Each year, LifeLine Pilots proudly honors a select group of volunteer pilots whose dedication, generosity, and impact go above and beyond. These awards recognize not only flight hours and mission counts, but the spirit of service that defines our community with reliability, compassion, and a deep commitment to helping others.
For more than four decades, the Midwest nonprofit volunteer pilots have flown a total of more than 6.9 million miles and completed over 12,000 mission flights, all with a 100% safety record. Their continued growth reflects the profound impact of providing free non-emergency medical flights to help individuals access essential care.
“Our annual LifeLine Pilots awards celebrate our pilots, and the volunteer work they do each day,” said Lindsey Kerr, Executive Director of LifeLine Pilots. “Pilots are essential to our mission of helping people safely access distant care such as ongoing treatments, second opinions, or scheduled surgeries.”
From the moment a pilot accepts a mission request to the safe and timely landing near their passenger’s medical destination, they serve as stewards caring for those traveling far from home for necessary medical care. It takes a rare kind of volunteer—someone highly skilled in aviation but also committed to selfless service, generous use of their time and aircraft, and compassion and respect for those they fly. It’s with this spirit that our pilots make each flight a true lifeline.
To every volunteer pilot who gives their time, skill, and aircraft to help others, thank you. LifeLine Pilots exists because of your unwavering commitment to safety, collaboration, and compassionate service.
We’re honored to present the 2025 award categories, criteria, and recipients below.
Pilot of the Year Award
Our Pilot of the Year Award honors the pilot who has completed the greatest number of flight legs, hours, and miles flown in the previous year.
Winner: Claud Morgan
Home State: Minnesota
Aircraft: Cirrus SR22T
In 2024, Claud Morgan flew twenty-seven flights, covering a total of 6,391 nautical miles. As a LifeLine Pilots volunteer since 2021, Claud brings decades of aviation experience. He flew medevac helicopters during the Vietnam War. That life-saving experience inspired him to leave behind a planned career in finance and pursue medicine as an emergency room doctor.
Today, Claud lives near Minneapolis with his wife, close to their daughter and grandchildren. His retirement hobby is flying as many passengers as time and finances allow, so they can access the best medical care throughout the Midwest.
Wanda Whitsitt Founder’s Award
This Legacy Award honors a pilot who has demonstrated an enduring, multi-year commitment to LifeLine Pilots. This long-time volunteer consistently leads in both flight legs and hours flown, and who goes above and beyond by supporting difficult and last-minute flights and may also provide financial support.
Winner: Chuck Malek
State: Illinois
Aircraft: Cessna P210
This year, we are proud to recognize Chuck Malek, a dedicated LifeLine Pilots volunteer for the past 21 years. In that time, he has flown forty-eight flight legs, covering 10,462 nautical miles, 192 Hobbs at an estimated cost of $140,160 in kind donations.
Chuck is always willing to step in and fly any mission leg, at any time. He is known for his clear communication, thoughtful coordination, and unwavering focus on passenger comfort. Chuck has seen the organization through many different cycles and has been a consistent and reliable flyer over the years.
Hangar of Honor Award
This Hangar of Honor award recognizes a pilot who has gone above and beyond in the previous year. This is a pilot who took last-minute flights and went out of their way to help passengers in need.
Winner: Bob Luchene
State: Illinois
Aircraft: Piper Comanche
A member since 2023, Bob Luchene has flown twenty-five flight legs a combined distance of 5,419 nautical miles. He fills flights at the last minute and is always willing to go out of his way to help mission coordinators with flights that are last minute or have a special request. Bob’s friendly and confident demeanor always inspires confidence with the new and returning passengers.
Blue Sky Award
The recipient of the Blue Sky Award is a volunteer who may or may not be a pilot. They have given their time, talent, and treasure to LifeLine Pilots. This volunteer goes above and beyond the normal call of duty.
Winner: Mike Tumbleson
State: Illinois
Aircraft: Piper/PA-32 series
Mike Tumbleson joined LifeLine Pilots in 2023, stepping in during flight coordination for young passenger Jackson G. Since then, he’s flown twenty-eight flight legs covering 4,766 nautical miles.
Mike is a passionate pilot who often helps with last-minute or hard-to-fill flights—even those slightly outside his usual range. He flew for Plane Fun Day, treated staff to discovery flights, and brought our young passenger Jackson, and his family, to Peoria to visit the office and share a donation. Known for his confidence in the cockpit and endless “fish” stories, Mike brings both skill and spirit to every mission.
LifeLine Pilots Special Recognition Award
This new Special Recognition Award highlights a unique and successful partnership that helps fulfill our mission of helping people access medical care far from home.
Winner: Wings4Vets
Location: Nationwide
Aircraft: Many
Our inaugural Special Recognition Award goes to Wings4Vets, a volunteer pilot organization that focuses solely on helping veterans and their families when they need to access remote medical care or have certain humanitarian needs. Their motto – “Veterans Helping Veterans” – is reflected in every mission they fly.
Lacking the manpower to perform outreach and coordination, Wings4Vets representative Chris Fillar reached out to LifeLine Pilots in 2022. A unique partnership was crafted with LifeLine Pilots doing the verification and coordination and Wings4Vets completing the missions. In the past 3 years, we have collaborated on more than fifty-seven mission flights with Wings4Vets. We’re deeply grateful for their trust and support, which has allowed us to serve passengers we otherwise could not.
When conditions are not possible to fly veteran passengers via small aircraft, Wings4Vets provides commercial airline flight reimbursements to ensure veterans and their families can still access care. Just last year, Wings4Vets provided $5,000 in commercial airline flight reimbursements for veteran passengers.
If you’re a pilot interested in joining our mission, visit www.lifelinepilots.org/volunteer to learn more.
To request a free medical flight or support LifeLine Pilots mission, call 1-800-822-7972 or visit www.lifelinepilots.org.