Fred Yates: Volunteer Pilot with a Vision

For Fred Yates, retired FedEx pilot and Orbis International volunteer, saving sight is more than just a cause—it’s deeply personal. As someone who experienced a traumatic eye injury as a child, Fred brings a sense of empathy and dedication to his work piloting the Flying Eye Hospital, our fully-equipped teaching hospital on board a converted MD-10 aircraft.

Now retired after a 44-year career with FedEx, Fred is one of several experienced pilots who fly our plane around the world. In 2023, Fred had a memorable experience piloting N330AU from California to Doha, Qatar, for a special ophthalmic training project focused on female ophthalmologists working in conflict areas.

Most recently, he captained the aircraft to Chattogram, Bangladesh, for a two-week training program focused on pediatric eye care. The project brought together Bangladeshi ophthalmologists and Orbis staff and medical volunteers to advance local expertise in pediatric glaucoma, oculoplastics, and cataract surgery.

The trip was also a family affair. Fred brought along his wife, Karen, and his grandson, Ryan, a high school sophomore. Together, they volunteered during patient screening day, observed surgical procedures and wet lab simulation, and followed up with pediatric patients at the Chittagong Eye Infirmary and Training Center.

"Ryan’s getting a ‘deep dive’ right now here in Bangladesh," Fred said. "Bringing him here, we were able to get him out of his bubble so he could see other parts of the world as they truly are. It’s been a real eye opener for him.”

Fred’s journey to the skies—and to sight-saving missions like this one—began in a moment of childhood tragedy. “When I was four, I was playing outside with a friend of mine who had a baseball bat. It ended up in my left eye,” he recalls. “Three surgeries later, they were going to take out the eye. They couldn’t stop the hemorrhaging.”

Fortunately, the eye was saved, though Fred endured months of temporary blindness due to both of his eyes being bandaged. “To this day, I still remember the first thing I saw when they took those patches off,” he says. “The experience gave me a unique perspective of things.”

That perspective has carried through his life and fuels his passion for helping others retain their sight. “Of all the senses you could potentially lose, for me, sight is the last one I would want gone.” In many parts of the world where we work, traumatic eye injuries are quite common among children.

While in Bangladesh, Fred was struck by the courage of the young patients he witnessed. “It’s pretty neat to see this kind of bravery and courage in these young kids. I mean, they’ve had eye surgery and they’re really holding it together.”

Fred sees each Orbis mission as an opportunity—not just to teach and heal, but to continue learning. “I've been around the world a lot, but my eyes get opened, literally, all the time,” he says. “This experience in Bangladesh is one of those.”

As we continue our work around the world, volunteers like Fred Yates remind us how a single life experience can shape a lifelong mission to restore sight to those in need.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Fred for his compassion and dedication. Thanks to him, countless children around the world can reach their full potential.