Race gives Angels wings

Central Queensland skies were adorned with benevolentaviators over the weekend as a convoy of light aircraft landed at Roma and thenLongreach Airport, marking the midpoint of the Sydney Flight College Air Racefor Angel Flight.

The eight teams of pilots began their race from BankstownAirport on Thursday 2nd Mayon route to Tamworth, St George and continuing ontoRoma where they landed on Friday 3 May.

The racers will use their piloting andnavigational skill to win each leg with the Air Race continuing from Roma toLongreach, before heading onto Charleville, Tibooburra, Lightning Ridge andfinally landing back at Sydney Flight College’s home base in Bankstown on 10 May. The week-long mission sets out to raise funds for Angel Flight, a charity who since 2003, has provided 100,000 rural Australian families with non-emergency flights and drives into the city for vital medical care.

Each racing team has used their promotional skills to raise funds in the lead up tothe event, collectively raising $59,000 and hopes to continue to raise the bar with the Angel Flight supporters at each destination. The flight route across outback Queensland and NSW has been mapped to mimic the missions Angel Flight pilots commonly take through their volunteer-based service.

Sydney Flight College president, Frank Peronance, is also an Angel Flight pilot and says his firsthand mission experience is a motivator to raise as much funds as possible through the air race. Frank says, “The sincere appreciation expressed by Angel Flight passengers who would otherwise be unable to access life-saving medical treatment, makes each mission a very special and rewarding experience.” “As a pilot, with access to an aircraft, I am in a privileged position to make apositive difference to the lives of people living in rural and remote areas. Wehope through this air race, to not only raise funds for Angel Flight but toalso raise awareness of the health care disparity in our country.

”Angel Flight chief executive officer Marjorie Pagani concurs saying, “City dwellers take health care for granted but when injury or illness strikes for rural people, getting medical care can be an insurmountable challenge and without our service, many families would suffer.” “We are committed to offering our free service to rural Australians, however without government funding, we rely heavily on the generous support of organisations like Sydney Flight College, who have been by our side from the very beginning.”

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