AeroAngel
Based in Denver, Colorado, AeroAngel is an aviation charity that provides free transportation, primarily to children, traveling to distant, lifesaving medical care. Flights are only provided to those with no other safe travel options, such as commercial air travel or air ambulance. It is the only nonprofit in the country providing free flights on private aircraft flown by volunteer professional pilots. In addition to using donated flight hours on various private jet aircraft, AeroAngel owns and operates a Bombardier Learjet 55.
Mark Pestal founded AeroAngel in 2010 as a non-profit corporation. A commercial pilot, Mark was also an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Denver until August 2019.
“I’ve had a passion for aviation since I was a kid and I’ve been flying since I was in college,” explains Mark. “After law school, I joined the U.S. Department of Justice. Throughout my career, flying was my hobby. Now, having retired from the DoJ after almost 30 years, I’m pursuing my hobby full time.”
“In the mid-2000s, I was on the Board of Directors of another aviation charity. It was through that experience that I became acutely aware of the unmet travel needs impacting sick children across the country. Specifically, patients living with conditions such as leukemia, who have weakened immune systems, simply cannot risk travel by regular commercial aviation. As hospitals across the country have become increasing specialized, the travel needs of medically fragile patients have become more pronounced. That realization was the spark for AeroAngel.”
“I would absolutely recommend Traxxall to other aircraft owners. Our experience has been very good. The customer support is great and the software is updated regularly – it’s not a static product. As owner/operators of a single aircraft, I could see how some might be tempted to manage maintenance on their own. But I wouldn’t recommend it. We have a high confidence level in the accuracy of the Traxxall maintenance analysis. In turn, that gives us confidence in the operational status of our aircraft. The families we serve are counting on us,”
The Challenge
“In 2018, we were very graciously gifted a Bombardier Learjet 55. So, overnight we became an aircraft owner. When we brought the Learjet to Denver, we approached Haggan Aviation for our maintenance needs. At that time, the aircraft was enrolled with another maintenance tracking provider and we had to decide about renewing the service. We consulted with Haggan, settled on Traxxall and then reached out to them.”
The Benefits of Traxxall
“Migrating to Traxxall was seamless. The Traxxall team was very helpful with getting us started. And, the fact that our maintenance service provider already had a relationship with Traxxall made it that much easier. When forecasting maintenance, Haggan Aviation and Traxxall are literally on the same page.”
“As a pilot, I like Traxxall because it’s efficient. Aircraft usage data is always up-to-date, and the user interface is simple and clean. Also, the support is very good – there’s a good team behind this product.”
A Word of Appreciation from Traxxall
“What Mark Pestal and AeroAngel do for sick kids across the country is an inspiration to us all. After we first got in contact with Mark, we knew we had to find a way to support him. Managing AeroAngel’s Learjet with maximum efficiency is essential because lives literally depend on it. Being able to make even a modest contribution to AeroAngel’s operations is a source of pride for our entire team. I would like to thank Mark and recognize his tremendous work.”
– Mark Steinbeck, President Traxxall