Accompanied by their mothers, 13-year-old Jacinda Twigg and three-year-old Sonny Hubber flew to Melbourne in a Socata TBM 850 single engine turbo-prop six-seater aircraft piloted by Shaun Aisen.

Mrs Twigg said she was grateful to the Angel Flight service.

"Jacinda suffers from juvenile idopathic arthritis," she said.

"The trip from Nhill by road is very tiring and Jacinda can get very grumpy which is understandable because car travel is very difficult and painful for her."

Yesterday's flight was Jacinda's first.

Mrs Twigg said her daughter had really looked forward to the trip to Melbourne this time because of the plane.

"I'm equally pleased because it means I don't have to face the ordeal of driving nearly six hours to Melbourne and back in the same day."

Mr Aisen confirmed that Jacinda had enjoyed the experience.

"She sat up with me on the way back and had a ball," he said.

Sonny's mother Renai accompanied him on his third Angel Flight.

He was to be assessed by a specialist rheumatology team at the Royal Children's Hospital.

Mrs Hubber described her son's pain and spoke of the hardships faced by rurally isolated families with ill children.

Angel Flight spokeswoman Bet Gaunt said that for both families the opportunity to travel to Melbourne with Angel Flight offered a sense of relief.

"Physically, emotionally and financially, Angel Flight aims to make a difference," she said.

With assistance from pilots who volunteer their planes and time, Angel Flight transports needy patients and compassionate carers to receive medical help anywhere in Australia free of charge.

Yesterday's flight was Mr Aisen's 237th.

"What I do is totally fulfilling. The people we carry around are quite extraordinary and they just make it all worthwhile," he said.