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Man and dog in plane
© Pilots N Paws - Twitter

Retired pilot now soars the skies to fly rescue pets to their forever homes

By Zoë Monk Content Writer

Published on the

After a long career flying humans around the world, David Tan is using his retirement to fly four-legged passengers. 
 

When he retired, David Tan left behind a 40-year flying career as a military professional and then private pilot. But even though he had retired, he wasn't ready to give up his wings. The only difference is that now he flies cats, dogs, pigs, goats and even the occasional bat.

Pigs (and dogs, cats and goats) can fly

It was in 2012 that David started flying animals, and since then, he's flown more than 23 cats, 360 dogs, pigs, goats, and a bat called Bruce. He works with Pilots N Paws, a non-profit organisation that arranges flights to take animals to shelters or foster care. Sometimes even to their forever homes, David's favourite part of the job. 

Over the years, David has heard some heartbreaking stories about the animals he's flying. He once flew a dog to an animal rescue after her owner wanted it put down because it had gone to the toilet in the house. Fortunately, the vet contacted an animal rescue who asked David to take the pup to a rescue centre. It's stories like these that make David so passionate about helping these animals. 

Hero pilot

David flies the animals in an Aermacchi SF-260. This two-person Italian aircraft, ironically, is the same model plan he trained on to become a rescue helicopter pilot with the Republic of Singapore Air Force for 15 years. 

The kind-hearted pilot covers all the costs of the flights himself and won't accept payment for his services. Any donations that are given to him by grateful families he passes on to rescue shelters or used to pay off the animals' vet bills. He doesn't even accept praise for what he does, saying:

"The people who really pull the weight are the rescues."

Keep up the good work David!

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