18-year-old Iowan collects donations to fly to Hurricane Helene victims

ANKENY, Iowa — At just 18-years-old, Nate Fackler is a licensed pilot who wanted to help people impacted by Hurricane Helene. 

On Monday morning, Fackler and another pilot, Connor Yawn, will be making the six-hour flight to South Carolina. From there, they will make their way directly to North Carolina. 

Fackler saw four other pilots from the Ankeny Regional Airport, where he works at, take the initiative to deliver supplies to Helene victims. 

“After seeing that, I kind of felt like God was calling me to go down and help because I had the resources, I had the means to do it, I had the network, the people around me to support me and go do it,” Fackler said. 

Fackler made the decision late Friday night and has been collecting donations ever since. The plane will be filled with diapers, formula, water and food. 

“I actually told my mom, classic teenager fashion, at about 10:30 at night, on Friday night,” Fackler said. “She posted on Facebook asking for donations, a lot of people reached out. We already have a bunch of donations on 24-hour notice. We’ve got a lot more coming today.”

Fackler says him and Yawn will be the fifth and sixth pilots from the Ankeny Airport to deliver supplies. 

It’s a mission he is grateful for, living out his passion for flying, while contributing to a greater good. 

“I feel really, really proud that I’m able to do this and use my skill for good, and not just use it for myself, but also think about others,” Fackler said. 

If anybody wants to follow along Fackler’s mission to deliver supplies, you can download the FlightAware app. 

Fackler’s tail number will be listed on there as N9156H, so people can track his flight and see where he is at in the mission.