Pride of Australia: Volunteer pilot Shaun Aisen waiting in the wings for Angel Flight patients

SHAUN Aisen reckons jetting hundreds of patients around Australia has never kept him more grounded. Now the dedicated volunteer pilot is waiting in the wings after being nominated for a Pride of Australia award.

SHAUN Aisen reckons jetting hundreds of patients around Australia has never kept him more grounded.

It’s ironic, of course, because the career pilot spends most of his time in the air.

For more than two decades, the committed 53-year-old has picked up patients in remote areas and flown them to the city for non-emergency treatment as a volunteer for Angel Flight.

He has notched up more than 428 flights since he first took off for the worthy cause.

Mr Aisen has been nominated for a Pride of Australia award.

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Pilot Shaun Aisen pictured with five-year-old Savannah Gifford and Mum Teigan who travelled to Melbourne with Angel Flight. Picture: Alex Coppel

“To know you are making a tangible difference to somebody’s life, that you are having a positive impact, is a special thing,” Mr Aisen said.

“Flying has always been a great love but being able to use it as an opportunity to give back by contributing to the wider community is great.”

Angel Flight offers free trips to patients in need of non-emergency care, co-ordinating as many as 20 flights a day.

Mr Aisen said the flights cut out the travel time for trips that could otherwise prove too arduous for patients who ­needed care.

Pilot Shaun Aisen pictured with five-year-old Angel Flights patient Savannah Gifford. Picture: Alex Coppel

Angel Flight chief executive Marjorie Pagani said Mr Aisen’s contribution was ­invaluable.

“Pilots like Shaun are the backbone of the Angel Flight community and without them Angel Flight wouldn’t exist,’’ she said.

“Shaun gets to do something he loves while helping people who really need help.

“Shaun has flown more Angel Flight missions than any other pilot registered with us and we are immensely grateful for his contribution and the ­assistance he has provided to people who really need the help.

“He has made a huge difference to the lives of hundreds of rural and regional people going through difficult times.”