Borough Resident Flies Relief Mission to Haiti

It has been over a year since a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti.  Hundreds of thousands of people were killed in the aftermath of the disaster. Port au Prince, the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation, was devastated both physically and emotionally.  

It is estimated that 1.5 million people were left homeless from the earthquake. Tent cities still house a large population.  A seemingly lawless, impoverished and desperate population flounder in rubble and refuse. The international relief effort has been categorized as ineffective.

There’s a tightly knit circle of camaraderie among the general aviation pilots who have been instrumental in the relief effort in Haiti.  Coordinated by various non-profit organizations in the Caribbean, small aircraft owners are mobilized to fly food, medical supplies, water purification systems and other relief equipment into ravaged areas.

Still in his , Chatham Borough resident and bloghusband, Bill Rogers has taken his love for aviation to new heights.  After flying occasional patient airlift charity trips in his Beechcraft Bonanza A36, Bill decided to expand his goodwill missions internationally.

The idea of a humanitarian trip to Haiti started out as a family adventure, coinciding with Bill, Jr.'s spring break.  However, with concerns over the impending elections in Haiti, and the potential for civil unrest, the family was dissuaded from participating.

Bill’s mission began at Morristown airport with a flight plan to Albany, GA. In Albany, Bill picked up relief supplies to take to Haiti. Fourteen boxes, including a table saw, were on the manifest.   

A clear order was given to the pilot not to take any food or other duffels that may have been "accidentally" mixed up with the relief goods.

The next stop on the mission was Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.  Rentals for the overseas journey, including a life raft, and other equipment were contained in four additional boxes.  

Bill was instructed to wear his life preserver, and close-toed shoes in the single-engine plane when flying over water.

There was a fuel stop in the Caribbean. The poor guy had to land in Provo, Turks and Caicos for an overnight pit stop before heading out to Port au Prince.

Upon landing at Port au Prince, Bill was greeted by a group of Haiti relief volunteers from an organization called Grassroots United. 

The group enthusiastically unloaded the cargo. Bill dutifully negotiated the customs and immigration procedures, snapped a few pictures and took off for home.

Charting new territory is just part of the challenge for Bill.  International flight rules add a whole new element of organization and concentration in the cockpit.  The documentation required in and out of the Caribbean airports is daunting.  Factor in a foreign dialect on the radio, antiquated avionics (or lack thereof) and a desperate population, and the adventure has the potential to take on a new realm.

Luckily, the mission was a huge success and everything about the flight was ordinary. Bill was left with an extraordinary sense of acomplishment knowing how extremely grateful the Grassroots volunteers were for all of the supplies, especially the table saw.