Banyan Update - Haiti Relief Efforts

Business Aviation - The First Responders for a Country in Need

Within two hours of the earthquake in Haiti, pilots were asking about conditions for flying. The very next morning general aviation started relief efforts. Hop-A-Jet provided transport for the University of Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospital. Their relief efforts, called Medisharle, resulted in getting a tent hospital underway in Haiti and transporting numerous doctors.

The generosity of private aircraft owners and corporate operators is a blessing. In today’s challenging economic times, aircraft owners are willing to donate their aircraft, personnel, crews and time to help a disparate country. Many of these aircraft owners are not involved with any organization and have felt compelled to help at their own expense.

There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that general aviation has been one of the most effective first responders in this earthquake and in particular with relief efforts. With no airline service and large aircraft only able to use Port Au Price due to runway length, the smaller aircraft utilized the smaller runways, landed in rural areas and could make changes to the itinerary easily.

Corporate Aircraft Responding in Emergencies (CARE) Mobilizes

CARE is a network of aviation specialists who assist as first responders to catastrophic events, helping to place non-profits and NGOs in need of air transportation services with companies and groups donating their aircraft and flight crews available to fly on behalf of response efforts

The initial contact for aircraft, groups and flight requests to Haiti from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport was Robin Eissler. Eissler has numerous connections with many organizations; such as NBAA, the Military, State Department and the United Nations. Eissler was instrumental in relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina and is now doing the same for Haiti efforts.

In the Haiti case, Eissler would get calls from medical personnel looking for an aircraft to take them to Haiti and pilots looking for advice on how to safely fly a mission to Haiti.

Eissler called Sean Anthony at Windsor Jet Management to see if they could handle the cargo being assembled for Haiti, then she called Don Campion at Banyan Air Service to ask if Banyan could handle the ground support and people, and she also called JSSI Jet Support to assist with ground handling and coordination. This was the beginning of an operation that grew beyond everyone’s expectation. 

The Process

Robin Eissler and Marianne Stevenson of CARE take all the phone calls relating to people and shipments wanting to go to Haiti. They gather the intelligence on what aircraft operator’s needs to know, such as what airport is open, where supplies are urgently needed, what products are required and decide on meeting the highest priorities for flights.

Shipments of Donations Flood to Windsor Jet Management

Organizations wanting to help call to arrange a drop off of much needed supplies. Pallets of donations are warehoused in a hangar, labeled and inventoried until a flight is coordinated. Some of the organizations that are involved include; Clean The World, Joy in Hope, Hands & Feet, Bahamas Habitat and Love Beyond Borders. 

Haiti Bound People Fill Banyan’s Lobby

Banyan’s lobby has been filled with hundreds of volunteers ranging from pilots, 1^st responders, fire-fighters, religious groups, surgeons and other volunteers catching flights arranged by Eissler to Haiti.  Banyan’s team helps with 24-hour fuel, crew and passenger coordination, the loading of cargo and ground handling of the flights.  

Special Haiti Relief Fuel Price

To help with the fuel expenses, Banyan established a special Haitian Relief Fuel Price for any missions flying to Haiti. 

Scoping out Haiti Airports

Adam Schaefer, Tradewind Aviation, has been instrumental in Haiti relief efforts for the past two weeks. He has used his Caravan aircraft to examine airports for fuel, safety and overall conditions all across Haiti, including roads and off airport sites for aircraft to land and distribute supplies to the stricken nation. He has completed more than 40 flights into the road in Leogane. 

On one of his road landings he struck a tree which causes some wing damage. He arrived at Banyan January 27 for wing repairs and other items needing repair by Banyan technicians.

His Caravan landed at FXE and taxied to Customs. After clearing Customs, he taxied over to Banyan entering the ramp at Bravo 1. He received a police car to escort towards Banyan and as his aircraft passed Jet Cafe the Fire Department saluted him with a fire hose water arch over his aircraft. He was then welcomed with a thunderous applause from Banyan teammates and met by a camera crew.

Mike O’Keeffe of Banyan flew a King Air 300 full of supplies down to Jacmel to assist an orphanage with supplies and to understand the conditions and logistics of flying a mission to Haiti so he could help coordinate operations and instruct the pilots with first hand knowledge.

The Process Become More Efficient

With each day, the relief process becomes more efficient. More items are delegated such as, flight plans, customs information, etc. CARE assigned people as base coordinators for the different Haiti airports as well as a base coordinator in the U.S. Any questions about a particular airport go directly to the base coordinator in that area.

There are base coordinators assigned to the following areas and airports:

Leogane Road, Cap Hatien, Jecmal, Port de Paix, Santiago and Santa Domingo.

Red Cross Efforts

Red Cross International set up a receiving area in Banyan’s hangar to welcome and help citizens returning from Haiti. They met orphans brought in and help them connect with their new families and coordinate between the organizations and US Customs and Border Protection. (The orphans entering the US are those whose adoption paperwork was in process before the earthquake.)

Citation X pilot, Rob Krueger, of I Works Inc. flew this young orphan from Haiti to meet his adoptive parents.

FXE  Efforts

The Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE) is playing a huge role in bringing supplies and personnel to Haiti. In addition to the ground support offered by the FBOs, Hop A Jet, Sky Limo and other charter companies along with numerous corporate operators are involved. Thank you to United States Customs, Border Protection at FXE, Airport Operations, and the Control Tower staff who have been very accommodating with complicated flight plans to the small airports in Haiti.

United States Customs at FXE responded to the crisis by staying open 24-hrs.

Update as of January 27, 2010

• 72 Aircraft and crews have been donated for flights
• 275 Flights have taken place
• 1240 Passengers moved
• 255,000 lbs of cargo transported
• About 15 orphans transported
• One critically injured transported, Yadissa 12 years old Yadissa was going into town with $7 in her pocket to buy food for her family and she was hit by a vehicle crushing her pelvis. She was brought to FXE and transported to a Broward General Hospital. Tina O’Keeffe of Banyan is keeping an eye on her and visiting her. O'Keefe was there when Yadissa came to FXE and O'Keefe was interviewed on a news broadcast.

Quote From Don Campion

Banyan President, Don Campion said:

“Once again business and private aviation along with Windsor Jet Management, CARE, JSSI Jet Support and Banyan Air Service has lead the way in saving lives and placing supplies and personnel in the places most desperate while the military and government agencies work through international policy and political protocol. U.S. Customs, Border Patrol, FAA and FXE Airport Administration worked with business aircraft owners to get aircraft into small airports where government aircraft aid teams had not arrived.  We have many stories of generous aircraft owners allowing us to use their aircraft to complete a specific mission resulting in hundreds of lives being saved.”

About Banyan Air Service

Banyan Air Service located at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport is a 24-hour FBO providing comprehensive aviation services, including aircraft fueling, hangar services, ground support, aircraft sales and management, heavy maintenance and turbine engine service, structural repairs, and avionics service and installations. For more information on Banyan, visit www.banyanair.com.