Welcome to our first Amelia Air Rescue Recap - we’ve been so busy flying that we thought it was time to switch to monthly updates! We started off 2022 strong with 54 pets rescued on the west coast in January, where the mild weather makes for some beautiful winter flying. In February, Amelia Air orchestrated 7 total rescue missions to fly another 80 animals to safety! We’ve rounded up some of our favorite moments, which were made possible by all the generous donations to our ‘Spread the Love’ Valentine’s Day fundraiser, where we raised over $4000 to restock our mission supplies. Thank you so much for all your support, we truly couldn’t save these lives without you!

Adi & Petra team up for a rescue relay!

Did you know that only 7% of pilots in the US are women? That’s why this first mission of February was extra special: Petra & Adi, our west coast logistics leader, pilot, and vet student extraordinaire, teamed up for the first Amelia Air relay flown entirely by women! February 6 was also a fun day for Petra, as it is the anniversary of the day she passed her FAA checkride to become a pilot! 

Petra flew from Los Angeles to Bakersfield, CA to pick up the 12 lucky pups. Once everyone was safely loaded, Petra took off to Los Banos Municipal Airport, where she would meet Adi and her husband Frenchie. For the first time, the two Amelia Air volunteers got to hear each other on the radio as they approached their meeting point! After smooth landings, Petra, Adi and Frenchie transferred the crew from one plane to the next.

Following some very necessary puppy cuddles, Adi and Frenchie departed to the north for Petaluma Municipal Airport, while Petra headed home to Whiteman Airport in the south. Adi and Frenchie completed the mission, handing over the pups to Odessa of Little Troopers, and the rest is history!

Check out the recap video from this awesome mission!

Mamas Flight!

What gets better than flying a cute small mama with her seven 3-week old puppies? Doing so with family!  On February 20th, Adi flew down to Fresno, CA together with her husband Frenchie and his mother Marsha to rescue a 15lbs fluffy mama and her adorable little nuggets. 

Ginger, the Pomeranian-mix mama, was relinquished by her owners together with her 7 Pomeranian-Pug mixed puppies. Mama Ginger was extremely friendly and let the whole crew hold and play with her precious pups. 

The eight dogs were safely flown up to McClellan Airfield, CA, where they were picked up by a Puppy Pound Rescue volunteer who dropped them off at their new foster home in northern California. 

Marsha is a life-long animal lover and rescue dogs’ owner. While it wasn’t her first time flying in a Cessna with Adi, it was Marsha’s first time participating in an Amelia Air rescue, which she demanded would also not be her last one!