I interviewed Freedom Flightz and flew with them. Freedom Flightz is part of the Two Tailz Rescue organization founded by Carolyn O'Brien. I will be interviewing Ms O'Brien soon about Two Tailz.
Kevin Saunders is the Chief Pilot for Freedom Flightz and Hannah Jahr is the President and Chief Flight Co-Ordinator.
What does Freedom Flightz do and who do you work with?
Primarily we pull dogs from high-kill shelters and fly them to homes or foster homes in different States along the South-East Corridor. In this way we save more lives and save dogs from the stress of being in a crate for 24+ hours of ground transportation somewhere.
How many animals do you fly each year on average?
This past year has been our highest year to date. We average a dog a month.
Where do you usually fly to and how far is it usually.
We fly all over the South East Corridor. We fly a lot to the Carolinas, also locally in GA, MX, TX and FL. We try to keep the flights under 2 hours per pilot and sometimes we string together a few flights.
How far is the longest flight you've flown with an animal, and your shortest flight?
I've done Naples, FL which is about 4 hours and Washington DC which was 3.5 to 4 hours. My plane is a Moony M20 J that cruises at 200 mph. My shortest Freedom Flightz flight recently was Anderson, SC which is less than 30 minutes flying time.
What types of animals do you fly?
Generally dogs. We are not breed specific. The dogs we fly are typically abused and neglected dogs and lots of Bully-breeds. We tend to take dogs that other rescues don't want and if we can't find fosters or homes in the vicinity we fly them to homes out of State.
Where do you put the dogs when they're on the plane?
Wire kennels in the cargo section. The Moony has great space in the back.
Has anything ever gone wrong when you and a dog are in a plane?
I was flying a crate full of puppies to Washington DC. It was a hot day and due to some parachuters jumping over the airport I was put in a holding pattern over the Potomac. Finally I was given the go-ahead to land and on descent every puppy ejected out of every orifice all over the place. Another troublesome time was with a German Shepherd I was flying to an ex-military dog handler in Winston-Salem, NC. It would not get out of the plane. Eventually it took 6 people to get the dog out. We got him into a soft crate and had to pull him out like luggage and put him on a cart.
What has been your most favorite flight?
Carolyn and I flew Libby, a terminal cancer dog to her forever hospice home in Meridian, MS.
What can I do to help you?
Please promote what we do. We need more pilot volunteers. Pilots generally like to go up and fly and if they are flying anyway they might as well fly for a cause. Also we will help transport animals for any 501(c)(3) rescue organizations. We will do this for free but request a $75 donation. The animals need to be going to an approved placement. Extensive background checks are made for applications.
What advice do you have for me?
Keep doing what you are doing. Don't pass by an opportunity that you think will make a positive difference in life.
Hqnnah Jahr, Rob, Carolyn O'Brien and Kevin Saunders