Welcome to my life's mission

Hi, I'm a commercial-rated pilot and I spend about 80% of my piloting time flying my two planes for 501c3 Volunteer Pilot Organizations (VPOs), primarily Angel Flights and Pilots n Paws. In 2024 I was honored to be both the Angel Flight East Pilot of the Year and the Angel Flight Mid Atlantic Single Engine Pilot of the year. I flew 934 hours for volunteer missions (out of 1,160 total flying hours), completed 106 people missions for Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic Angel Flight East, LifeLine Pilots, Angel Flight of New England, PALS SkyHope, and Elevated Access, and transported 779 animals on 84 missions for Pilots N Paws.

Angel flights and similar orgs provide free transportation to get people to where they need to be for medical or social care, such as ambulatory patients to healthcare, vets and their serviced dogs for training and retreats, and human traffic victims to safe houses. Often these flights are from rural areas where other modes of transportation are simply too expensive or even unavailable, and often to seek treatment with a specialist who is hundreds of miles away, sometimes as frequently as once a week. Some patients are immunocompromised, or need to bring significant amount of medical supplies, or especially in the case of children, must travel with one or more parents, grandparents, or siblings. Treatement protocols can last for months, years, or even a lifetime.

Animal rescue is free transportation to move pets from high-kill shelters to fosters and rescue organizations, often just days or even hours before they are scheduled to be euthanized. Sadly, hundreds of thousands of pets are unnecessarily euthanized every year, and the goal is to move as many as possilbe, such as the pups above that were scheduled to be killed.

The organizations I fly for include Seuks Army, Pilots N' Paws, Angel Flight Mid Atlantic, Angel Flight East, Angel Flight Northeast, Lifeline PIlots, Elevated Access, and PALS Skyhope, and dozens of local animal rescue organizations.

Pilots who fly these missions absorb all of the costs of plane ownership, maintenance, insurance, hangers, landing fees, database subscriptions, training, etc.

When I started flying these flights in 2021, I began to post missions on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/kley.parkhurst/), mostly to try to recruit other pilots as I couldn't quite believe the amount of joy it brought me to help people and save dogs.

With time, a few friends asked "who pays for this?", I answered "I do", and they asked "how can we help?". Long story short, I figured out that Angel Flight Mid Atlantic and Angel Flight Northeast run 'individual fuel funds' which can receive tax-deductible donations and reimburse pilots for fuel cost on specific missions (with allot of extra paperwork and additional pilot credientials).

So I put it out there (at least on Facebook): "I fly X missions today but have the time and willingness to fly X*3 missions if you could donate", and the universe answered. As a result, I've been able to fly as often as work, life, weather, and unbroken planes have allowed. And as importantly, the fund has allowed me to take on missions without concern about cost, ie I might pick up longer missions or less efficient routes to serve patient's needs.

All this long-windedness is simply to ask, if you can, please consider donating to my individual fuel fund so I can continue to fly these precious people.

You can make a contribution in two ways.

Not Tax Deductible: Use this Venmo link or scan the QR below.

Tax-deductible: needs to be made directly to Angel Flight Mid Atlantic, a 501c3, you can either send a check to: Angel Flight Mid Atlantic, 101 West Main Street, Suite 1000, Norfolk, VA 23510, note on the check: Individual Fuel Fund: Kley Parkhurst. Or you can pay via credit card at https://www.mercymedical.org/.%C2%A0?form=Support-MMA. Or, scan the QR code below. Once on the website, click the box "Dedicate this Donation", and type in "Kley Parkhurst fuel fund." One downside to the AFMA credit card donations is that fees are about 7%.

If you do send money to Angel Flight, please let me know so I can thank you! It can take them a while to notify me about donations and I'd like to thank you right away!

Note that 100% of your donations goes 100% to fuel reimbursement; it can't be used for anything else per FAA regs. (Some people ask, why don't you start a 501c3 yourself, and my answer is a) I don't like paperwork and b), the admin costs would actually be a less efficient use of your money) (Now, if someone wants to donate $5MM so we can acquire more capable aircraft, call me lol).

Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic. is a 501c3 and provides free medical flights for people in need. It is the oldest and original Angel Flight organization, and is a component of Mercy Medical Angels, which also provides free transportation for vets and airfare for longer trips.

Please also consider making donations to the Angel Flight organization in your area, to support their mission.

Recap on my 2024 missions on Facebook. 2024 Photos.

I'd be happy to answer any questions you have, please contact me a call at 703-675-0753 or kleyp@outlook.com.

Thank you!

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