Bob Oglesby

Why I Fly
I first met Ataya as a two-year-old constrained in a cast from her feet to her hips. I was transporting Ataya and her grandmother from Shriner’s Children’s Hospital in Greenville, SC to Jacksonville, NC. Ataya had to be carried to my plane and buckled into her car seat. She was returning home after major orthopedic surgery needed because of severe burns to her legs in a house fire as an infant. Now, nine-year-old Ataya is returning to Shriner’s Hospital for one of many check-ups and adjustments. Her legs are fine thanks to numerous volunteer Angel Flights and excellent care at Shriner’s Children's Hospital.
I realize that I am but one microbe, one serious accident, one rogue chromosome, or one raging virus away from a world of hurt. Thankfully I have good health, time, resources, skill, and opportunity to help those less fortunate by flying volunteer missions.


What organization(s) do you fly for?
Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic, Angel Flight Soars, Mercy Flight Southeast, EAA Young Eagles,

What would you tell a pilot thinking about volunteering?
The rewards of flying Angel Flights, Young Eagle Flights, or similar volunteer missions far outweigh the effort or expense involved in making these flights. Often one experiences places they would have never normally flown to, seen vistas not encountered before, and mastered challenges not found in the Saturday morning local $100 hamburger run. More importantly, the smiles, “thank you” responses, even hugs, and self-satisfaction received from these flights is incredible. Volunteer flying can be a life changing experience.