CORPORATE ANGEL NETWORK
‘We want to be like Ted Lasso’
Corporate Angel Network matches cancer patients needing transport to and from hospitals with the scheduled missions of corporate flight departments. Words: Mike Stones
70,000 cancer flights and counting: Celebrating the landmark are (L to R) Learjet pilots Dominick Hanson and Bruce Hanson, of Hanson Communications, cancer patient Michael Newton and CAN’s Courtney Easton.
CORPORATE ANGEL NETWORK
‘We want to be like Ted Lasso’
Corporate Angel Network matches cancer patients needing transport to and from hospitals with the scheduled missions of corporate flight departments. Words: Mike Stones
70,000 cancer flights and counting: Celebrating the landmark are (L to R) Learjet pilots Dominick Hanson and Bruce Hanson, of Hanson Communications, cancer patient Michael Newton and CAN’s Courtney Easton.
TED LASSO, the fictional US soccer coach of the hit Apple TV+ series of the same name, seems an unlikely role model for the cancer charity Corporate Angel Network (CAN). But within Lasso’s relentless optimism, empathy and relationship-based coaching philosophy, the charity draws inspiration for its mission. This is to match cancer patients needing free transport to and from hospital for life-saving medical care with the scheduled routes of corporate flight departments.
“The organisation wants to be here, there and everywhere – like Ted Lasso,” says Courtney Easton, vice president of Development, CAN. “We want to be everywhere that business aviation is to grow and ensure flight departments are aware of us and that cancer patients know that we're here too as a resource.”
Operating throughout North America, the charity has just two rules. The aircraft – whether jets or more recently turboprops – must be pressurised, for medical reasons, and two pilots are required on each flight.
“CAN exists to ensure that no cancer patients are prevented from receiving life-saving care because of the cost or the complexity of the travel they need,” says Easton. “So, we match open seats on business aircraft with patients needing to reach treatment at no cost to the patient or the corporation.”
Easton is keen to stress these are not dedicated flights – they fit within existing corporate travel plans. “Our model is that executives are already flying around the country and typically they have open seats on board,” she says. “We simply ask them to give those seats to a patient and a caregiver.”
The answer for many flight departments is a resounding: Yes. The charity organises about 1,800 patient flights each year. But that’s fewer than half of the more than 4,100 flight requests received. All patient transfer requests are treated equally – there is no means testing of patients. “We will try to help anyone with a cancer diagnosis who needs a flight, regardless of their personal circumstances,” explains Easton. “We will help them as many times as they need to fly – from their initial diagnosis all the way through their treatment – even after they become cancer free.”
Patients of all ages – from 1 month to 92 years old – have benefited from the charity’s help.
The first flight took place on December 22nd, 1981, when Safe Flight Instruments of White Plains, New York carried a patient home to Detroit after treatment in New York City.
Since then, the charity has worked with more than 500 corporations and occasionally wealthy individuals who want to use their personal aircraft to transport patients. CAN partners with flight departments from Alaska to the Deep South but it’s constantly looking for new partners to help meet patient flight requests.
Key IT enablers of the charity’s work are the bespoke software package called CueTree coupled with flight sharing software like BART, PFM, CAMP, FOS and Tripplanning.biz. Together, they enable the charity to sift thousands of corporate flight plans to match them with patient requests. “We are super lucky to have this automatic feed system that tells us the date and time of corporate flights for us to match with passenger requests. There’s no extra work put on the plates of the partners that we're working with.”
Easton describes the charity’s workforce as “small but mighty”. It currently employs five full-time staff and three volunteers who work part time. Also, there are about 27 ambassadors for the charity – a project launched by the charity’s president and CEO Robert Stangarone last year. (Later in this article, CJI speaks to CAN ambassador Stephanie Goetz).
Funding is supplied by corporate and individual donations supplemented by the charity’s annual fundraising event called Fund an Angel. Typically taking place during the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE), the event gathers donations through corporate sponsorships, winning bids on auction items – such as holiday vacation packages, aviation memorabilia and ticket purchases for the evening reception.
Nick and his wife prepare to board a business jet for the flight home after his cancer treatment in New York City.
