Operation Airdrop

One of the aircraft from North Texas taking part in Operation Airdrop off loads at a small airport in the disaster zone. 

A small squadron of civilian, light aircraft filled the skies over the flooded areas of Houston, Conroe and East Texas Friday.  Between 50-70 pilots flew their private planes to Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport on Friday from Greenville and Commerce for Mission One of Operation Airdrop, an airlift event made up of pilots, aircraft and volunteers.  These heroes paid for fuel and provided aircraft.

A group of Fort Worth pilots organized the event in 72 hours through social media. Dozens of pilots landed their planes in the airport and personnel from The Salvation Army helped unload pounds of diapers and baby materials, toiletries and sleeping bags to distribute to storm victims.

Derek Price was one pilot based at Majors Field in Greenville.  Price reports “Just got back from another airdrop to Southeast Texas. Around 30 planes landed at a small country airport to deliver a mountain of supplies they needed on the ground.”  He went on to say “Light aircraft is not the most efficient way to deliver emergency supplies.  Medicine, for instance, is one thing that can be delivered swiftly”.  The aircraft overfly the clogged freeways and flooded rivers and streams.  They then land at small airports where volunteers unload and take the supplies by road or water to shelters where it is needed.

Russell Armstrong pilots a six-place airplane that is often found in the Alaskan bush.  The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver can carry eight or nine times the amount of cargo of a Piper Cherokee.

Original article can be found here ➤ http://www.huntcountynews.org