Animal Rescue Pilot Combines Passion for Flying and Saving Lives

Michael Schneider, a native of New York, has been passionate about rescuing animals since he was just six years old. Growing up in Briarcliff Manor, he and his family regularly visited the local no-kill shelter, bringing home dogs and cats. As a child, he also nursed injured birds and even operated a pet-sitting business at age eleven.

His love for flying blossomed after a skydiving experience, leading him to become a commercial pilot. He then merged his two passions—aviation and animal rescue—by founding Pilots to the Rescue in 2015. This nonprofit airline transports at-risk animals from overcrowded shelters to safer environments across several states.

To date, Schneider and his team have completed over 313 missions, covering more than 353,600 miles and saving 4,488 animals from euthanasia or neglect. The process involves a hybrid of ground and air transport, with vans driving animals through the night before flying out in the morning. This method saves costs and allows for quick responses, often with animals having less than 24 hours to be evacuated.

Earlier this month, for example, Schneider’s team moved 23 dogs and seven cats from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to New York. The animals are loaded onto planes from a hangar in Essex County, New Jersey, with the whole process designed to minimize stress on the animals. Schneider notes that rescued animals often display happiness and energy upon arrival, wagging tails and jumping out of crates, demonstrating their resilience.

Beyond dogs and cats, the organization also rescues wildlife and endangered species, including sea turtles, wolves, and red bulls (banteng). Schneider finds these missions particularly rewarding, even though they can be challenging when trying to save all creatures at once.

Despite the difficulties of running a charity alongside a family life in Greenpoint with his wife and four young sons, Schneider says seeing the impact makes it all worthwhile. Many adopters have shared how these rescues are the “best animals” they’ve ever taken in, fueling his lifelong dedication to giving voice to animals that cannot speak for themselves.