Three-year-old Lyanna (and friends) are ready for their flight home to Chicago. This follows her cancer treatment in New York City.
Donations are also made by families who have been directly impacted by cancer. Plus, the charity benefits from free media promotion in publications such as CJI.
Companies are motivated to support the charity with flights not simply “out of the kindness of their hearts”, says Easton – although that remains an important factor. Many corporate flight departments want to help as part of their corporate social responsibility mission. It also helps to build team morale, she says, after interviewing a range of corporate companies, as part of a promotional video project.
After attending the National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA’s) Schedulers & Dispatchers conferences, Easton reports delegates “with tears in their eyes” thanking the charity for the opportunity to help cancer patients. “They were very moved by the opportunity to help cancer patients because so many familities are touched by the illness.”
Often, corporate partners support the charity without public recognition. “No one knows that companies are doing this, so it’s all happening behind the scenes,” says Easton. “That’s really a testament to how these organisations want to give back, even if the public doesn't know about it. Many request anonymity. We would love to shout it from the rooftops, but we understand and respect requests for anonymity.”
So, any help the charity receives in promoting its work is welcome, according to the organisation. “Many cancer patients still don't know that this service exists, and strengthening partnerships with hospitals and cancer centres and support groups will really allow us to reach more people who are looking for that help,” Easton tells us.
A key recent development has been opening up aircraft eligibility to include pressurised turboprop aircraft. “This brings an entirely new segment of operators who can potentially help our mission. Plus, there's a significant opportunity in raising awareness.”
Many cancer patients still don't know that the charity’s free transport service exists. To remedy that CAN is working to strengthen partnerships with hospitals, cancer centres and support groups to reach more people who need help. Similarly, new entrants to business aviation are often unaware of the charity.
Easton sums up the charity’s proposition to the industry like this: “The business aviation community has the power to save lives simply by offering open seats on flights they are already operating. My hope is that readers walk away thinking: ‘We should be part of this – how do we get involved?’”.
So, perhaps Ted Lasso is a less surprising role model for the charity than might be expected. Borrowing Lasso’s easy charm, determination to beat seemingly unbeatable odds and forge partnerships could well inspire the organisation to recruit more corporate flight departments to help more cancer patients.
It’s a philosophy best summed up in Lasso’s folksy wisdom: “You say impossible, but all I hear is I'm possible.” Just don’t offer him a cup of tea. While Lasso may have come to love the British game of soccer, that passion does not extend to Britain’s national drink. “I always figured that tea was just gonna taste like hot brown water. And you know what? I was right. It’s horrible.”
Meg received roundtrip transport with her husband from Ohio to Houston to consult with doctors and seek a second opinion on her cancer diagnosis.
Sporting a pilot’s cap, seven-year-old Geneva (AKA Neva) is about to fly home to California. The flight, following cancer treatment in New York City, is one of two made possible by two corporate partners.
A patient’s perspective
FLIGHTS TO and from medical treatment, organised by Corporate Angel Network (CAN), were not just an economic and medical necessity but life-affirming for 24-year-old cancer patient Rahul. (We are withholding his full name to protect his privacy).
“Since the very beginning of my diagnosis, I was adamant that my family should not be further burdened by my diagnosis when it came to paying for treatment and travel,” Rahul tells CJI. “I can imagine having a child myself who is going through something like this, which is such a burden.”
Rahul has been forced to put his studies as an aerospace engineering student “on the backburner” after his diagnosis. But, at least, his concerns about money have been mitigated by the free flights that CAN organised. “The fact that I’m still on a student budget does not help in the slightest. Without the CAN flights, I would have had to fly on the cheapest ticket available,” he says.
But it’s not just about the money. Business jet travel afforded him the pain-free travel that would have been impossible flying with a commercial carrier. “As part of my cancer treatment, I have been having surgery on my knee, going through airport TSA [Transportation Security Administration] and being scrunched into the sardine can seats of your average commercial flight would have been absolutely excruciating.”
Rahul needs medical treatment at a specialist facility in Yale, Connecticut. To help, CAN has arranged numerous flights on Dassault Falcon 2000LXS and Dassault Falcon 900EX jets from airports in his home state of Georgia. “I never take these flights for granted,” he tells us. “I am grateful to the corporations who flew me and to Corporate Angel Network for allowing my family to fly with me.”
