The coronavirus pandemic presents new challenges to volunteer pilots and organizations. Air Care Alliance encourages pilots and organizations to be aware of the risks involved in operating flights at this time and to exercise best practices to minimize them. Please review the information below carefully and thoroughly.
- Best Practices During COVID-19
- Organizations and pilots may use these suggestions as a starting point for your own policies and procedures pre-flight, in flight, and post flight.
For Organizations
- Interim Guidance for Transporting or Arranging Transportation by Air into, from, or within the United States of People with COVID-19 or COVID-19 Exposure
- CDC Mass Transit Decision Tree
- While this document is designed to assist mass transit administrators in making re-opening decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the basic decision making tree can be aptly applied to VPOs.
- Risk Matrix When Restarting During COVID-19 Pandemic Ver 2
- This COVID-19 Go/No Go Decision Matrix is designed for management of VPOs to help decide which flights to accept and post as available.
- Operational Considerations for Voluntary Pilot Organizations in Response to COVID-19 – Dr. H. Hunter Handsfield
- This document is updated as new information becomes available. The paper has been slightly modified by Dr. Handsfield on May 19th with important changes in the Addendum. Please review the updates.
- Thoughts on Restarting VPO Passenger Carrying Operations – Dr. Daniel Masys
For Pilots
- AOPA’s Return to Flight Proficiency Plan
- SFAR Grants Relief For Expired Medical Certificates and Recency Requirements
- SFAR – Relief for Certain Persons and Operations during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19) Outbreak
- ASI Safety Notice: 2020-1 – ATC Zero Events
- Aircraft Disinfection & Cleaning Procedures
- How to Sanitize an Aircraft – Video
- Garmin Service Advisory 2051 – Cleaning/Disinfecting Guidance
General Information
- CDC – Symptoms of Coronavirus
- CDC – How to Protect Yourself & Others
- CDC – Cleaning & Disinfecting Surfaces
- AOPA – COVID-19 Restrictions by State
- Webinar – Passenger Flights in the Wake of COVID-19: Where Do We Go From Here?
- Four medical experts weigh on the issues affecting passenger flights for Volunteer Pilot Organizations