Canine Rescue Flights is a nonprofit organization powered by volunteer private pilots operating under FAA FAR Part 61, Subpart E, ¶ 113.
Pilots volunteer their time, skills and aircraft. Canine Rescue Flights aggregates, organizes and connects these volunteers with animal rescue agencies, both private and public, to facilitate charitable air transport of animals in support of last-chance adoptions, rescue from kill shelters, puppy mills and other desperate situations. Canine Rescue Flights also volunteers canine air transport for Law Enforcement, Search & Rescue, and Fire Dogs (and their commanding officers) - for any reason that protects the K9 or supports the community at large.
Air transport is faster, and exacts much less stress on the animal than longer ground-based transport. General Aviation is able depart and arrive at both small community and large commercial airports and can even take advantage of small private air fields that are completely inaccessible to scheduled commercial aircraft. Pilots fly these missions because they love to fly and they love helping dogs get a second chance. With each departure and arrival animals receive help and hope.
Why?
Why was Canine Rescue Flights created? This is a common question. The quick answer is simply logistics. Other organizations do an outstanding job of volunteering to fly animals in need. Pilots-N-Paws, Animal Rescue Flights, and Flying Paws just to name a few. These organizations are located within the central and northern parts of the lower 48 states. Pilots volunteer for trips that average 500 to 1,000 miles.
However the state of Florida is 361 miles wide by 792 miles long (Pensacola to Key West, over land). It can take a pilot more than 600 miles of travel just in Florida alone... combine that with their trip to and from a destination outside of Florida and you could be looking at well over a thousand miles or more round trip.
Given the average gallon of aviation fuel is about $5.30 a gallon, and the average light plane travels about 120 miles an hour burning about 9 to 10 gallons an hour... basic math tells you these pilots are donating many hundreds of dollars of their own money just for one trip. This is all assuming they own the plane they are flying, as some rent or co-op their plane by the hour.
You can see it's often difficult to get volunteers to make a full trip to or from a destination in Florida to another state.
Canine Rescue Flights is a Florida-based organization that is working to connect Florida pilots with other volunteer flight organizations and animal rescues to manage the Florida legs of these trips. By handling the logistics of picking up and dropping off at or near the Florida northern boarder we hope to encourage more Florida volunteers by focusing on the Florida flights.
Recently licensed students, retirees, and many others are much more willing (and financially able) to volunteer to fly a mission on a statewide scale. When these flights compete with the infamous $200 hamburger - everyone wins.
