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About A Journey With Wings

A Journey With Wings was started by the father-daughter pilot team of Jamie and Robert. They started flying lessons together when Jamie was 17 and they have been flying together ever since.
A Beautiful Final Farewell From Above

Who We Are

Our family would be honored to help your family with this very special memorial. We are a business dedicated to scattering cremated remains by airplane. We provide a personalized farewell with locations and participation options that are as unique as the life of your loved one.

We understand that families choose cremation and scattering for many different reasons. Some families request that the cremated remains be scattered over a meaningful place. Often times it is about the peacefulness of being released and set free, or about creating a very special farewell. A Journey With Wings would be honored to help you realize that final wish.

A Journey With WingsToday

Since 2002, A Journey With Wings has scattered ashes for well over 3,000 families. We have grown to include 3 airplanes, 5 pilots, and a constantly evolving list of witnessing and location options. Many scattering companies have come and gone during our 24 years of servicing our clients, but we continue to strive each day to provide compassionate and exceptional care in your time of need.

We are here to serve you!

We take pride in helping you through the entire process. We will obtain all of the necessary permits and file all of the proper paperwork to comply with Local, State, and Federal regulations. We will work with you to create a personalized scattering that is as unique as the life of your loved one.

Meet Our Professionals

Jamie Tanabe

Ted Tanabe

Drew Darling

Greg Peters

Dana

Kris Larson

Ready to Honor Your Loved One?

We would be honored to help you.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to the most common questions about our aerial memorial services, booking process, locations, and what to expect.

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How do I make arrangements?
Please call us at (800) 407-6401 to verify location availability and pricing. We will e-mail you the paperwork required. Once the paperwork is complete, we can schedule the scattering. Then we can make arrangements for pick-up, delivery or shipment of the cremated remains. If the scattering is to be witnessed we will discuss with you the best options, and locations for witnessing.
Our prices start at $600. The price range for our service is about the price range of purchasing an urn. Our prices are dependent on the distance and the plane we need to use. *A fee of $150 for additional loved ones scattering on the same flight.
We can work with you at any stage. If you have already selected a crematory, we can work with them to make sure that the paperwork has the proper information for a scattering. If you already have the cremated remains in your possession, then we will re-file the paperwork to get scattering permits. If a death has occurred or is imminent, and you have not selected a crematory, please contact us; we can help you select a low cost crematory, or a full service funeral home of your choice.
Yes! You can participate in the scattering of ashes. The FAA has some pretty strict guidelines we must adhere to. The sole purpose of the flight will be to scatter the cremated remains, we are not allowed to take passengers for the sake of just flying, but you may be on board to perform some of the tasks required for the scattering. Because each flight is different, the necessary tasks will vary. One of the tasks required on each flight is to operate the scattering device. Because of the privacy of our other clients, this can only be done on a private scattering flight. Please contact us to discuss it further.
Yes! However, we must work within the constraints of the EPA, the FAA, Your State and Local Laws. For example, here in California, we are required to have written permission from the land owner or governing agency of the location we will be scattering over. We will make every attempt to get the permission for your desired location, or something very close. If you would like help in determining a location, please visit our locations page.

When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.

Leonardo Da Vinci
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Jamie Tanabe

Commercial Pilot & Owner

Jamie is a commercial pilot. She received her private pilot license when she was 18, and her commercial license shortly after. Jamie considered a career as a commercial pilot, but she realized that it wouldn’t allow her to have the family life she wanted. One day, a friend who happened to be a funeral director asked if she could do him a favor – a client of his wanted to have the cremated remains of their loved one scattered by airplane. Intrigued, Jamie set out to learn all she could. She soon realized that there weren’t many aerial scattering options out there for families – the locations were limited and the opportunity for the family to participate didn’t exist. Jamie also discovered that the scattering process itself did not always go smoothly – many pilots had stories of how things can go terribly wrong. Realizing she had a golden opportunity to get the job done right, Jamie turned to her dad, Robert, to help brainstorm a way to successfully scatter the cremated remains in a reverent and dignified manner. Dad came through, and that first job was completed without a hitch. Jamie was so moved by the experience that she decided to start A Journey With Wings. Since that first flight, A Journey With Wings has served over 1,700 families. We have grown to include two planes in our service and two additional pilots, Kris and Dana.
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Ted Tanabe

Office Staff

Jamie’s husband, Ted, has been involved behind the scenes at A Journey With Wings since we started. He moved into a more active position in the company in April, 2018, and will help Jamie manage administrative matters. Ted enjoys frequent flights with Jamie and their two boys, and has been involved in many scattering flights with A Journey With Wings. He has maintained an active Cremated Remains Disposer License for many years. Ted has also served in an aviation capacity as well. He completed ground school as well as navigation and weather classes, and this helps him plan scattering flights and assist on scattering flights when needed.
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Drew Darling

Airline Pilot and Flight Instructor

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Greg Peters

Commercial Pilot

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Dana

Commercial Pilot & Flight Instructor

Dana is a commercial pilot and retired STEM teacher. She is the newest member of our pilot team. Dana has joined A Journey With Wings to fly Un-witnessed and Witnessed Scattering flights. Dana was initially introduced to A Journey With Wings as a client – we had the honor of scattering her loved one. Dana was moved by the experience and decided she wanted to help us provide similar experiences to other clients. We are honored to have Dana join our team.
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Kris Larson

Airline Pilot and Flight Instructor

Kris is an airline pilot and flight instructor with over 5,000 hours of experience. Kris also shared the love of flying with his father, and obtained his license when he was 17 years old. Jamie met Kris and his Piper Aztec airplane while they were both serving as volunteer pilots with the Flying Samaritans, an organization that provides medical services to a remote village in Mexico. Jamie was impressed with Kris’ knowledge and professionalism and asked him to join her in A Journey With Wings. Kris has made his Piper Aztec a perfect airplane for scattering cremated remains on our Private Scattering flights, and his expertise gives us more opportunities to navigate complex airspace for certain scattering locations.
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Call Now (800) 407-6401