiver also includes an attestation by the pilot that they are legal and current to make the flight.

We cannot share all of the details of our practices to protect security, but we can share a few aspects. First, we do not ask for the purpose of a passenger’s flight. It could be for abortion, gender-affirming care, or work with a support organization or healthcare facility. Second is that pilots and passengers only receive each other’s contact information when they have both agreed to the locations and scheduling of the flight. Lastly, pilots and passengers are instructed not to take photos or videos of each other or the aircraft.

As a 501(c)3 non-profit, it means your flight expenses in connection to flying for Elevated Access missions may be tax-deductible. Check with your tax expert.

We have received an exemption from the FAA to be able to reimburse fuel costs, but we are still creating the policy and process for providing those reimbursements. The FAA has required pilots seeking reimbursement to have at least a private pilot certificate with instrument rating, 500 hours of experience, 50 hours in the last 12 months, an IPC in the last 12 months, be night current even if not operating at night, be operating a type-certificated aircraft, and operate on an IFR flight plan.

At this time, no state has laws that say someone cannot leave their state to receive a legal abortion. With the extremism of some legislatures, we expect laws like that to be passed, but there are serious questions as to whether they would stand up in court. For now, we will inform pilots about a mission request and any gray areas so they can make their own risk assessment. We will not knowingly ask a pilot to make an illegal flight.

Pilots and passengers are asked to not take photos of each other or the aircraft. Pilots are not told the purpose of a given passenger’s flight which could be accessing healthcare, assisting a staff member or volunteer from another non-profit, or transporting healthcare providers between locations. Pilots are also instructed not to ask about the purpose of the passenger’s flight.

We are working with licensed clinical social workers on additional mandatory training for all pilots in order to create a baseline across the volunteer roster. This training will ideally prepare pilots to know when someone wants to talk, when someone needs a distraction, or wants to be left in silence. We will also prepare pilots on how to best provide emotional support in the cockpit environment. And since we know that while all our pilots are vetted to be in support of our mission, we will also give pilots appropriate language and terminology in case their passenger wants to talk about their healthcare or life situation.

As much as we would like to take advantage of flying benefits to help people, flying non-rev is not practical for anyone with a scheduled medical appointment. We may consider them for other needs, but for now you can hold onto them.