Sometimes, getting a lift might come with wings.
Angel Flight Central (AFC) is located in the Midwest, but collaborates coast-to-coast, helping people in need by arranging charitable flights for health care or other humanitarian purposes. The chapter serves Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and Indiana.
Sun City resident and retired pilot David Shadle was instrumental in starting the Great Lakes Wing of Angel Flight Central. (Photo by Christine Such/My Sun Day News)
David Shadle, a Sun City resident and retired pilot, was instrumental in starting the Great Lakes Wing of AFC. He is a charter member of Angel Flights and a volunteer pilot.
Shadle said, “I have flown ten Angel Missions. I began my flying career in 1958 in Clinton, Iowa, when I was 14. I couldn’t solo until I was 16, which I did on my sixteenth birthday.”
Shadle moved to the Quad Cities and worked as a flight instructor, training nearly 100 pilots. He became a corporate pilot, flying small twin-engine planes, turboprops, and jet aircraft. His career led him to DuPage Airport, where he retired from the FAA as a Safety Counselor. He had a distinguished career, winning the FAA Flight Instructor of the Year award in 1974 for the state of Iowa. 2010, he received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, honoring him for 50 consecutive years of safe flying. His love for flying led him to Angel Flight and a chance to pay it forward.
Schadle said, “I went to the EAA fly-in in Oshkosh, and AFC had a booth there. I had been thinking about doing something for a while. I was aware of their mission. The organization began in 1995 with James H. Stevens, Jr. and his first passenger.”
Stevens’s first passenger was an eight-year-old Korean boy suffering from a rare heart abnormality. John was going to die without an operation. His adoptive parents had no health insurance and were experiencing financial hardships, and the local hospital did not have the skills needed to perform the surgery. A surgeon and hospital in another state agreed to save this child’s life at no cost to the family if only John could get to their facility. Stevens offered to fly him. John’s mother, at a loss for words, tears streaming down her face, gave Stevens a hug.
Stevens said, “Without a word, they left, and I was hooked. That day, I flew over nine hours, and I never regretted my decision.”
Shadle had similar experiences that kept him involved.
“I had a little girl, Gracie, and her mother, April, in Branson, Missouri, who needed to get to Detroit to see a pediatric ophthalmologist. I keep in touch; you become involved. Another little boy, Logan, not quite three, was born blind. He loved feeling the turbulence on the plane. Logan was flown for medical care 30 times. I keep updated on their lives. Logan now is a college graduate.”
Every year, AFC volunteer pilots and supporters provide hundreds of free flights throughout the Midwest for families who need access to specialized health care, camps for special needs, disaster response efforts, and other compassionate reasons. Last year, 295 missions were completed, with 19 volunteer pilots flying five or more missions per year. Estimated pilot out-of-pocket expenses were about 1.1 million dollars. Angel Flight receives no financial aid from any government entity. Volunteer pilots serve patients traveling for surgery, chemotherapy, dialysis, and other treatments.
Shadle said, “I did it because I had the skill that was needed. There was a need for a chapter here in NorthRen Illinois and Wisconsin, and I set out to make it happen. Gracie’s mom pinned an angel pin on me. I wear and cherish that pin. I received a note from a little boy that stated, ‘Thank you for saving my life. Your love and dedication making sure we made it to where we needed to be gave me the chance of a lifetime. My name is Jose and thanks to you I am now years old.’”
The flights utilize the smaller airports, and although usually closer to the final destination, ground transportation is needed from the airport to the medical facility.
Shadle said. “We also have Earth Angels. They provide the transportation from the flight to the location they need for medical treatment on the ground.”
More information can be found at angelflightcentral.org. Donations can be made on this site. David Shadle is available for presentations to neighborhoods and clubs. He recently shared his experience at Sun City Life Learning Sessions. For more information, you can contact him at daveshadle02@gmail.com.