But there’s another reason CAN flights mean so much to Rahul. They remind him of happy days studying for his Private Pilots Licence. “My favourite thing about my trip with Corporate Angel Network was being able to sit up front with the pilots for the entire duration of the flight from Georgia to Connecticut. Talking shop with them made me the happiest I had been in a long time. Sitting in the cockpit wearing an aviation headset talking to my ‘people’, listening to the radio chatter of ATC [Air Traffic Control] immersed me in the environment I used to enjoy so much before I got sick.”
Rahul loves flying in the cockpit of business jets.
The operators’ stories
HONEYWELL FLIGHT OPERATIONS
OFFERING free travel for cancer patients travelling to and from life-saving medical treatment on Honeywell’s corporate jets has become even more important since the Covid pandemic, says Dave Armstrong, vice president of Flight Operations.
“The decline in regional, commercial airline schedules has made it even more difficult for patients to source transport for life-saving medical care,” says Armstrong. “We are happy to work with Corporate Angel Network to offer free places to patients and their carers on our flights.”
The charity matches patients’ travel requests with scheduled corporate flights so there’s no cost to companies in supporting the flights. Honeywell sees the opportunity to help patients as a chance to give back to society. The company has been finding places for patients on its jets since 1983 and, so far, has flown more than 670 flights with those in need of urgent cancer care. Last year, Honeywell’s Flight Department carried 19 CAN passengers on 12 flights.
After personally flying some of these missions, Armstrong can’t forget them. “Flying with CAN patients is a moving experience,” the former F-14 Tomcat pilot tells CJI. “You feel grateful that you can help, though a little helpless that you're playing such a small role. But it’s good to help them in any way we can.”
It’s not just the convenience of flying on a business jet or avoiding the discomfort of queues and security checks of airline travel. Corporate flights can protect people’s health, he says. “You feel you're playing a small part to help them avoid large cabin aircraft especially if their immune system can be down. Also, we often carry a patient’s carer or partner and you feel for the work they are putting in.”
All Honeywell flight crews feel the same – particularly when the patients are children, he says. “I’m amazed at how courageous patients are. They are always upbeat, put on a brave face and are very polite and appreciative. I admire these people.”
No restrictions are placed on the Honeywell flights CAN travellers can use. If there are empty seats that fit patients travel requirement, they are welcome to use them – regardless of what company executives – including the CEO – may be travelling on the jet.
Honeywell offers flights throughout the US from its bases in Charlotte, North Carolina and Phoenix, Arizona and elsewhere. Typical city pairs include Charlotte to Boston and Houston and Dulles, Washington DC to JFK and a range of other major cities.
Due to business confidentiality, Armstrong cannot disclose the number of aircraft within the Honeywell fleet but he does acknowledge more than 20 pilots. Some of the aircraft types operated include: Gulfstream 600s, Gulfstream 650s plus Falcon 8X and Falcon 7X. In addition to executive travel, his department also helps out Honeywell’s testing division with the flight testing of avionics systems and engines.
Returning to CAN, Armstrong’s final thought is this: “I wish more companies would support CAN because it’s just the right thing to do. We have the assets and I appreciate that CAN does all the heavy lifting [in arranging flights and ground transport]. But it’s the patients and their carers who should get an award for what they’re going through and the treatment.”
HANSON COMMUNICATIONS
70,000 patient flights and counting
“It’s one way of giving back to people stuck in a difficult situation.”
Six-year-old Harvey travelled from Minnesota to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
LAST summer, Corporate Angel Network completed 70,000 cancer patient flights since its launch 44 years ago. The landmark flight was piloted by father and son team Bruce Hanson and Dominick from Hanson Communications – the family-owned Midwest telecommunications company.
Aboard the company-owned Learjet 40XR was cancer patient Michael Newton. He was making the flight from Rochester Municipal Airport, Minnesota to Westchester Airport, White Plains, New York for an appointment. A day or so later, the Hansons flew Newton back home to the Midwest.
“It’s just one way of giving back to people who are stuck in a really difficult situation,” says company owner Bruce. “We know the patients and their families are faced with major health decisions – some of them end-of- life decisions. We are glad to help with the struggles of moving to a cancer facility that can better service their specialist needs.”
