Many people are comforted by being preset when the scattering of their loved one takes place and to know that their hand is the one that sends their loved on their final journey. Being onboard the aircraft also allows the family to have on last chance to say good-bye and provides a sense of closure not felt with other scattering methods.

One of the services we offer is to allow the family to perform the scattering service themselves.  The family will perform some of the tasks that are necessary for their own scattering flight.  These tasks might include operating the scattering device, recording coordinates, spotting the location, and operating recording equipment.  Because each scattering is unique, the necessary tasks may vary.

These flights are performed in our twin-engine Piper Aztec airplane.  Our patented scattering equipment used on this plane is designed to be easy to operate. Any member of the family can perform the release. We have had clients from ages 12 to 92 years old operate the device.  The process is reverent and dignified and does not directly expose the participants to the cremated remains. This plane can accommodate up to four persons who wish to participate.

The sole purpose of the flight is to scatter your loved one’s cremated remains.  The plane will take off and land at the same airport. In other words, we can’t take passengers, just those involved in performing the scattering.

Because of the sensitive nature of scatterings, and to protect privacy of our clients, our private scattering flights are arranged such that only the cremated remains of your loved-one are taken and released on this special flight.

I hope this information helps.  Please contact us if you have any questions.

Direct cremation is when the body goes directly to the crematory from the place of death, or from the morgue. It may make a short stop at a mortuary in order to obtain the death certificate, but not for much more than that. The body is not embalmed or dressed for a viewing. The body is not placed in a traditional casket. Instead, an “alternative cremation container”, probably made of cardboard or something similar, is used.

After the direct creamation. The cremated remains are then returned to the family, or in our case we pick them up. Usually the cremated remains are returned in a plastic box, unless the family has purchased an urn from a mortuary. The family then can make arrangements for a memorial service and scattering.

Direct cremation is a good choice for a family that had a death occur in a distant location. It is far less expensive to ship cremated remains than a full body. This allows the family to have a memorial service in a location that they prefer.

Direct cremation also allows more time for the families to decide on a memorial date. Families that need to make travel arrangements can do so when it is more convenient. The memorial may be held with the cremated remains present or not present.

Direct cremation is also less expensive because there is no preparation of the body and no casket. Here in California prices for direct cremation range from around $400-1,000.

Many families that I work with report to me that they were able to give their loved one a wonderful inexpensive memorial that suited them and all in attendance by choosing direct cremation and scattering by airplane. For example, they chose direct cremation from a local crematory that cost about $500. I picked up the cremated remains from the crematory for them. They scheduled a witnessed scattering at the local beach on a day and time that worked best for them. The cost for the scattering service is $500. They stood out on the beach and watched as their loved one was released by airplane. They brought helium balloons with them. Each person in attendance wrote a message on a balloon and released it after the scattering. So for about $1,000, they had a memorial that suited their loved one, got each family member and loved one in attendance involved and created a wonderful memory.

I hope this information helps. Please call if you have any questions. (562) 691-7227.

At a Journey With Wings we scatter cremated remains by airplane.  Therefore, we get a lot of questions about Sea Burial.  Most people think that all sea burials are done by boat, but a majority of our cremated remains aerial scatterings are performed at sea.

Burial at Sea is the disposition of human remains in the ocean.  This can be scattering the ashes, burying the cremated remains in the urn, burial in the casket, or the body wrapped in a cloth.  If done by airplane, scattering the cremated remains is the only option.

The United States allows full body burials in its territorial waters, which is beyond three miles off the coast.  Within three miles, it is state territory.  Here in California, full body burial is not allowed within its territorial waters, but cremated remains may be scattered.  Cremated remains may be scattered 1500 yards off the coast.  This is a pretty close distance, so if the scattering is done by airplane, family and friends can view it from the ground on shore.

One of our most popular scatterings is the witnessed scattering in which an unlimited number of friends and family may gather at a pier or shore line and witness the plane release the cremated remains.  Families and friends gather at a day and time that they choose.  The cremated remains are released in full view of the gathering.  The ashes leave the plane and make an elegant twist in the air.  They are then carried away by the wind and eventually settle to the ocean below.  Some families bring balloons with messages written on them, and after the scattering they release the balloons.  This makes for a memorable experience for all in attendance.

If you have any questions about burial at sea or other scattering options, please contact us at info@ajourneywithwings.com or (562) 691-7227.

A full-size cremation urn would be used if only a portion of the cremated remains are scattered, and the rest would be kept in an urn.  These urns can be traditional or non-traditional.  A traditional urn is what most likely comes to mind when you think of an urn – it is made for this purpose and can usually be purchased through a mortuary or crematory.  A non-traditional urn can be anything that is used to hold the cremated remains.  I have seen people use jewelry boxes or small treasure chests.  They can be as unique as the life of the deceased.

A keepsake urn is usually a smaller than a typical urn and is used for keeping just a small amount of cremated remains.  Typically, a keepsake urn purchased through a mortuary would hold a few teaspoons of cremated remains.  And a non-traditional keepsake urn can be used as well.  For instance, when my brother-in-law passed away last year, we ordered little sterling silver pirate chests and had them engraved.  These urns were then distributed to his loved ones.  We scattered the majority of his ashes.

Cremation jewelry can vary in so many ways.  Some cremation jewelry is actually a tiny urn that is part of a piece of jewelry.  I have seen pendants that are angels or hearts that have a small reservoir that can hold a tiny amount of cremated remains inside.  These pendants can be worn as necklaces or bracelets, or used as key chains.  Then there is the kind of cremation jewelry that incorporates the cremated remains into the jewelry itself.  I have seen hand blown glass that includes small portions of cremated remains into the glass.  These glass pieces can be worn as pendants or displayed as remembrance pieces of art.

