Going above and beyond

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Hoffman has undertaken six PALS flights over the course of a year and a half, transporting people from ages 5 to 50 who have a variety of medical conditions, with Kessel serving as his copilot. According to Minogue, patients are accepted on a case-by-case basis, but most have an acute or chronic condition, although they must be ambulatory. The organization also transports wounded veterans to see their families while they undergo treatment.

The flights typically cover 200 to 600 miles, up to three hours of air time. PALS pilots travel as far west as Ohio and as far south as Virginia, but the organization coordinates with other volunteer pilot organizations for patients who need to travel farther. Hoffman uses his own his own plane, a Beach Sierra, which he keeps at the Republic Airport in Farmingdale, near the PALS headquarters.

During the flights, he said, it’s important to communicate with the patient, not only to review airplane procedures, but also to keep the patient calm. Pilot and passenger often forge a relationship that extends beyond the flight. “During the flight itself,” he said, “we always have really good conversations.”

One 17-year-old girl, Taylor Walpole, has flown 22 times with PALS for treatment of an autoimmune disease, once with both Hoffmans: Lori drove Taylor and her mother from the Ronald McDonald House in New Hyde Park — which provides free housing for people who receive treatment at North Shore LIJ — to Republic, and Warren flew her to the Fulton County Airport in Oswego, where the Walpole family lives.

The pair are due back on Long Island for a checkup next May, and Lori said she already has plans to take them shopping at Roosevelt Field. “You instantly click with these people,” she said. “I never felt uncomfortable driving any of them. Every one is so nice, so appreciative.”

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