Musings of a Mission Milestone- by Angel Flight pilot~ Rob Payne
Today was a truly special milestone, with the opportunity to complete my 50th and 51st Angel Flight missions and help families access vital medical care without the burden of long hours on the road. Angel Flight is a wonderful charity that coordinates free, non-emergency flights for people living in rural and remote areas, so they can reach specialist treatment that is not available close to home.
This pair of missions involved helping Cindy travel from Balranald in New South Wales to Melbourne for her medical appointments and then returning her home the same afternoon. For Cindy, the alternative would have been an arduous five-hour drive each way, turning a single day of appointments into a long and exhausting journey. Instead, after an early morning departure from Essendon to Balranald, I picked up Cindy and her friend Wyn for a smooth and pleasant flight of about one hour and fifteen minutes to Melbourne. Our Cirrus SR22 made the trip comfortably, cruising between 7,000 and 8,000 feet at about 160 knots (296 km/h), transforming what would have been hours of road travel into a relaxed trip above the countryside.
Once in Melbourne, Cindy was able to attend her appointments and then enjoy lunch with Wyn, without the pressure of a long drive home still ahead. Later in the afternoon they were back at Essendon for their return flight to Balranald, arriving home well before dinner and completing in a single, comfortable day what would otherwise likely have required a much longer, more tiring schedule. These two missions brought my total to 51 Angel Flights, 155 hours flown and around 25,000 nautical miles travelled – roughly the equivalent of flying around the entire coast of Australia twice.
Flying has always been a great joy but being able to use that passion to help families in country areas is deeply satisfying and fulfilling. Each mission is a reminder of how powerful aviation can be in connecting rural communities with the care they need, and it is a privilege to be part of that journey. The logbook numbers tell one story, but the real reward is seeing people get home to their families sooner and with far less stress. Looking forward to the next mission somewhere in Victoria and beyond.
