Dec. 18, 2018
The powerful documentary, “For Military Merit: Veterans Airlift Command”, depicts the stories of the veterans, volunteer pilots and supporters of the Veterans Airlift Command (VAC), in hopes of encouraging more professionals in business aviation to volunteer with the group.
The VAC provides free transportation to post-9/11 combat-wounded veterans and their families for medical and other compassionate purposes through a national network of volunteer aircraft owners and pilots. The organization completes dozens of flights every month, connecting wounded veterans with medical care, family and more. VAC missions fly under the call sign “Hero Flight” and are granted ATC priority handling when possible.
“The documentary is so powerful because of the stories it shares about our post-9/11 veterans, their families and the struggles they face so bravely,” said Walt Fricke, VAC’s chairman, CEO and founder. “Our hope for the video is that it touches potential volunteer pilots and other supporters and leads them to participate in the great mission of the VAC.” Watch the documentary.
The documentary premiered at the VAC’s annual Hero Flight event held at the Wilson Air Center in Memphis, TN, where Castle Aviation was recognized for conducting more than 100 VAC missions. Michael Grossman, president of Castle Aviation, accepted the award on behalf of the pilots, aircraft owners and other members of the Castle Aviation team who make these missions possible.
“We can’t provide the important transportation we do without the generous contributions from our volunteer pilots, aircraft owners and corporate sponsors,” said Fricke. “We encourage pilots, aircraft owners and others in the aviation industry to watch the documentary to learn more about the veterans we serve and missions we complete and then consider joining our network.”
Fricke’s near-term goal for the VAC is to double the fleet of aircraft available to conduct missions. Learn more about Veterans Airlift Command.
Watch a short “pilot call” from the film.