GREENSBORO, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — It’s been nearly four months since Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina.
Many communities are still struggling to rebuild and rely on disaster relief.
Many private pilots donated their time and flying supplies to the hardest-hit areas of the storm.
While those relief missions have ended, one organization continues to fly relief to disaster-stricken areas all around the world.
“I’ve been flying since I was 14 (years old). 20,000 hours and have flown around the world. And this is the best flying job I’ve ever had,” said Andy Klischer, director of operations and pilot for Samaritan’s Purse.
Faith-based flying—a divine departure from the ordinary pilot job.
“We send international relief without any concern of race, religion, political affiliation. We are there for our fellow man,” Klischer continues.
“It’s to provide hope to the hopeless,” says Samaritan’s Purse Chief Pilot John Morgan. “…an opportunity for God’s people to say we care and here’s the delivery. That’s the difference in our activity and operations versus what typical aviation has.”
John Morgan and Andy Klischer are part of a ministry ready to respond at a moment’s notice wherever and whenever disaster strikes
That’s the mission of Samaritan’s Purse.
“We share the love of Jesus Christ with the product we deliver,” says Morgan.
Headquartered in North Carolina, it is a non-profit Christian relief organization that responds to crises worldwide.
Meeting critical needs in the aftermath of devastating events, pilots Klischer and Morgan fly relief supplies to victims of conflict, disaster, famine, and war.
“It always changes you when you become part of the story…” says Morgan. “It’s easy enough to see it on TV and be remote from it, but when you have actually touched the people who have been there or have seen the devastation that was created, and see the hopelessness in process… It can’t help but affect you. It motivates you to do a good job and put in long hours.”
As the chief pilot for Samaritan’s Purse, Morgan knows well the exceptional conditions unique to humanitarian flying the persistence to overcome the obstacles and challenges that come standard with flying into areas stricken by hardship.
“And then the prudence, from a safety standpoint, we’re always mitigating…” says Morgan.
While Klishner and Morgan typically drop off supplies and then immediately take off for another mission, coming face-to-face with the people who benefit from their deliveries is rare. An unforgettable exception is a time they carried Ukrainian refugees from Poland to a new life in Canada.
“It’s given me the opportunity to give back and show aviation is not just about skill in the cockpit, but delivering hope, helping our fellow man, that’s as rewarding as it gets,” says Klishner. “It’s not always about the freight… it’s about another human being showing you they care.”
Samaritan’s Purse has a fleet of 24 different aircraft ranging from small bush planes that land on dirt strips in remote areas to this 56-year-old workhorse DC-8 cargo jet.
There are only a few DC-8s left flying in the world today. One ended up in desert storage, with an uncertain future, until Samaritan’s Purse showed up and decided the airplane has a higher calling.”
“We refurbished it (and) have delivered 8.5 million pounds of critical aid around the world,” says Klishner. “Like our Samaritan’s Purse motto, we take the weary, the homeless, the thrown-away, and give new life, just like we did with this DC-8.”
For these pilots, flying for Samaritan’s Purses is a calling to take a chance, to show mercy no matter the risk or reward and to help those in a broken world.
“It’s humbling, every time we do a trip… it’s humbling,” says Klischer.
Samaritan’s Purse had a huge presence in western North Carolina—also providing relief to people stricken by Helene, with semi trucks full of supplies.
