Spotlight: Volunteer Pilot Mark Oveson of Utah

Angel Flight West’s volunteer pilots carry out acts of generosity each day by donating their time, talent, and resources to help others. Each time a mission is flown, a patient accesses the healthcare resources they need while being uplifted with hope.??

Meet the volunteers who make it all possible in this monthly newsletter and, if you’re a pilot in the West, get involved today by visiting angelflightwest.org/pilot-page.??

Volunteer Pilot: Mark Oveson

Wing: Utah?

Aircraft: Diamond Star

AFW Member Since: 2024?

Tell us a little about yourself and how you got involved in general aviation:

Aviation has been something I wanted to do for a long time. For reasons of time and money, I never did it until a year ago. I finally reached a point where I had extra time and resources, and I decided to jump in and see how I liked it. I like to fly, and it’s great to have a reason to fly through Angel Flight West.? ?

I got interested in aviation a little later in life, and it came more from a practical perspective than a childhood dream. I have a daughter in Palo Alto, a son in Denver and family in Phoenix. These are places that take a long time to drive to but easy to fly to.

How did you hear about Angel Flight West? What made you decide to sign up?

After I had reached a certain level of proficiency, my first goal was to fly to and land at every public airport in Utah. There are 46 of those, so that kept me busy for a few months. I’d fly up to Dutch John Airport, and then Manila Airport, and hit Logan-Cache Airport on the way home. It was a great experience. That allowed me to see the state, and then I started taking trips to Idaho back and forth.? ?

After a while, you need something more to get you in the air. Helping someone else is a great reason to do that. I was hoping there was something like Angel Flight West out there. I’m glad to be involved with an organization that has been helping people for a long time.??

Tell us about your missions. Have there been any particularly impactful experiences that you’ve had that you would like to share?

One of my most memorable missions was flying two-year-old Mason from Bozeman, Montana to Salt Lake City, Utah to Primary Children’s Hospital. He’s by far my youngest passenger. I like to be able to help, and Mason’s mom was very appreciative.? ?

Why should other pilots look into getting involved with public benefit flying by signing up for Angel Flight West?

You want to fly, and you want to have a reason to fly. It’s so great to have a mission that’s meaningful, that’s helping someone out, and it’s also helping you. I become an even more proficient pilot when I think about having precious cargo on the plane with me.?

__

Learn more about our mission today at angelflightwest.org/pilot-page

Sign up to change lives through gifted flights at afids.angelflightwest.org/join