Puerto Rico, Key West, or TX

[JamesC]

Worth reading if you haven't already:
https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/...n=170914epilot
I enjoyed flying in and out of TJBQ a couple of times. It's a joint civilian/military airport and things tend to run pretty efficiently there. Customs guys were great.

[JimC]

And remember to check your W&B.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.3528410

[JimC]

I just got this a minute ago:

Hello PALS Sky Hope Pilots,

Thank you so much for your patience as the PALS Sky Hope team has been working tirelessly on relief efforts in the islands. At this time, we are doing flights to Puerto Rico and also supporting Dominica. We have the need for capable aircraft to support an airbridge effort to Dominica through the Turks as well as from Florida to Puerto Rico. The need in both places is urgent as the calls from the ground are getting more desperate by the day. We need more help!

Missions profiles below:

FXE-TJIG-FXE

FXE-MBPV-FXE
MBPV-TDPD/TDCF-MBPV (Or Barbados) - (have housing at Barbados and MBPV avail for people to position there)

If you are able and willing to help with these efforts, please REPLY ALL with the following info:

Potential schedule
Aircraft and Tail Number
How many seats you will have available
How much weight you can carry
Your co-pilot’s information

If you know of any other pilots with available and capable aircraft who would like to help with this effort, please have them register with us here: https://afids.palservices.org/pending_member/shortForm
Thanks so much for your support!

Kristinia Luke,
Pilot Coordinator
Cell: 516.640.2245
www.palservices.org

[rmorris]

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.