aviation – Midwest Transplant Network

An Air Force pilot sitting in the cockpit of a military aircraft.

Kelly Timmermann can fly. She’s a Corporate Pilot PIC I for Midwest Transplant Network. Her career began as an Air Force pilot and she retired as Lt. Col. Timmermann in late 2023.

March is Women’s History Month, designated by presidential proclamation in 1980. Now, Women’s History Month is an annual observance to highlight the achievements, contributions, influence and impact of women.

Midwest Transplant Network recognizes and celebrates the diversity of our staff. We appreciate sharing the stories of staff who represent different experiences that positively impact our culture and mission.

Kelly Timmermann, Corporate Pilot PIC I

Kelly Timmermann can fly. From the Air Force to Midwest Transplant Network, her career as a pilot has taken her around the world and across the country. In late 2023, Lt. Col. Timmermann retired from the Air Force after 23 years as a pilot, having experienced 13 deployments and 1,940 combat hours. She joined MTN in 2022 as a Corporate Pilot PIC I, responsible for transporting teams to cases in the mission of saving and enhancing lives through organ, eye and tissue donation.

In 50 words or less, explain your job in the Air Force like you’re talking to someone without a military background.

I began my Air Force journey as an intelligence analyst. After two years, I switched my career path to become a pilot. I primarily flew an air refueling airplane, the KC-135. But I also had the opportunity to fly distinguished passengers in the Gulfstream IV and Gulfstream V aircraft, with many leadership roles along the way.

What influence did female mentors, role models or colleagues have on your military service, education or life in general?

Most of my superiors, mentors and colleagues were men. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities and leadership over the years. But you asked about women, and my very best friendships have been amazing women – family, Air Force friends, and high school friends. I’ve had a solid support network, sounding board, and sometimes a good kick in the pants (when warranted) from my ladies. Having someone invest in your success whole-heartedly is validating and empowering. I owe my success to those who believed in me.

March is Women’s History Month. What does it mean to you to have had a successful career as a pilot in the Air Force?

I am proud that I was able to choose a path in the Air Force that allowed me both professional and personal progression. Professionals of all backgrounds face difficult decisions to balance family and work-life. Women have the added consideration of bearing children. Choosing to be an Air Force pilot was one of the biggest decisions of my life. I knew it would mean frequent travel and moving, and I knew it was possible I would do it alone. It’s tough to meet people when you’re not in a place that’s home. I’m a little amazed and grateful that I was able to navigate a career, have a family and meet my goals as a pilot, but I did it!

What motivated you to become a pilot? What kept you motivated?

I didn’t consider a pilot career until I was in the Air Force. I knew it was a marketable skill and I was fascinated to find a professional path that would give me an office in an airplane! I’ve always been aware of long-term stability and choosing a job was another item for consideration. There is a huge need for pilots, and that equates to long-term stability. As for motivation, that’s the only way I know how to do things…to be motivated.

Where’d you train to become a pilot?

I trained for my private pilot’s license at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. My Air Force Undergraduate Pilot training was at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas.

What’s your advice to women who want to pursue aviation?

Make it happen. If you are willing to work for it, it is achievable!

If your career imitated a movie, which movie would it be?

I couldn’t find one about determination and persistence without a heartbreaking tragedy to overcome. Haha!

If you hadn’t become a pilot, what would you have done for your career?

I do not know! I narrowed it down to psychology and counseling but was also interested in the medical field. See? Varied interests make it tough to decide, so why not fly?

A mother and two children gather around a cake with a sparkling candle.

Kelly Timmermann and her children are smiling in excitement at a sparkling candle in the center of a small cake.

Now that you’ve retired from the Air Force, do you have a retirement bucket list? What’s one thing you’d share from your list?

My husband is still in the Air Force, so we will make a bucket list when it is his time to retire. However, the short-term benefit is I only have one job, instead of a second job with the Air Force Reserve, and I spend the extra time with my two awesome kiddos.

From your perspective, how does your role at Midwest Transplant Network impact organ donation and transplantation?

We give MTN the ability to have someone spend an hour of travel instead of four hours of travel at the beginning and the end of a 24-hour shift. This is essential! I feel directly connected to perpetuating this awesome mission because the airplane helps lower attrition. Additionally, being able to take a team to an OR and then bring them home cuts a lot of stress and work from logistics planning. I know our staff are appreciative when the airplane is available to relieve the burden of travel and we are happy to be part of the mission.

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about organ donation?

I was not familiar with organ donation at all, except that you’re asked the question at the DMV about becoming an organ donor. Learning about the process has helped me to stress to my family and friends how important it is to make your decision known for organ donation. It makes a difference and alleviates family stress when the worst happens.

Where are you from?

Salisbury, Missouri.

It’s March Madness! You’re hosting a Women’s Final Four Championship party. What snacks are you serving?

I’m serving hot wings, guac and chips, pizza, and everybody brings a favorite. Sharing is caring!

Kelly Timmermann poses in front of a U.S. Air Force plane.

A woman wearing a black ball cap that reads Afghanistan Veteran.

Lt. Col. Kelly Timmermann retired from the U.S. Air Force after a 23-year career as a pilot.

The grrrrrrrrr of a small plane speeding down a runway for takeoff; a shrill whistle and the clack, clack, clack of a freight train rolling down the tracks in the near distance; the whirling, choppy sound of an aircraft unseen.

These are the sounds of the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport in Kansas City on a Wednesday morning, but the office of Midwest Transplant Network’s Aviation department is quiet. Inside the hangar, a plane sits at the ready to serve the mission of organ donation.