The telecoms company – which provides voice, internet and television services to residential and business customers – has a full-time team of about 100 with another 20 people working part time. Bruce and Dominick handle all the flying with the occasional part-time help of a retired airline pilot friend.
Company pilot Dominick Hanson explains how CAN flights are arranged. “Every Tuesday, Corporate Angel Network will put out a list of flights that they're trying to fulfil stretching over a period of up to 45 days,” he says. “We’ll go through the list to determine whether or not we have any trips, corporate trips, that would align themselves with the charity’s requests.”
The Hansons fly their Learjet up to about 350 hours a year. Last year, seven flights carried patients and carers suggested by the charity. While most flights are to destinations in the Midwest, occasionally longer legs are flown to the East Coast or Houston, Texas. Sometimes, the company will even re-route corporate flights to accommodate CAN passengers’ travel needs. Over the company’s 16-year involvement with the charity, Bruce Hanson estimates they have carried patients on close to 100 flights.
Dominick reports a mixture of reactions when flying patients and their carers. “There’s a rewarding feeling that we are doing something to help. But, also, a feeling of the struggle that they're going through,” he tells us. “It’s something that is so easy for us to do and you know you’re making a difference in their life to help their medical process.”
The Hansons also know many of the patients they carry suffer compromised immune systems – either due to their medical condition or its treatment. So, travelling by corporate jet and avoiding commercial airlines helps to safeguard their health. Up to about 90% of CAN flights involve two passengers. Occasionally, there are three or more passengers, usually to accommodate travel for parents with a paediatric patient.
Bruce Hanson recommends any flight department with the appropriate resources to partner with the charity. “If you have the availability with your flight schedule and crew and a capable aircraft, it’s a no brainer to support Corporate Angel Network.”
The ambassador’s story
Pilot, polymath and entrepreneur, Stephanie Goetz was appointed an ambassador for Corporate Angel Network in July last year. With five jet type ratings, Goetz flies the Bombardier Global 6000, Cessna Citation V and The Pink Jet, which is an Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatros military jet trainer that promotes breast cancer awareness. She is also an award-winning broadcaster and motivational speaker. Here, Goetz explains what she wants to achieve as a CAN ambassador.
CJI: Why did you want to work as a CAN ambassador?
Stephanie Goetz (SG): It was a perfect fit. I accepted the role of Corporate Angel Network ambassador because CAN represents the best version of aviation – where capability, access and compassion intersect.
Aviation has given me extraordinary opportunities, but it has also shown me how powerful flight can be when it’s used in service of others. CAN’s mission – providing dignified, seamless access to care for patients during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives – deeply aligns with my own values and philanthropic work.
Through my involvement with The Pink Jet, I’ve seen firsthand how meaningful it is when people feel supported, seen and cared for beyond the logistics. CAN does this with remarkable discretion, professionalism and humanity and that approach resonates strongly with me. Accepting this role felt less like taking on a title and more like stepping into responsibility – to amplify a mission that deserves broader awareness, to engage corporate and aviation leaders who can make a tangible difference and to represent aviation not just as an industry, but as a force for good.
CJI: What do you want to achieve?
SG: I want to help expand both the reach and the impact of Corporate Angel Network’s mission. Practically, my goal is to increase awareness and participation among corporate leaders, flight departments and aviation partners who may not yet realise how easily they can make a meaningful difference through CAN. Many organisations have the capability to help – they simply need a trusted bridge to the mission. I want to be part of building that bridge.
I also want to help elevate understanding of CAN not just as a charitable organisation, but as an exceptionally well-run, professional and compassionate operation that reflects the very best of aviation. By sharing stories thoughtfully and responsibly, I hope to inspire long-term engagement, not one-time support.
Finally, I want to ensure that the mission continues to be represented with integrity, dignity and empathy – honouring the patients and families served while strengthening the network of partners who make these flights possible.
CJI: What’s your personal motivation in taking on the role?
