In the annals of aviation history, there are shining examples of the capacity of airplanes to carry large amounts of cargo between two points when the need is the greatest and options are slim. Flying the India to China Hump during WW2 and the Berlin Airlift come to mind. Now, add to those illustrious achievements the Georgia to Florida Puppy Airlift of 2010!
Five pilots donated their time and airplanes to the cause and arrived at Lawrenceville, GA (KLZU) at 0930 today. They bucked strong headwinds and temps in the teens to get the mission underway. All who committed to be there, were there....on time. 100% professionalism. We did have to wait for the dogs to arrive about 1.5 hrs later than planned. Just a small glitch.
When the van doors swung open we saw a lot more than the 25 or so dogs I was told about. Most of the dogs were small pups at least 6 weeks old, but there were a couple momma dogs and two cats as well. I didn't get a firm count but 40+/- is close. The shelter brought along extra crates so all were secure in a carrier of some sort. After the planes were loaded there was still a group of five or six pups in the van and they were looking oh so worried.
Everyone in the pilot group knew what had to be done and found room for the last of the pups. A very proud moment for all of us. These guys WERE NOT going to be left behind.
For all the waiting and bitter cold we endured at LZU, we were rewarded with screaming tailwinds which boosted ground speeds by at least 25kts.
The two RV10s flown by David Maib and Pierre Smith arrived first and soon after it was John Morgan in his RV6A and me in my RV9. Arriving about 25 minutes later was the Cherokee 180 flown by Steve Booth.
In no time, the FBO lobby was filled with dog crates! Volunteers from the rescue centers were there to sort them out and get them ready for the final leg of their trip. All pilots were given $1/gal discount on fuel and a nice Humane Society t-shirt. We all had lunch together at the Tailwinds Cafe at OCF before departing to our respective home bases.
Overall, a very successful mission to help a lot of animals avoid certain destruction. Special thanks to Pierre, David, Steve, and John for stepping up to make this happen. Credit also to DR for VAF and Pete Howell for setting the example!
PS: I'll post my pictures soon....left camera in the plane.