For years, pilots have volunteered along the 1,000-mile-plus Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race from Fairbanks, Alaska to Whitehorse, Canada. And for years, those pilots have helped out in emergencies and offered much-needed transportation in crisis.

But this year Quest officials have had to do without. Three weeks ago, officials with the Federal Aviation Administration notified those officials that because federal regulations had been violated, the volunteer program would be shelved for the 2012 race. That's according to a report from the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Although no one is detailing what regulations were broken, this is not the first time something like this has happened, the News-Miner reports. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has had similar problems over the years but has been exempted from regulations stipulating that private pilots not accept any type of payment for their services (not even food or fuel) lest their services be classified as commercial activity.

The Quest volunteer program, similar to the Iditarod's, was created so that racers could be supplied at remote places along the trail inaccessible by other means. Because the program has been cut, a remote checkpoint called Slaven’s Roadhouse could  no longer serve as a race dog drop.

Read more about the cuts and how race planners will try and revive the program in future races at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.