Amelia Air: Saving animals with airplanes

Amelia Air has an ambitious goal to save 500 animals this year. Founded by long-time aviator Dean Heistad, the airborne rescue group has been operational since August 2019. Together with his co-founder, Petra Janney, they have already liberated 170 dogs and cats from high-kill shelters, soaring them to safe-havens. 

Janney and Heistad met through a mutual friend, both pilots. When he shared his ambition to rescue animals through aviation, she said she was instantly on board.

“I didn’t even know how to fly yet,” she laughed.

 Janney, whose father is a pilot, always wanted to learn to fly someday. Amelia Air was the motivation she needed to get her flight training started. 

She had access to a 1973 Piper Challenger that her boyfriend, David, had inherited “as a generous gift from the McKnight family.” Heistad helped “get the plane airworthy,” which had been idle for years.

“I learned to fly in that plane while I helped Dean get Amelia Air off the ground,” she recalled. “Without him, I wouldn’t have connected my dream of flying with my love for animals.”

The meaning behind the name is twofold. “Amelia Air” was chosen in honor of Heistad’s first rescue with his wife, Katy — a Great Dane named Amelia, who jumped straight into the cockpit during her liberation. 

“She actually leapt up onto the wing [of the Cessna 310] and just climbed right into the cockpit,” he said. “She was excited to go somewhere in a plane. . . . We landed pretty quickly on [the name] Amelia. She’s an airport dog.”

But there’s another unique connection to the name, one that resides within Janney’s family tree. Her grandmother, Macy Putnam Janney, was a cousin to George P. Putnam. (George) Putnam, of course, was the husband of American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart.

“It’s such a perfect name for us . . . this cool connection we had before we even knew each other,” Janney told Skies.

In October 2019, she jumped right into her flight training at Whiteman Airport in California. 

“My flight instructor is also our mechanic; a great guy named Kevin Schiff,” she said. Schiff set her up for a check ride in February 2020. “Immediately, I was freaking out,” she laughed. “But I was lucky. . . . I passed my check-ride on Feb. 6, 2020 . . . [then] the whole world basically shut down due to COVID.” 

Today, Janney has around 110 flight hours.

“I’ve been rescuing animals since a couple of days after I got my license,” she said.

Janney, Heistad and volunteer pilot Dr. Rob Allen, who uses his Cessna Conquest for rescue flights, see themselves as “the missing link” for often forgotten shelter animals. Together, they work to alter their furry travelers’ fate while advocating for an “adopt don’t shop” mentality.

Since the rescue relies entirely on donations, the flights need to be orchestrated most cost-effectively. 

“Our internal metric is $100 per animal,” said Heistad. “If we can keep the cost down, we can maximize the number of animals we can rescue.” And the legal limitations mean that expansion will hinge on building relationships with commercial carriers and charitable organizations. 

“So, if we raise $25,000 per year, that’s 250 animals,” he explained. “If we bring in $50,000 this year, we’ll have the money to save 500.”

Their most successful fundraiser to date raised over $32,000 thanks to campaign manager Stacy Schecter, and some star power. The Academy Award-winning actress Allison Janney, who has three rescues of her own, also happens to be Petra’s aunt. 

 “She’s always been so supportive of our efforts, looking for ways to scale our impact,” said (Petra) Janney.

(Allison) Janney offered to “sign a few [Entertainment Weekly] West Wing magazines.” When the rest of the cast heard, they were eager to help. She took the magazines to the taping of the West Wing Special to benefit When We All Vote, where Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff, Rob Lowe, Martin Sheen, Janel Moloney, and Dulée joined the cause. 

The proud aunt took to her social media channels with a sweepstake incentive. During an appearance on Ellen, she called Petra “one of the coolest people” she knows.

Looking back, Janney laughs at how they thought they’d raise about $1,000. 

Each year, millions of animals are euthanized in North America due to overcrowding in shelters. Often, they are young and healthy, and their only fault is homelessness. Thanks to a small team of dedicated volunteers on both U.S. coasts, Amelia Air is well on its way to saving hundreds of lives in 2021.

And along the way, Janney fell in love with the animals, too. She has two rescue pit bulls, Rylee and Nala, “who are joined at the hip,” she added.

Thanks to Amelia Air, many animals have soared to safe homes.

One dog, Koke’e, was a puppy when Janney found him abandoned in Hawaii. “He was so skinny and sad, and he literally jumped into my arms when I got out of the car, just desperate to be saved,” she recalled. Named after Koke’e State Park, where he was recovered, he was flown to Los Angeles to join Janney’s pack. 

“He stayed with my mom at first in case he was sick with something that could have been contagious to our two dogs. She fell in love, and so did her two cats,” said Janney.  “It turned out that Koke’e was already home.”

There’s a common misconception that animals in shelters are unwanted or unruly. The reality is most of these at-risk pets are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Another dog, Diesel, found himself without a home when his dad, Pat, a Marine, was deployed. Unable to find anyone to take him in on such short notice, Diesel was bound for a shelter. That is until the team at Amelia Air heard his story. Diesel received an overwhelming response through the organization’s social media channels. Janney flew Diesel to his foster family, where he will stay until April when his dad returns.

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In an attempt to cover the administrative costs, the rescue is staffed by volunteers. This ensures that 100 percent of the funds donated go toward the cost of rescuing animals. Contributions are tax-exempt, and donations can be made at www.ameliaair.org