Become a LightHawk Volunteer Pilot

LightHawk provides opportunities for 1000 hour-PIC qualified pilots to volunteer their time and aircraft to experience a different, adventurous kind of flying.

LightHawk flies for conservation across America. Our flights are focused on preserving lands, oceans and coastlines, river systems and wildlife. To see our work in your area, visit our Flight Map. We seek pilots with access to aircraft in all of our project areas.

Your missions may include collecting data or imagery, informing journalists, educating decision makers, or transporting endangered animals. Your gift of flight will help scientists, decision-makers and other changer makers, community leaders, journalists, and photographers.

LightHawk flights serve many purposes. We have need for pilots flying a variety of planes from single-engine 1-to-4 seaters for photography and aerial tours, to turboprops and jets for wildlife transport.  

“Working with LightHawk and their partners has enriched my flying experience ten fold and is very addictive. The more I fly, the more I want to fly for causes and issues in which I believe strongly.”
Bill Rush, volunteer pilot (Boulder Creek, CA)

Our community of 300 pilots is tight knit and active at regional meets and at our annual Fly-In celebration. Pilots develop great relationships with our partners and engage with conservation projects beyond the flight. Take Dave Riffle, a Volunteer Pilot who flew lynx tracking missions in the Pacific Northwest with our partner, Southern Interior Land Trust. They invited him to do on-the-ground fieldwork collaring new lynx!

Volunteers Needed, Join Us!


Interested? Fill out the form below and visit our Application Process page to discover what happens next in the adventure of becoming a LightHawk pilot.

Become A LightHawk Volunteer Pilot

About You











Your Aircraft and Qualifications

LightHawk requires a minimum of 1000 hours of PIC time to become an active VP. If you have just shy of of 1000 hours and will reach that mark in the next few months, we will consider your application.

LightHawk Volunteer pilots provide the aircraft, fuel, and all other expenses incurred on a flight






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