Volunteer Pilots Honor Fallen Hero With Massive Pet Airlift

On a crisp fall Sunday at Virginia’s Culpeper Regional Airport, a small private plane touched down carrying precious cargo: three cats and thirteen dogs, including a timid pit bull mix named Jenny and her seven puppies. For these animals, the flight represented more than transportation—it was a lifeline.

The animals were part of a weekly airlift conducted by Seuk’s Army, a volunteer organization that transports pets from overwhelmed Southern animal shelters to rescue groups in the Northeast. But this particular day was special, as volunteers rallied to transport 117 animals—double their usual number—to mark the one-year anniversary of founding member Seuk Kim’s fatal crash during a rescue flight on November 24, 2024.

“Everybody really feels it,” said Sydney Galley, co-founder and CEO of the group. “But he would be so excited to see us with so many dogs.”

Kim, 49, had realized a childhood dream by learning to fly after decades in the financial sector. When he connected with Galley through an animal rescue discussion board called Pilots N Paws, he embraced the mission wholeheartedly, conducting multiple animal flights weekly and recruiting other pilots. His commitment extended beyond animal rescue; following Hurricane Helene last year, Kim delivered essential supplies to affected communities.

On his final day, Kim departed Culpeper with four dogs. After delivering one to a Maryland airport, he continued toward Albany, New York, with the remaining three. His 1986 Mooney M20J aircraft went down in New York’s Catskill Mountains after he reported encountering turbulence. The crash killed Kim and one dog, but two canines survived and were later adopted.

The tragedy initially left volunteers questioning whether they could continue. “I don’t think I can do this anymore,” Karissa Gregory, who coordinates flights alongside Galley, told fellow volunteers after Kim’s death.

But pilot Kley Parkhurst reminded the team that aviators understand and accept flying risks. Parkhurst, who also conducts charity medical flights, had no hesitation about continuing the animal transports. “I just want to keep the legacy that we started together going,” he explained.

While Kim’s family and friends mourned, news coverage of the accident brought unexpected attention to the cause, attracting new volunteers and partners. A year later, Seuk’s Army transports two to three times more animals than before, according to Gregory.

The operation involves significant personal sacrifice. Pilots use their own planes and cover flight costs, which amount to hundreds of dollars per hour. Galley, her husband and co-founder Jerry Stephens, and other volunteers largely fund veterinary bills, supplies, and other necessities out of their own pockets.

The South Carolina-based organization has started taking formal steps toward sustainability, including organizational development and fundraising initiatives like a 5K charity run held at Culpeper airport last June. Tanya Woodward, the airport manager, says a local grant writer is seeking potential donors to fund a dedicated outdoor area for the animals.

The impact of these flights extends far beyond the individual animals saved. In a country where shelters take in millions of cats and dogs annually and hundreds of thousands are euthanized due to space constraints, these transports create critical breathing room for facilities like Georgia’s Heard County Animal Control Center. Director Kyli Putzek says her 20-kennel facility, perpetually at capacity, works with Seuk’s Army to transport as many as eight pets weekly.

“It wouldn’t be the same story” without the rescue flights, Putzek acknowledged. Her facility no longer euthanizes animals due to overcrowding, thanks largely to these transport operations.

The memorial flights represented a logistical feat spanning approximately 16 airfields, seven aircraft, and numerous ground vehicles, with constant adjustments for weather conditions. Gregory monitors operations with heightened vigilance since Kim’s death.

As departure times approached at Culpeper, leashed dogs lined the tarmac like travelers at a boarding gate—each with their own story. Daisy, a 96-pound bloodhound, had lost her owner. Copper, a handsome hound, had been surrendered during a divorce. Middie had been abandoned while pregnant in Georgia. Jenny and her puppies had faced euthanasia at an Alabama shelter.

High above the mid-Atlantic coastline, co-pilot Michael Nuzback turned around in his seat during one leg of the journey. “Hello, puppies. Come say hi!” he said, carefully releasing one of Jenny’s pups from its crate. The puppy, more interested in the pilots’ laps than the Chesapeake Bay below, got a brief taste of the cockpit before being returned to safety.

The flight continued past the lights of Atlantic City and New York’s Kennedy Airport, over Long Island Sound, before landing at Groton-New London Airport in Connecticut—the final destination for Jenny, her puppies and some of their fellow travelers. The remaining animals continued to New Jersey.

In the Connecticut terminal, local rescue volunteers cradled the puppies before departing for foster homes. “They’re all headed to people’s homes,” volunteer Danielle Barth said. “A warm house.”

As night fell on the anniversary of tragedy, Kim’s legacy lived on in the hundreds of beating hearts his vision had saved—and in the volunteers who ensure his mission continues.