Ex-Pilot Spends His Retirement Life Rescuing Animals and Flying Them to Their New Families
David Tan spent decades flying planes, but retirement did not slow him down. Instead, it gave him a new mission, one that takes him across the sky with rescue animals headed for safer lives.
Working with volunteer transport groups, he has helped move dogs, cats, goats, pigs, and even a bat to shelters, foster homes, and adoptive families. What makes his story stand out is how personal he makes each trip, even when the flight is just one part of a much bigger rescue effort.
One of his most memorable passengers was Buddy, a senior dog who had waited months for a home. Read on.
David has retired from being a pilot for 40 years, and now he's spending his retirement flying rescue animals to safety.
He's from Middletown, Wisconsin, and has been a military, professional, and private pilot for four decades.
However, his retirement did not keep him out of the skies; he still uses his two-person Italian plane, the Aermacchi SF-260, for rescuing animals. The plane is typically used for smaller air forces and aerobatics.
David has been helping rescue animals by flying since 2012, and he has already flown about 360 dogs, 23 cats, some goats, pigs, and even a bat named Bruce!
The bat is named after Batman, of course.
His plane, the Aermacchi SF-260, was the same model he trained on at the very start of his career. He has truly come full circle.
He truly loved his job, and it shows.
“When I was in high school, my parents bought me flying lessons, and I got my private pilot license when I was 18,” he told Bored Panda.
“I wasn’t good at anything else but managed to do reasonably well in flying planes. It was a good career because I enjoyed what I was doing.”
But like any other journey, it wasn't easy.
“I hated the failures and errors along the way,” David said, “but ultimately, I never had an accident and never injured anyone at the controls of a plane, so there are thousands of people who are worse than I am at piloting.”
His retirement gig started when he came across Pilots N Paws—a non-profit organization that aims to save the lives of innocent animals.
It consists of plane owners and volunteer pilots who provide their services for animal transportation to foster care and shelters.
He found out about the organization after reading an aviation trade magazine. He's been a part of it ever since.
That magazine article changed everything for him.
His rescue missions are often in the southern states.
“There are just some terrible stories out there about how cruel people can be to animals, especially down south; the abandonments are horrible,” David told Dr. Michele Gelfand, cultural psychologist.
“A family would just leave them, discarding them like a piece of old furniture or something.”
He recalled saving a pup that was abandoned simply because she defecated in the house. The pup was brought by her owners to the vet to be euthanized.
However, the vet instead tried to reach a rescue group, which led to David saving her and bringing her to a rescue in Iowa.
“So that kind of gets me. I feel good when at least I can contribute to where they go,” he explained.
His favorite part of the job, of course, is bringing the animals to meet their new parents and into their forever homes.
David also works with other rescues that he had the opportunity to know during the course of his flights in rescuing animals. He works one-on-one with organizations such as Albert's Dog Lounge, Underdog Pet Rescue and Veterinary Services, and Fetch Wisconsin, among others.
Here's Buddy, an 11-year-old pup who has been patiently waiting for his new parent to claim him. One person finally decided to adopt him.
“It’s just amazing, the guys and gals who do this,” David said.
“I’ve met them at the Dane County Airport before, and there were like 10 different animals that came within a few hours. They just magically arrived, as far as we were concerned. These people are just really kind-hearted.”
Even though David's trips are purely for transportation purposes, he does take time to know his animal companions while in the air.
“You sort of say, ‘Hope you have a great rest of your life, you know?’” David said. “‘Hope these people love you forever.’”
Even though Buddy has imperfections, his new owner, Kelly, was visiting from California but fell in love with the pup.
Buddy actually spent over 140 days waiting for someone to claim him.
Buddy was dog 303 that joined David in the cockpit. They flew together toward San Diego, California, to meet Kelly.
“She wanted to help us give him the life he deserved, and she made it happen. We love you, Buddy, and we are so proud!” wrote the society.
Buddy's trip was about more than transportation, it was the final stretch to a new life.
There are times when families try to repay David for his efforts because they are grateful, but he only donates the money to rescues or to help with animals' medical bills.
“They’re always short on money, especially when it comes to medical care for the animals,” David said. “It just costs so much nowadays.”
He emphasizes that his work is purely voluntary and that he shoulders the costs. He brushes off any kind of praise and says that “the people who really pull the weight are the rescues.”
Considering that he loved his life as a pilot, he would have spent his retirement flying for leisure regardless. So why not do it for a cause instead?
We are very grateful for people like David, and we hope that he will always be safe in his flights!
Pilot or not, the world needs many more people like David Tan. It doesn't matter that he's not gaining any profit or any kind of advantage in rescuing these animals; what's important to him is that the poor creatures are transported to their forever homes, and that makes everything worth it at the end of the day!
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Want another rescue story? See how a pilot took home a dog left at San Francisco airport.
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