Hurricane Katrina was the costliest, deadliest, and most destructive catastrophe in U.S. history. Following the 2005 disaster, the economy of New Orleans, Louisiana, eroded. The lack of humanitarian assistance, including volunteer aviation pilot services, negatively affected residents and contributed to the city's financial collapse. Gaining outside assistance after a disaster is essential for market recovery. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how a nonprofit organization may attract more first responder volunteer aviation pilots. Chaos theory and Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory served as the interwoven conceptual framework. The primary research question was a determination of the contributing factors that might raise the level of awareness concerning a shortage of volunteer pilots in support of the public benefit flying industry. Data came from telephone interviews with 25 volunteer aviation pilots who shared their experiences of flying humanitarian missions to the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Theme exploration incorporated the responses from 9 interview questions through a fusion of the Moustakas modifications of the van Kaam and Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen methods of data analysis. Results from the study's major themes indicated that volunteers have a strong sense of obligation, costs and regulations are critical components of long-term sustainability, and the changing nature of aviation and evolving composition of volunteers are key future considerations for public benefit flying. Implications for positive social change include promoting greater awareness of volunteer aviation, increasing volunteer pilot services, and subsequently improving the long-term sustainability of public benefit of flying.
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