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By Jay
Carpenter |
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Everyone learned of the plight of the
citizens of Haiti following the
devastating earthquake on January 12,
2010. The earthquake caused major damage
to Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other
settlements in the region. Many notable
landmark buildings were significantly
damaged or destroyed, including the
Presidential Palace.
Photo: Phil Rosenbaum lands his
Pilatus PC 12 at Austin Bergstrom Intl.
Airport.
Photo by J Carpenter |
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The citizens of the United States began
pouring in donations to UNICEF and the
Red Cross to help alleviate the misery
being endured by Haitians. Certainly
financial support is needed but just as
importantly is quick action. With
airline traffic closed to the island
nation, many general aviation pilots
volunteered to help because they could
get to remote areas quickly. One such
pilot is Phil Rosenbaum of Austin,
Texas.
Rosenbaum owns and pilots a Pilatus PC
12 aircraft. Manufactured in
Switzerland, this particular plane is
famous for its efficient transport of
people and cargo at a high rate of
speed. Powered by a 1200 horsepower
Pratt and Whitney turbo-prop engine, the
PC 12 can haul over 1000 pounds with
full fuel. The range is over 1500 miles
and can cruise at 260 knots (300 MPH).
When Phil heard of the plight of the
Haitian community, he did not hesitate
to help organize a relief effort.
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Working with Laura Mason, the executive
director of POPA, the Pilatus Owners and
Pilots Association, and members of Grace
Flight, an organization dedicated to
help people in need of air
transportation for medical and
humanitarian purposes, many doctors,
medical teams, medicine and equipment
were quickly delivered to the heart of
the devastated areas of Haiti when hours
counted.
Photo: (L to R) Garratt Gruener
(N161AJ), Phil Rosenbaum (N289PB) and
medical staff ready to go!
Photo by P
Rosenbaum |
Initially, four Pilatus aircraft and
their pilot/owners met in Houston, Texas.
Joining Rosenbaum were Jack Long also of
Austin, Todd Nelson from Sugarland and
Garrett Gruener of Oakland, California.
Because no infrastructure or electricity
existed on the Haitian island, the
pilots had to figure out how and where
to land. The airport at the capitol of
Port-au-Prince was closed to all traffic
except those aircraft with prior landing
clearance. If you didn’t have an arrival
slot reserved at that airport, you were
not allowed to land.
Rosenbaum and his squadron diverted to
San Juan, Puerto Rico. Through means
that are not considered standard
operating procedures, the Pilatus pilots
were able to enter the Haitian airspace
and land at nearby Jacmel, where the
medical resources were dearly needed.
The airport was secure (thanks to
surrounding UN troops) but had no
operating infrastructure – no tower, no
lighting, no fuel, and only about 3300
feet of useable runway. Fortunately, the
Pilatus aircraft are able to operate
from unimproved runways even less that
3000 feet, and four experienced pilots
had no issues making the delivery.
After spending a short time on the
ground (just long enough to watch a
Canadian C-130 arrive and depart!!!)
Rosenbaum and his fellow pilots loaded
up 22 displaced residents to take back
to the United States.
After filing a flight plan (oddly enough
using PCs with satellite connectivity
operated by the missionaries), the
pilots took off. At 16,000 feet
Rosenbaum was able to make radio contact
with Miami Center. The controllers there
wanted to know where he was coming from
and what he requested. Rosenbaum replied
that he was coming from Haiti and needed
a climb to 26,000 feet immediately.
After a short pause, the air traffic
control personnel gave clearance to
climb to the requested altitude and a
direct routing to Fort Lauderdale.
After landing in Ft. Lauderdale, customs
officials interviewed the pilots and
their passengers. In about 10 minutes
everyone was cleared through customs.
“Let’s just say that not all the
standard rules were followed,” said
Rosenbaum. “In a world crisis such as
the Haitian earthquake, certain
procedures were overlooked. No flights
such as we completed would ever be
allowed during normal times. Many times
we never had clearance or permission to
fly where we did.
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Everyone we
encountered, from government officials
to ground crews were extremely helpful.
Our appreciation goes out to the Customs
and Border Patrol, and Immigration folks
at KFXE, and especially to the folks at
Banyan Air Services, the FBO in Ft.
Lauderdale. I cannot say enough good
things about them.”
Photo: One of many Pilatus
aircraft landing at Jacmel, Haiti.
Photo by P
Rosenbaum |
With the combined efforts of the Pilatus
Owners and Pilots Association (POPA),
Grace Flight America, and The National
Businesss Aircraft Association (NBAA),
and the open hearts and wallets of many
Pilatus owner/operators, on Monday
morning Jan. 18, six Pilatus planes were
in the air over Haiti, seven were on the
ground in Fort Lauderdale loading for
missions to Haiti, and nine more were on
the way to Florida to help. In a week’s
time, over 27 Pilatus aircraft were
involved in relief efforts to Haiti.
Through organizational skills of POPA,
Grace Flight, and the National Business
Aviation Association, relief flights
were able to get medical personnel and
supplies in a timely manner that could
not be accomplished by governmental
bureaucracies. “Once the roles were
realized, the operations went very
well,” said Rosenbaum. “When hours
count, general aviation can often meet
the immediate needs of the suffering.”
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One might ask what the financial costs
are for such a flight. Rosenbaum and his
fellow Pilatus pilots were not paid to
do this. “I put about 19 hours on my
plane. That with the fuel, hotels, food
and other considerations, I’m estimating
my out of pocket costs run somewhere
between $15,000 to 20,000. Yes, that’s a
lot of money, but we all received a warm
feeling knowing we were able to help so
many so quickly.”
Photo: After landing in Austin, Phil
relays his story to TXAA.
Photo by J
Carpenter |
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Rosenbaum added that many around the
world hate the Americans for political
reasons. “However, as so often is the
case, look to see who is first to lend
aid when it is really needed.”
FMI:
www.pilatusowners.com
www.graceflight.org
www.nbaa.org
For more photos of Phil’s flight visit:
http://picasaweb.google.com/PhilJRosenbaum/HaitianReliefTrip#
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