Volunteer pilots will fly donated supplies into La Crosse Regional Airport in Wisconsin on Nov. 20 as part of a training exercise designed to prepare for future disaster relief missions. Organized by nonprofit Pilots for Humanity, the event will give pilots and ground crews an opportunity to practice the logistics of a coordinated airlift before an actual emergency.
Coordinating Relief Flights
General aviation aircraft have played a role in previous disaster responses, including the Hurricane Helene relief effort in 2024. At Leesburg Executive Airport in Virginia, volunteers organized approximately 20 helicopter trips and nearly 25 fixed-wing flights carrying supplies to communities in western North Carolina, according to WTOP. The operation required coordinating aircraft, pilots, donations and ground volunteers as supplies were transported to affected areas.
The upcoming La Crosse exercise, dubbed Operation Takeoff Roll, will test several of those same procedures, including pilot registration, aircraft arrivals, parking, cargo unloading and inventory management. Cadets from the La Crosse Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol will assist in handling and sorting supplies. The exercise addresses logistical challenges identified in FEMA guidance, which emphasizes the importance of coordinating volunteers and tracking donated goods during disaster response operations.
Training With Real Cargo
“Every aircraft that lands and every box we unload helps us prepare for the day someone is depending on us to deliver critical supplies after a disaster,” Pilots for Humanity Executive Director Matt Brantner said.
Rather than using simulated cargo, participating pilots will collect supplies in their home communities and transport them to La Crosse for distribution to local organizations, including the Hunger Task Force of La Crosse, WAFER Food Pantry and WINN, which assists unsheltered individuals. Organizers are requesting nonperishable food, warm gloves, hand warmers and two-person tents. The event will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the airport’s Civil Air Patrol hangar, where residents can also drop off donations by car. A weather backup date is scheduled for Nov. 21.
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