Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WEST JORDAN — Salt Lake City pilot John Trentman helped load the luggage of 4-year-old Taleah Stevenson into his aircraft and made sure she was comfortable before directing his plane down one of South Valley Regional Airport's runways.
Trentman was doing his part as an Angel Flight West volunteer, and Monday's flight was one of between 40 and 50 he's completed during the past six years.
"It's very rewarding," he said. "Many people either can't afford the transportation or it's just too long of a drive for someone that's ill. It's a chance for us to visit new airports and give back to the community."
Taleah was diagnosed with leukemia almost two years ago, but her mother didn't discover Angel Flight West until a few months ago when a hospital worker gave her a pamphlet. Stevenson said Taleah's healing process has become less physically and financially taxing thanks to Angel Flight West.
"They've been so accommodating and they try to make us feel comfortable," Tosha Stevenson, Taleah's mother, said. "They do whatever they can to help."
Many people either can't afford the transportation or it's just too long of a drive for someone that's ill. It's a chance for us to visit new airports and give back to the community.
–John Trentman
Bollinger said Angel Flight West came into existence when the pilot community meshed its passion of flying with its desire to serve the community.
For instance, before the volunteer organization began, pilots would sometimes be so eager to fly they would go out for the so-called "$100 hamburger," or a lunch break at a far-off airport," Bollinger said. Pilots would gladly pay the price of fuel for that "$100 hamburger" to have an excuse to fly, he said. Angel Flight West was born when a group of California pilots decided they could combine their love of flying with service to others.
Tosha Stevenson can now transport her daughter to and from their home in St. George to Primary Children's Medical Center for chemotherapy treatments without the financial cost or physical toll of long-distance car travel.
Pilots can volunteer by submitting an application found on Angel Flight West's website, angelflight.org, where people seeking transportation services can also request a flight, he said.
