Pilots providing free flights to medically needy stops in Goderich

Taking hope to the air Pilots converge on Goderich Airport to raise money and awareness for non-profit HOPEAIR. CTV London's Scott Miller reports.

They’ve come from far and wide, filling the infield at Goderich Municipal Airport — pilots on a cross Canada mission to raise awareness about Hope Air.

“I started in Victoria last Monday, and we’re making our way through Northern British Columbia, across the prairies, through Thunder Bay, and now, here in Goderich,” said Steve Drinkwater, a pilot from Vancouver.

Drinkwater and a dozen more pilots are flying across the country to try and raise $1 million towards Hope Air. It’s Canada’s only national charity offering free travel and accommodations for citizens in financial need who must access medical care far from home.

Lee Arsenault and Marilyn Staig of Pickering, Ont. have flown more than 30 people to their cancer treatments and surgeries since 2016.

“We both had cancer, living in Toronto, it was easy to get to a hospital. So, we really feel for people stuck in Elliott Lake and have cancer and need treatments,” said Staig.

Volunteer pilots like Arsenault and Staig flew over 4,300 mercy medical flights last year for Hope Air, which has covered over 150,000 travel arrangements for those in need since its inception in 1986.

“We get to meet and see face-to-face the people who are recipients of our charity. It’s so incredibly rewarding,” said Arsenault.

For those flying the 5,100 nautical miles across Canada for the Give Hope Wings fundraiser, it’s an adventure with a purpose.

Logan Daly-Doersam spent a lot of time in hospitals with his father as a teenager.

“I’m from Hanover, so there was London right there. We ended up in London and Toronto a lot. But, what if we lived in the boonies or in some remote small town, and you need specialized treatment from a specializing hospital? That’s who we’re trying to support,” said Daly-Doersam.

The Give Hope Wings tour will reach Atlantic Canada at some point next week, as pilots give back to those in desperate need of a humanitarian lift.

“We said, this is the perfect charity for us, because we get to help people, and we get to fly,” said Pickering pilot and Hope Air flyer, Staig.

You can learn more about Hope Air on its website.