It’s 9 a.m. MTN Pilots Tom Carnahan and Tim Overman greet Genny Ly, a new Organ Procurement Coordinator, to show her the plane – an orientation to prepare for the moment she’ll be on a team that flies out for an organ recovery case.

Carnahan demonstrates how to open and close the door to board the plane, safety features inside the cabin, how to open the emergency exit and more. Walking around the plane, Carnahan points out areas along the wings to be careful; at the rear of the plane, he opens a small compartment revealing a cargo space for bags and equipment.

The plane, a Citation C3J+, has two seats in the front for pilots and eight seats in back. Most are window seats.

After touring the plane and the office, Overman and Carnahan chat with Ly before she goes to MTN’s headquarters to continue the day.

Mission Critical

“We are the only OPO in the country that owns and operates its aircraft. There are a few others who have a dedicated aircraft; however, they are managed by a charter service or other outside agency. The pilots and staff who work in MTN’s Aviation department are actual employees of MTN. MTN as an organization is also registered with the FAA as Part 91,” explained Lori Markham, RN, MSN, CCRN, Vice President & Chief Clinical Officer, MTN.

“Midwest Transplant Network is the sixth largest OPO by geography. With our aircraft, we’re able to respond quickly to donor hospitals anywhere in our service area. Because we can mobilize quickly, we are able to support our hospital partners, donor families and recover organs efficiently to maximize the gifts. Forty percent of overall donor patients are outside of the Kansas City metro, so having our own plane and pilots are critical.

“Otherwise, we’d rely on ground transportation – which could take hours – or we’d have to rely on charter or plane services that may not be readily available when needed.”

Being an MTN Pilot

Overman and Carnahan are two of nine pilots at MTN. It’s a fully staffed department, and both agree that having a full team makes a difference in work-life balance.

“It helps to be able to share the workload. We can make connections with each other, talk through needs, and it also means that the team can provide MTN full service.”

There are always two pilots on flights to transport a team and bring them back to Kansas City. The pilots know there is a time sensitivity with organs. The flight prep to get ready for a case includes weather and radars, wind speed and visibility, weight and balance for the plane to operate safely, filing a flight plan, determining alternate airports in case they can’t reach the actual destination and more.

Modern technology has made a difference in simplifying flight plans. “There were a lot of phone calls back in the day. Now we have GPS, digital apps and other tools, including the phone.”

Lemoine Davis, MBA, PMP, Manager, Aviation, leads the department.

“The MTN Aviation mission is ‘To provide safe, professional and efficient air transportation in response to MTN needs.’ Without the department, we would be strained to service our region as timelines to respond would be significantly increased or the cost to operate would increase as charters and ground transportation would be our only options.

“The training the pilots undergo regarding organ donation is informational, not technical. We provide a broad overview of the donation process and expand upon the areas they can, or might, influence. It gives the Aviation team an understanding of the importance of their role, the hazards associated with their cargo, and a general overview of how the aircraft is utilized,” said Davis.

Flexible and Responsive

Each day is different for staff at MTN, including pilots.

“A typical workday for our pilots includes coming on shift, either morning or evening, and waiting to be activated to fly within our service area. If during their shift they are not called out to fly, they could be fulfilling administrative duties or volunteering for an event within the organization. Our pilots are not required to work from the hangar as long as they can adhere to the two-hour callout timeline,” said Davis.

“The team who flies on the aircraft when transporting an organ can vary. Typically, we are flying the organ procurement team that includes an organ procurement coordinator, organ procurement preservation specialist, an organ procurement technician and/or family services staff.”

He described a recent fly-out to Joplin, Missouri, for a recovery.

“The pilots on shift flew the team out in the evening, waited on the ground for a few hours while the procedure took place, and later returned to Kansas City with the team who’d successfully recovered organs. They also brought back two additional passengers whose shift had ended.

“Overall, this took roughly four hours, which would’ve been significantly longer if they had to travel by car, or it would’ve cost more if MTN had to use charter services.”

MTN Aviation Fast Facts

1973 – Midwest Organ Bank created an in-house Aviation department at the urging of the Federal Aviation Administration to “ensure the safety of staff members and transplantable organs.”

2023 – Midwest Transplant Network is marking 50 years of Aviation and is the only organ procurement organization in the U.S. that owns and operates an aircraft. MTN staff can mobilize quickly to anywhere within the service area to support hospital partners and recover organs to maximize the gift of life.

Number of pilots: Five full-time and four part-time pilots
Range of experience: 8-48 years
Average experience: 20 years
Aviation career experience: military, private charter, private company, medical evacuation, regional airlines, flying bush planes in Alaska, or flying retired military aircraft.
Flight hours: Approximately 7.5 hours a week or 30 hours per month.
MTN service area: 150,000 sq miles covering the state of Kansas and western Missouri

A man standing next to the open door of a plane and talking to a woman.

Tom Carnahan, MTN pilot, and Genny Ly, organ procurement coordinator, stand outside the door of MTN’s aircraft during an orientation. The hangar door is open to a view of the downtown Kansas City skyline.

MTN’s airplane in the hangar, ready and waiting for its next flyout.

A pilot sits at the controls of a small plane.

Tim Overman, MTN pilot, sits at the controls of the plane to show the various screens of radar and other details necessary while flying a plane.

Pilots standing in formation in front of a plane owned by Midwest Transplant Network.

Midwest Transplant Network pilots in front of the MTN plane at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport in Kansas City, Missouri.

Tag Archive for: aviation

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