Angel Flight is a charity organising non-emergency flights to allow people in the country to access specialist medical treatment they may not be able to in their hometowns.

The service is kept running thanks to dedicated volunteers giving up their time and own resources.

Volunteer pilot Darryl Campbell is a publican by trade, but holds a private license and his own plane.

What began as one mission a month quickly turned into one a week as he found joy in transporting people in need.

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"It's really quite addictive, and I've now done 281 missions which is about 500 flights," Mr Campbell said.

"When you meet these people you realise they are going through so much, so to be able to provide this service means one less thing they have to worry about in terms of getting to and from appointments.

"The look on people's faces is what keeps me doing it, they really are appreciative."

This week Mr Campbell flew Narrawallee local Valerie Reed, 78, from Moruya Airport to Bankstown and back for her treatment at the Melanoma Institute in Sydney.

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She receives treatment every four weeks and said the Angel Flight service took all the stress out of travelling for the appointment.

"My husband Ian and I would usually drive to Sydney for the appointment and stay overnight, but with COVID we decided it would be better to limit our stay and do the trip in a day," she said.

"That would be a really big drive in one day on top of the treatment, so being able to use the Angel Flight service has been fantastic.

"The Angel Flight volunteers are the heroes of the day."

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Since it launched in 2003, Angel Flight has flown almost 20 million kilometers over 50,000 free flights across Australia.

The service also coordinates volunteer drivers, aptly called "Earth Angels", who assist by taking passengers to and from the airport.

"The Earth Angels are amazing. They're waiting for me when I land so the passenger can get straight into a car and taken to their appointment," Mr Campbell said.

"They'll wait for the passenger to finish their appointment and bring them straight back to the airport. We get them into the plane and they're up and out in 15 minutes."

A nine-hour round trip for the Reeds was cut to just two hours travel time thanks to the Angel Flight service.

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Ms Reed said the flight also helped take her mind off the appointment itself.

"I got to sit next to Darrell on the way to Sydney and then Ian sat up the front on the way back," she said.

"It's an amazing opportunity to see the world as a pilot does. Darrell said it was like driving a car but it looked a lot more complicated to me!

"It almost put a gloss on the day, and took my mind off the actual treatment because I was enjoying seeing the beautiful views of the coast."

The free service is available for people in regional Australia to fly to major cities for medical appointments, but people in the city can also get involved and support the charity through volunteering or fundraising.

Donations help keep the vital service running for people who need it most.

"If you're doing it hard, and it doesn't matter whether you're doing it hard financially or emotionally because that's still the same thing, Angel Flight is there," Mr Campbell said.