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I met a guy at the Banyan FBO yesterday morning who was coordinating relief flights for PR, as part of a group who is based in NC (US Relief I think?)...anyway, I mentioned I had a Skymaster and was willing to help. He was very kind, but more or less said that the time for small planes was over - he was coordinating DC3s etc to take over supplies, and evacuate people out. I mentioned the generators I was being asked to carry over and the people on Vieques I was planning to try and go 'rescue'. He said he could get them out, and then gave me contact info for the coordinator. His name was Tim Chase, and said to mention his name when calling the coordinator...but if you know of anyone in PR that needs to get out, they have planes flying daily it seems, and much larger than our Skymasters.
Coord is Rachel Wall 336-605-3433
The previous link in this thread sort of sums things up wit the article from AOPA on flying small planes for disaster relief. Most (if not all) of us want to help out and willing to jump in our planes and go...but the bigger planes, especially such a distance as PR and the limited air traffic control capabilities right now over there, make more sense.
My sense, after days of being staged down in Ft Lauderdale, trying to figure out how to help, is that the time for smaller craft is during the first few days of a disaster, because we can get into and out of smaller places than the bigger planes, and can be more reactive. At this point the 'bigger and more organized' groups that do this for a living are on the case.
I believe I will be taking the money I had planned out of pocket for fuel and donate it to American Red Cross, Humane Society of US, etc...so they can support these larger planes.
Again, not meant to dissuade anyone from going, just sharing my own personal experiences over the last several days.
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