Special Delivery

Back in March 2020, the country mostly shut down to slow the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19. Classes switched to being online, friends stayed indoors, and sports games were canceled. But for TJ Kim, there was still one activity he could do: Fly planes!

For his 15th birthday, TJ’s dad gifted him flying lessons. In early 2020—one year later­—TJ reached a stage in his training that required cross-country flights. These were trips of 50 miles or more.

At the time, TJ was a sophomore at the Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland, which encourages students to do good in their communities. “I was still trying to get out and serve the community,” he says. So TJ and his dad came up with an idea to connect flying with community support. They called the project Operation SOS: Supplies Over the Skies. TJ used his training flights to carry personal protective equipment (PPE) to hospitals in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virgina. PPE, like masks and gloves, help health-care workers safely treat patients.

Back in March 2020, the country mostly shut down. The aim was to slow the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19. Classes moved online, friends stayed indoors, and sports games were canceled. But TJ Kim realized there was still one thing he could do: Fly planes!

TJ’s dad had gifted TJ flying lessons for his 15th birthday. By early 2020, TJ had been training for a year. The next step was to take cross-country flights. These are trips of 50 miles or more.

At the time, TJ was a sophomore at the Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland. The school encourages students to do good in their communities. “I was still trying to get out and serve the community,” says TJ. So he and his dad came up with an idea. TJ would use his training flights to carry personal protective equipment (PPE) to hospitals in his home state of Virginia. They called the project Operation SOS: Supplies Over the Skies.

Operation SOS focused on hospitals that were designated as Critical Access, which are rural hospitals that provide 24/7 emergency care, have 25 or fewer beds, and are located more than 35 miles from another hospital. “Even before the pandemic, rural hospitals were shutting down [because of lack of funding],” TJ says. “We’re trying to keep the supply chain going so that these vital hospitals can keep servicing their communities.”

On one of TJ’s first Operation SOS flights, he delivered 3,000 gloves, 1,000 head covers, 500 shoe covers, 50 nonsurgical masks, 20 pairs of protective eyewear, and 10 bottles of hand sanitizer to a hospital in Woodstock, Virginia.

His first 24 missions helped hospitals in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. TJ’s dad obtained all of the supplies through local donations.

“I still remember the gratitude in the hospital workers on my first delivery,” TJ says. “That’s been the driving force to keep me going.”

Masks, gloves, and other PPE help health-care workers safely treat patients. Operation SOS focused on hospitals that were considered Critical Access. That meant they were located in rural areas, more than 35 miles from another hospital. Critical Access hospitals provide 24/7 emergency care and have 25 or fewer beds. “Even before the pandemic, rural hospitals were shutting down [because of lack of funding],” says TJ. “We’re trying to keep the supply chain going so that these vital hospitals can keep servicing their communities.”

One of TJ’s first Operation SOS flights was to a hospital in Woodstock, Virginia. His dad collected donated supplies for TJ to transport. He delivered 3,000 gloves, 1,000 head covers, 500 shoe covers, 50 masks, 20 pairs of protective eyewear, and 10 bottles of hand sanitizer. Later missions helped hospitals in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

“I still remember the gratitude I could see in the hospital workers on my first delivery,” TJ says. “That’s been the driving force to keep me going.”