Oct. 7, 2024
The people and companies in business aviation readily snap into action to deliver relief to citizens and communities following natural disasters.
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, which has devastated towns across the Southeastern U.S., Brad Pierce, CEO of Orlando-based Restaurant Equipment World, has been busy flying the Cirrus SR-22T that helps his company succeed to deliver essentials to victims of the terrible damage wrought by the storm.
Pierce, whose day job is managing his family-owned supplier of dining equipment to hundreds of restaurants and other culinary facilities, is among the countless business aviation pilot volunteers who are pitching in with flights to support AEROBridge, an all-volunteer group that has been spearheading aviation relief in response to disasters for more than two decades.
“We are here to help,” Pierce said.
While FEMA, the National Guard and other NGOs will focus on larger areas in the hurricane-impact zone, Pierce and other business aviators are uniquely equipped to access the more remote, hard-to-reach areas.
“We have 10 airports we have gone into, based on what their needs are and how hard they are affected,” Pierce said. “We need to focus on our core mission – those underserved areas that have not received government aid. We had a request yesterday to get chainsaws into an area that needed them. On another flight, a pilot brought in a portable internet receiver to restore internet and phone service.”
Pierce recalled that when one of his relief flights landed at North Carolina’s Rutherford County/Marchman Field Airport (FQD), members of a local high school football team pitched in, offloading his airplane and other aircraft almost as quickly as they landed. “We had 20 linebackers taking the stuff out of our planes,” he said.
“We have a lot of people who are local partners with us,” Pierce added, pointing out that many FBOs are also providing pilots with significant fuel discounts because they are delivering supplies. Airport officials are also excited to cooperate with the pilots.
Pierce expects his flights and others to continue as long as needed. “We can get relief supplies into the zone, often in three or four hours, and that’s pretty incredible.”
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.