Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Odessa pilot giving back to community
Angel Flight Award recipient Stan Dammel helps people get to needed health care.
ODESSA - A local man "just trying to give back" to his community and neighbors has received an Angel Flight award.
Stan Dammel, 80, was recently awarded a trophy for providing 200 flights to people who needed to travel to distant locations for medical procedures and doctors appointments.
Dammel said he flew his first Angel Flight 20 years ago and "just kept plugging along."
Before he knew it, he hit the 200 million milestone and received a trophy in the mail.
"It was kind of a surprise," he said, noting Angel Flight contacted him to let him know something was being sent to him.
But he didn't know what.
"I'm not a braggy person," Dammel said. "But it's neat."
Dammel credited the local quilters guild for helping patients feel more comfortable. He also credited Carol Bell for providing Beanie Babies to children on his flights.
At his own expense, Dammel provides flights to those needing help getting elsewhere for medical appointments and procedures.
He doesn't do it for recognition. "Angel Flight is giving back to society, helping people who need to get medical attention," he said. "It's pretty rewarding to be able to help..."
Dammel doesn't know of any other Angel Flight pilots in Odessa or Lincoln County. This year alone, he's logged from 15-18 Angel Flights in his 1958 Bonanza airplane, he said.
Most flights are for scheduled medical care, he said. On occasion, he'll provide an emergency flight.
Despite the cost of fuel and aircraft maintenance, Dammel doesn't seem himself cutting back flights anytime soon. "It keeps me up to speed," he said, noting that he stays "current and competent," while fulfilling a community need.
Dammel said he enjoys helping and meeting new people.
Although he's been volunteering with Angel Flight for 20 years, he has many more years behind the yoke.
Dammel started flying in 1964 while working with Claude Rainey, an Odessa-area cropduster. Rainey was a cropduster who had his instructor permit.
"I worked with Claude in the beginning, helping him in the morning before I'd go to work," he said.
Dammel took a hiatus from flight for a while as growing up, going to college and serving in the military demanded his time.
But as time moved on, he stepped up his flights and earned his private-commercial pilots license and his instrument rating in 1977.
For several years, Dammel enjoyed his time as a general aviator, flying "any place" he could.
In the early 2000s, Dammel purchased his Bonanza. It didn't take long and he heard about Angel Flights from another pilot.
"I listened to another guy tell about what he was doing. His goal was to get to 100 (Angel Flights)," Dammel said.
He decided to volunteer his time in about 2004. He also offered other donation flights to local organizations trying to raise funds.
The Angel Flight award isn't his only aviation honor.
In 2016, Dammel received the Wright Bros. FAA Award for 50 years as a licensed pilot.
Dammel said flying is a great way to enjoy Eastern Washington. On occasion, he takes others with him.
Looking back on his 20 years with Angel Flights, "That's quiet a bit," Dammel said of his 200 missions.
He expects to log many more, noting he's going to continue providing Angel Flights "as long as I can."
"Yes, its expensive, and it pinches on some other stuff," he said. "But I'm not going to be able to do this forever. So, I'm going to do it while I can."
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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