Wheels Up - Windy City Pilots Taking The Fight Against COVID To the Skies

Three pilots hailing from Chicago responded to the call for PPE by doing what pilots do best: kicking the tires and lighting the fires. Tony Benedetti, VP of the flying club Prestige Worldwide Aviation, LLC, has been using his wings to fly PPE to frontlines in hard-to-reach regions in the midwest.

Tony Benedetti (center), Mike Weimer (right), and "Fred" from 103.5 KISSFM (left), on the tarmac at PIA

"How this all started is I got my pilot's license in October 2019 and was messaging Fred from 103.5 KISSFM ...Found out Fred flies dogs for Pilots n Paws." Tony works full time with Wheaton-based restoration and cleaning company Servpro, which performs cleanings for commercial warehouses, offices, government facilities, and hospitals. As of writing this, Illinois has seen over 35,000 confirmed cases of COVID, and over 1500 deaths associated to the virus. Living in Chicago, Tony had become all too familiar with the impact COVID has had on the nation at multiple levels, and wanted to put his aviation experience towards helping reach hard-to-reach communities overshadowed by some of the larger hotspots. "Fast forward to Coronavirus, I reached out to [Fred] and asked if he wanted to partner up with Mike and I, and he was thrilled". Tony and his team corresponded with Karen Tsai, cofounder of DonatePPE.org, to coordinate the flyby delivery of much-needed donation to healthcare workers in the city of Peoria, Illinois.

It was clear skies on Tuesday, April 21, when Tony and his wingmen Mike Weimer and KISSFM's Fred took off from Chicago for Peoria International Airport. On the tarmac, they rendezvoused with MedSupply Drive volunteers Ryan and Mouneeb to transport their cargo the last leg of the journey to OSF St. Francis Medical Center and Unity Point Health Methodist. Included were gloves, sanitizing wipes and eye protection donated by Servpro Wheaton, beard and hair nets from food label manufacturer LabelTek, and hand sanitizer distilled by Chicago-based craft whiskey company Koval Distillery. It was a full itinerary: Tony's team also delivered PPE to the University of Chicago Medical Center that very same day.

"I wanna thank Tony, and everyone involved with that at DonatePPE for helping faciliate this" said Fred, which we've been informed is a radio moniker. On-air at 103.5 KISSFM, Fred shared plans for future supply runs on-air- "hopefully we can get more stuff and deliver it throughout the state as long as its needed!"

To Tony, Mike, and Fred we're hearing what you're doing loud and clear. You're a reminder to us all that when people come together, the sky's the limit. We here at DonatePPE.org wish you smooth air ahead and thank you for your generosity and your humanity.