NC Native and Business Aviators Partner to Help Hometown Helene Victims

Oct. 8, 2024

In the wake of Hurricane Helene, North Carolina native and business entrepreneur Miranda Barrett was looking for ways to help people in her home state.

Fortunately for her, two DC-based business aviation pilots were ready to do the same thing, and a plan came together to fly supplies into hard-to-reach areas of the Tarheel State.

With transportation in place, Barrett took an important next step. “I put out a fundraising call to my neighbors, my friends, and colleagues on LinkedIn. We raised $5,000 in 36 hours, which allowed me to make a huge Costco run and fill the planes,” she said. “The generosity of friends, neighbors, and complete strangers was just overwhelming.”

The two pilots – both of whom fly Mooney M20 airplanes – were Alex Gertsen, NBAA’s senior director airport advocacy, and Luis Quiñones, a sales expert with a DC-based cybersecurity firm. The three made plans to fly the hundreds of wholesale-bought pounds of essentials (along with hundreds of Barrett’s home-baked chocolate chip cookies) from Montgomery County Airpark (GAI) in Gaithersburg, MD, to the Asheville (AVL) North Carolina airport, ultimately getting them transported to her hometown of Hendersonville for distribution.

From there, Barret and Gertsen flew to Concord (JQF), which served as the distribution hub for Operation Airdrop, a Texas-based 501(c)(3) focused on matching aviation assets with communities impacted by natural disasters. They reloaded the plane and made a sortie to Rutherford County Airport (FQD) – before eventually returning home to Gaithersburg at what would be the end of a long but important day.

The three left Gaithersburg knowing the damage was extensive. They were still stunned by what they encountered.

“We could see some of the horrible flooding around the Biltmore Village area,” Barrett said. “When we landed, we could see the end of the airport runway was just a big mud pit. Once you got off the airport, it became clear that the scope of the damage in the outlying areas was even worse.”

Still, Barrett was encouraged by the kindness and professionalism of the volunteers she met, including the many pilots, airport officials and others who pitched in. “It was so inspiring – the goodwill of the pilots involved, who are flying on their own time and at their own expense.”

Gertsen said he was humbled by the opportunity to lend a hand to those in need. “I felt compelled to use the airplane, coupled with my piloting skills, to help,” he said.

The trip was especially meaningful for both Barrett and Gertsen, who last worked together more than 20 years ago as staff members of the White House Travel Office.

“Alex and I spent a lot of time together in airports all over the world,” said Barrett. “It was ironic to be caught on the other side of the POTUS TFR (Presidential Temporary Flight Restriction zone) this trip and incredible to get to make an impact together again, helping this area that is so special to me.”