Every day across the Southeast, something extraordinary happens — quietly, compassionately, and often without recognition. Angel Flight Soars (AFS), an Atlanta-based nonprofit, lifts people toward hope by flying patients to lifesaving medical care — free of charge. For families facing serious illness, the distance between home and treatment can feel overwhelming. And that's exactly where Angel Flight Soars steps in.
For a family in rural Mississippi whose child needs a transplant in Atlanta, a flight may be too costly. For a burn survivor in Tennessee who needs regular treatments hours from home, the grind of long car rides can feel like a second illness. These are the quiet crises that rarely make headlines — the logistical barriers that stand between patients and the care they desperately need. Eliminating those barriers, AFS coordinates free air transportation for the patient. There are no financial qualifications and no paperwork hurdles. Any medical patient who cannot use conventional transportation can request a mission flight — and AFS does the rest, matching them with volunteer pilots who donate their own time, aircraft, and fuel.
Serving Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, the Carolinas, and Tennessee, AFS handles a wide range of medical missions ranging from routine chemotherapy and dialysis runs to transplants, surgeries, burn recovery, and more. Since 1983, the organization has coordinated nearly 70,000 missions — all completely free to patients and families.
The People Behind the Wings
At the heart of AFS is a community of private pilots who love to fly and love even more the idea of using that passion to change a life. They're neighbors and local business owners who head to a small regional airstrip to pick up a child bound for a pediatric specialist, or an adult patient heading home after surgery. They ask for nothing in return. Supporting them is a network of generous donors and healthcare professionals throughout the Southeast who connect patients to AFS when traditional transportation simply isn't an option.
When Disaster Strikes
Over four decades, the organization has answered the call during some of the nation's most devastating crises — from flying relief workers into New York and Washington, D.C. in the immediate aftermath of September 11th, to delivering supplies and reuniting families after hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Harvey, Irma, Maria, Helene and Milton. During COVID-19, AFS coordinated over 800 specimen transport missions, slashing patient wait times from more than a week to just eight hours.
Learning More
Most people are astonished when they first hear about this impactful organization, operating quietly, without fanfare. If you know of a situation where AFS could help, Angel Flight Soars wants to hear from you.
Because somewhere right now, there's a family for whom the only thing standing between them and hope is a few hundred miles of sky — and Angel Flight Soars has been crossing that distance for over 40 years.
Visit angelflightsoars.org to learn more.