When it comes to urns, the options are endless.  I don’t recommend that you handle the cremated remains yourself, however – that should be done by a professional.  The ashes should be placed in a plastic container inside of whatever urn you choose so nothing spills or leaks out.  Also, some states have laws regarding splitting cremated remains.  Here in California, a separate burial permit is required to accompany each portion of the cremated remains.  Your funeral director can help you with this.  If you are using A Journey With Wings to scatter the cremated remains, we would be honored to help you with your keepsake urn options and the associated paperwork.  Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

In my limited experience people tend to think that cremation takes place instead of a funeral.  They think that if a family chooses cremation, there will not be a casket, a viewing, a memorial service, or an interment.  This simply isn’t true.  It doesn’t have to be an “either-or” situation.

If a family chooses cremation, all the parts of a memorial may still exist.  The only difference is that instead of lowering a casket into the ground, the body is cremated.

Families may choose to have a viewing.  They body will be dressed and laid in a casket. Loved ones may visit with the deceased and say their last words.

They may choose to have a traditional or contemporary memorial service with or without the body present.  If families choose cremation the memorial can take place with the body laid out in a casket.  Some families may even wait until the cremation has taken place, and have the service with the cremation urn present.

Cremation is becoming very popular.  Today, 35% of Americans are cremated (statistic taken from CANA, the Cremation Association of North America).  This is for many reasons.  For some it is about cost.  Cremation is usually less expensive than purchasing land in a cemetery and the other costs associated with burying a body and maintaing the site.  For other people it is about being more environmentally friendly.  Cremation eliminates the vast amounts of wood, metal and cement that are used to create the caskets and burial vaults.

Today, most religions allow for cremation.  In 1963 Pope Paul VI changed the Catholic Church’s standing and began to allow cremation.  If you have any questions specific to your religion, please contact your clergy member.

Cremation also allows more flexibility.  It allows families to take their time on arranging a memorial.  Once the body is cremated a memorial can take place at a later time.  This allows family and friends to make travel arrangements.

In my business, I have often noticed that families are choosing to have a memorial at a church or mortuary with or without the urn present.  They are able to customize the service in the appropriate manner for their family’s traditions.  The scattering is arranged for the next day or a few days later, while the family is in town.  A scattering service then finishes off the memorial by having the scattering done in a location that was meaningful to the deceased or the family.

Families choosing to have a witnessed scattering usually use this as an extension of the memorial service.  The family and friends can then gather at the scattering location and say their goodbyes.  We arrange a day and time that is convenient for those in attendance. I usually suggest that they bring balloons in the decedent’s favorite color.  This helps me locate them on the ground while I’m in flight.  One suggestion is that they write a few words on the balloons so after the scattering is complete they can release the balloons if they wish.

Families choosing the private service will usually choose to do the flight while key family members are still in town.  The private service allows the family to be a part of the scattering crew.  One family member operates the scattering device and releases the ashes in flight.

One thing I have discovered is that there is no right or wrong way to memorialize someone.  Families may choose to be very traditional, very untraditional, or somewhere in-between.  Cremation works well in all these situations.

I haven’t come across one standard definition of what cremation is.  According to the Cremation Association of North America (CANA), the definition of cremation is “The mechanical and/or thermal or other dissolution process that reduces human remains to bone fragments”.  Although I have heard of means such as “mechanical and dissolution”, the only process I am familiar with is the thermal process.

In this process the casket is placed in a cremation chamber.  The temperature is raised to between 1400 and 1800 degrees.  The body is exposed to this heat and flame for 2 to 2 ½ hours.  What is left is just the dried bone fragments.  These fragments are then processed further by pulverization, resulting in tiny little pieces of bone.  In my experience these pieces can range in size from a fine powder to pieces the size of playground bark.  On average I would say cremated remains are small pieces of bone about the size of Grape Nuts.

Cremated remains are not ash.  Rather they are these small pieces of bone fragments. Most people, myself included, refer to them as ash.  However, in the death care industry, the term cremated remains, or cremains, is preferred.  The cremated remains of an average-sized adult weigh about 8 pounds.

Cremated remains are considered sterile because they were exposed to such high heat. Because they are sterile, it is safe to come into contact with them.  Because of this, cremated remains are safe to scatter.  The FAA considers them to be safe to scatter from an airplane.  Once on the ground, scattered over a wide area, they would be virtually unrecognizable as cremated remains.

The small bone fragments that make up cremated remains are light and porous.  In my experience, because of this they tend to float on the air.  As they leave the airplane, they make a beautiful twist and float until the wind catches them.  I am sure some descend to the earth below, but most probably travel with the wind, at least a little.

I hope this information has been helpful.

Here in California, cremated remains scattering  is very regulated.  One of the requirements is  to have a permit to do the scattering known as a “disposition permit”.  I know the name sounds awful.  This permit is a state permit, but is issued by the County Health Department.  This permit reflects what you are doing with the remains and where they will be – whether you are keeping them at home, placing them in a cemetery, or scattering them.  It is illegal to scatter cremated remains without this permit.  You must also scatter in the location that is on the permit.  The permit must be signed by the person doing the scattering and forwarded to the appropriate  Health Departments within 10 days.

We will obtain this permit and any other necessary permits on your behalf.  In order to do this, we may need you to fill out and sign some paperwork.  We will walk in to the Health Department to obtain the Disposition Permit.

Once the scattering is complete, we complete the disposition permit and mail the copies the appropriate Health Departments.  We also notify the EPA about the scattering.

We are here to help.  If you have any questions about scattering permits, please contact us at (562) 691-7227.