Oklahoma Pilot Joins 'Operation Airdrop' Supporting Hurricane Helene Recovery

Communities in Western North Carolina remain among the hardest hit by Hurricane Helene.

Recovery efforts have included the joint support of public agencies and private partners, including large-scale mobilization of volunteers from across the country.

Michael Immell, a pilot from Buffalo, Oklahoma, felt an urge to be part of the solution.

“I started talking to my family Tuesday, and I just felt like I could help,” Immell said. “And I was hearing about pilots going out and helping and making a difference.”

Immell began a quick fundraiser to help send him on his way. Fellow Oklahomans donated more than $2,000 to help cover the costs of Immell getting his plane to North Carolina.

“Seeing them get hit with that was tough,” he said, reflecting on memories of Oklahoma communities experiencing the same. “That's really what inspired me to do it. And I think, I was really nervous leaving Wednesday, but a lot of folks donated their hard-earned money.”

He left Oklahoma on Wednesday and eventually ended up in Charlotte. He spent two days shuttling for Operation Airdrop and flew a total of three missions.

It's an oddly impressive accomplishment for someone who, a year ago, had never been before the controls of an airplane before.

“I started flight training Jan. 28 of this year,” he said. “I think I got my certificate in early May, and I've been in love with aviation since I was a little kid.”

He hit 100 total flight hours in his aviation career on his way back to Oklahoma.

“The people there were just so phenomenal,” he said. “And I was there for two days, but that area and those people, really, they touched my heart.”