Hound Dog One returned to the skies on May 22, 2009, transporting not just one hound, but two! That's right....two missions, making a total of three so far in 2009.

The day started off at 6am as I sat in front of my computer filing flight plans and checking the weather along our routes of flight. At 730am, Kim and I headed out the door enroute to the airport to get Hound Dog One ready for her flights. Christina Dacey was my designated co-pilot for the day and she met us there at 8am. At 830am, Hound Dog One lifted off on her first leg of the day and headed into some rain-filled clouds. The flight time was approximately 30 minutes and it wasn't long before we gently touched down on Runway 33 at Charleston International Airport.

We met Bryan Brooks at Odyssey Aviation. The Brooks' Family had been fostering Tina Turner and now, it was time to say goodbye. Tina Turner has been adopted by the Davis Family in North Carolina. We loaded up and departed at 1000am enroute to Beaufort, NC. Flight time on this leg was two hours. As we taxied in to Segrave Aviation, Lori Davis was there waiting on us. Tina Turner was a great passenger and was very eager to meet her new Mom. With tail wagging, Christina helped her off the wing and once on the tarmac, headed towards her. After some photo opportunities and an adoption paperwork review, Lori left with Tina Turner and we loaded up again. Next stop was Greensboro, NC.

At 1pm, we departed Beaufort, NC. Flight time to Greensboro was about an hour and thirty minutes. Upon parking at Atlantic Aero, we were greeted by Sandra Lumley, Lori Yarbrough, Steve & Tammy Graves, as well as a reporter from WGHP-TV in Greensboro. Our next passenger was Ms. Cotton.

Ms. Cotton couldn't wait to board the plane. With a little help from Kim, she stormed into the cockpit and sat next to me in the co-pilot's seat. After a little "convincing", she settled onto the back sit with Kim next to her. We departed around 330pm for the two hour flight down to Charleston. Ms. Cotton was the perfect passenger as long as the Hound Handler kept petting her. As Kim is the perfectly trained Basset slave (and Hound Handler), she was happy to oblidge. Upon arrival at Odyssey Aviation, we were greated by Susan and Michael Master, Pauline Grimball, Sue Ramsey, and Twinkle Toes! Once again, we posed for photos and chatted awhile before we headed back to Hilton Head.

Below, you will find a slideshow of the pictures we took from our latest missions. In addition, I am posting the link from the news story for your viewing/reading pleasure.

It gives us great joy to help out CBHR and our Basset Hound friends and we look forward to future Hound Dog One flights. I would like to personally thank all of the volunteers out there that help make these missions possible. Keep them coming!

Ted Holstein
Hound Dog One Pilot

WGHP-TV News Story on Hound Dog One