SG: Business aviation and giving back have always been important parts of my flying journey. It's particularly special to get to mix those two passions through supporting CAN’s mission. I believe in the CAN mission, so I’m highly motivated and I know that CAN is an effective, highly experienced, well-proven organisation that saves and enhances the lives of patients going through the worst times of their lives.
CJI: What skills and qualities are you bringing to this role?
SG: As an ambassador for CAN, I bring a blend of credibility, visibility and lived empathy. I operate at the intersection of aviation, leadership and storytelling.
As a pilot flying business and warbird aircraft and a speaker working with high-performing organisations, I’m comfortable engaging executives, flight departments, and corporate partners in a way that is both relatable and mission-aligned. I understand how to communicate with decision-makers and inspire action without friction.
Stephanie Goetz sees her work as a CAN ambassador as “a perfect fit”.
The ambassador’s story
Pilot, polymath and entrepreneur, Stephanie Goetz was appointed an ambassador for Corporate Angel Network in July last year. With five jet type ratings, Goetz flies the Bombardier Global 6000, Cessna Citation V and The Pink Jet, which is an Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatros military jet trainer that promotes breast cancer awareness. She is also an award-winning broadcaster and motivational speaker. Here, Goetz explains what she wants to achieve as a CAN ambassador.
CJI: Why did you want to work as a CAN ambassador?
Stephanie Goetz (SG): It was a perfect fit. I accepted the role of Corporate Angel Network ambassador because CAN represents the best version of aviation – where capability, access and compassion intersect.
Aviation has given me extraordinary opportunities, but it has also shown me how powerful flight can be when it’s used in service of others. CAN’s mission – providing dignified, seamless access to care for patients during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives – deeply aligns with my own values and philanthropic work.
Through my involvement with The Pink Jet, I’ve seen firsthand how meaningful it is when people feel supported, seen and cared for beyond the logistics. CAN does this with remarkable discretion, professionalism and humanity and that approach resonates strongly with me. Accepting this role felt less like taking on a title and more like stepping into responsibility – to amplify a mission that deserves broader awareness, to engage corporate and aviation leaders who can make a tangible difference and to represent aviation not just as an industry, but as a force for good.
CJI: What do you want to achieve?
SG: I want to help expand both the reach and the impact of Corporate Angel Network’s mission. Practically, my goal is to increase awareness and participation among corporate leaders, flight departments and aviation partners who may not yet realise how easily they can make a meaningful difference through CAN. Many organisations have the capability to help – they simply need a trusted bridge to the mission. I want to be part of building that bridge.
I also want to help elevate understanding of CAN not just as a charitable organisation, but as an exceptionally well-run, professional and compassionate operation that reflects the very best of aviation. By sharing stories thoughtfully and responsibly, I hope to inspire long-term engagement, not one-time support.
Finally, I want to ensure that the mission continues to be represented with integrity, dignity and empathy – honouring the patients and families served while strengthening the network of partners who make these flights possible.
CJI: What’s your personal motivation in taking on the role?
SG: Business aviation and giving back have always been important parts of my flying journey. It's particularly special to get to mix those two passions through supporting CAN’s mission. I believe in the CAN mission, so I’m highly motivated and I know that CAN is an effective, highly experienced, well-proven organisation that saves and enhances the lives of patients going through the worst times of their lives.
CJI: What skills and qualities are you bringing to this role?
SG: As an ambassador for CAN, I bring a blend of credibility, visibility and lived empathy. I operate at the intersection of aviation, leadership and storytelling.
As a pilot flying business and warbird aircraft and a speaker working with high-performing organisations, I’m comfortable engaging executives, flight departments, and corporate partners in a way that is both relatable and mission-aligned. I understand how to communicate with decision-makers and inspire action without friction.
Stephanie Goetz sees her work as a CAN ambassador as “a perfect fit”.
CAN YOU HELP?
Every year about 200,000 cancer patients travel 40 miles or more for life-saving medical treatment, according to the American Cancer Society. As this number grows, so does the need for donations and volunteer companies and individuals to help fly patients and their carers to and from the specialist medical centres that help them fight the disease.
If you would like to make a donation to support Corporate Angel Network or help by offering free places in a pressurised turboprop aircraft or jet with two pilots on a pre-existing route, please contact the charity at +1 914-328-1313 or email [email protected].
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