Flying for Good!
If you have a deserving charitable cause that could use a lift, let us know! We may be able to lend a hand.
Sunrise over Galveston Bay, Angel Flight, 1.5.20
Jump to → Angel Flight ★ SouthWings ★ Young Eagles ★ LightHawk ★ AERObridge ★ Pilots ‘N Paws
Fly with the Angels!
Angel Flight South Central's mission is to “help people in need of free air transportation for medical and humanitarian purposes. Angel Flight arranges travel through a network of volunteer pilots for people who require specialized medical treatment not available to them locally.” Humphries Aviation has been flying for Angel Flight since 2004. You can read about some of our flights here: Gulf Shores, the Vampire Run, Caldwell Parrish, West Texas, and Acadiana.
Scott also serves as Angel Flight’s volunteer “Wing Leader” for Southeast Texas, charged with, among other duties, being an official cheerleader for the organization and assisting in recruiting new Angel Flight pilots.
In Houston, we’re fortunate to have arguably the greatest medical center on the planet. But for many patients (and especially those requiring frequent visits), day-long car rides and expensive plane fares aren’t feasible. Angel Flight’s volunteer pilots donate their time and skills to get these patients to their treatments and back home again with as much comfort and efficiency as possible. Learn more about Angel Flight’s mission here: Angel Flight South Central. Or even better, make a donation (which helps Angel Flight’s mission coordination and outreach — the pilots cover the entire cost of the flights) here:
Donate to Angel Flight!
Mission Assistants. Angel Flight encourages volunteer pilots to include Mission Assistants on their flights. A Mission Assistant can be an experienced Angel Flight Volunteer Pilot who knows the ropes, a friend or student pilot who’s hoping to fly missions someday, or a spouse who can entertain the passengers during the flight. If you’re an Angel Flight pilot looking for a Mission Assistant, or if you’d like to ride along as a Mission Assistant and hear some of the unique stories and perspectives of these patients, let us know!
Getting There is Half the Cure!
SouthWings promotes environmental conservation through aviation. SouthWings connects its partner organizations — conservation groups, community groups, media, and decision-makers — with its network of volunteer pilots to advocate for the restoration and protection of ecosystems throughout the Southeast. Its flights seek to “provide a unique perspective to better understand and solve pressing environmental issues” in the Southeast, including coastal Texas.
Scott was the first Texas pilot recruited by SouthWings. Humphries Aviation flew its first volunteer mission for SouthWings in May 2022, helping to document the potential impact of proposed LNG and other gas export infrastructure on wetlands south of Lake Charles, Louisiana. You can read more about our first missions for SouthWings missions here. More recently, Southwings featured a couple of our flights in its 2024 Midyear Report, including one flight with a camera crew that resulted in a TV piece premiering on Univision45 highlighting the impact of the Houston Ship Channel on surrounding communities.
Check out all that SouthWings is doing to promote conservation through aviation: SouthWings.
Young Eagles
Inspiring the love of flight!
Young Eagles is a program of the Experimental Aviation Association (EAA) designed to introduce and inspire kids in the world of aviation. EAA Volunteers provide youth ages 8-17 a free flight in which they can experience first-hand the joys of flying, even taking the controls…
Humphries Aviation is committed to sharing the marvels of flight with young folks keen on flying. We flew our first Young Eagles flight on November 20, 2020, helping cement an aspiring young would-be pilot’s passion for flying. Read about that flight here, and some of our other Young Eagle flights here and here.
If you know a youngster whose interest in flight deserves a real-world piloting experience, let us know: we can probably help! Explore more about Houston’s EAA Chapters and Young Eagles flights here: EAA Youth Blog, EAA Chapter 12, EAA Chapter 302.
LightHawk is an environmental non-profit deploying volunteer pilots to “accelerate conservation success through the powerful perspective of flight.” Their conservation staff seeks worthwhile projects and partners and “co-designs flight campaigns to achieve relevant and important conservation outcomes, educational objectives, and outreach.”
Humphries Aviation flew its first volunteer mission for LightHawk in 2019, helping to document the potential impact of proposed industrial infrastrastructure on key wildlife refuges and environmental habitats along the Texas coast. Read more about that mission here: LightHawk, November 2019
Check out all that LightHawk’s doing to leverage aviation for conservation: LightHawk.
Disaster Relief
AERObridge organizes volunteer pilots to assist in times of catastrophic emergency by coordinating donated flights to provide a powerful, immediate response to disaster. By matching aircraft with emergency response teams and critical supplies, AeroBridge is able to “provide a vital window of assistance to save lives and aid those in need.”
Humphries Aviation flew its first volunteer mission for AERObridge after Hurricane Harvey hit in September 2017, delivering diapers, dog food and other supplies to the stricken city of Port Arthur, Texas. Read more about that mission here: Hurricane Harvey relief. We were also one of the first supply planes on the ground in Houma after Hurricane Ida struck Louisiana in August 2021. More on that here.
The Port Arthur Police Department lends a hand unloading supplies.
650 pounds of canned goods, diapers and dog food, ready for transport!
Check out AEROBridge’s mission here: AERObridge.
Pilots ‘N Paws
Pilots N Paws engages volunteer pilots to assist in animal transportation to further the rescue, sheltering and adoption of animals. Through its discussion board, volunteers can exchange information regarding animal transports, coordinate and schedule transports, and share rescue stories.
Humphries Aviation flew its first Pilots N Paws flight in June 2020, whisking McScruffy and his pal Anfurny from Laredo, where they’d been rounded up by the US Border Patrol, toward their new home in Denver. Read more about that trip and Pilots N Paws here: McScruffy & Anfurny.
Check out the Pilots N Paws’ mission here: Pilots N Paws.
Sunrise near Corpus Christi, Angel Flight, 9.27.19