When dogs, cats or the occasional baby goat need to board John Davis’ single-engine, high-wing plane, the Westminster pilot removes the back seat to create space for crates or for large breeds like Great Danes that sit on their own.

Davis, a “ Pilots N Paws ” volunteer who has been flying his Cessna 172XP for two decades, said the rescue animals make surprisingly cooperative passengers. At 3,000 feet, even yapping puppies quiet down and nod off. On the descent, again at 3,000 feet, internal clocks seem to buzz the animals awake.

“They pop up like, ‘Oh, are we there yet?'” Davis said.

But Davis’ hope of piloting future flights and saving dogs took a nosedive in July. The FAA denied his medical certification application, saying he fell short of medical standards following an October a

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