Events: Endeavor Awards
Fifth annual Endeavor Awards honor AOPA Trustee Bill Ayer
Ayer has been a volunteer pilot for Angel Flight West since 1993 and has flown more than 50 missions. He served on the group’s board of directors and is currently the executive coach for its executive director, Josh Olson. Ayer was instrumental in partnering Alaska Airlines and Angel Flight West, with more than 16,000 donated flights for patients with health-care needs.
Klapmeier was recognized for his company’s commitment to giving back; the largest percentage of new volunteer pilots fly Cirrus aircraft, according to Angel Flight West. “The Cirrus life,” Klapmeier said, “is more than just a hobby.”
The 2018 Endeavor Award winners as selected and chosen by their peers are Dr. Kevin D’Angelo of Wings Flights of Hope, and Wanda Whitsitt, founder of LifeLine Pilots. D’Angelo combines dentistry and piloting, flying volunteer missions into remote areas of the Appalachian Mountains, the Dominican Republic, and other developing countries. Whitsitt founded LifeLine Pilots in 1981. Now the oldest regional volunteer pilot organization in the nation, LifeLine Pilots has flown more than 8,000 missions and more than 5 million miles with a perfect safety record.
Receiving the Endeavor Awards “1,000 Award” was Bob Schaper, who has flown more than 1,000 missions for Angel Flight West since 2010.
The Endeavor Awards gala also recognizes U.S. astronauts, members of the military, and all-volunteer public benefit flying pilots. Both a silent and live auction are held during the event, raising more than $670,000 for Angel Flight West.
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