It was a record year for Angel Flight Southeast (AFSE), a nonprofit group of more than 1,000 pilots who volunteer to transport thousands of people free, each year. AFSE coordinated 3,617 flights in 2005, up from 2,635 flights in 2004.
Most flights are for medical and humanitarian reasons, and 2005’s increase was largely in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
A special federal program called the Homeland Security Emergency Air Transportation System, or HSEATS, was responsible for more than 646 flights to assist emergency service personnel and evacuees in getting in and out of the disaster zones.
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