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teachers, and other religious, educa- tional and medical workers, without distinction as to race or religion... to provide, maintain and operate an airplane service; to transport freight, passengers and baggage by aircraft ...”
An Astronaut Gives Encouragement
Two years later, director Bill Ed- wards received a letter from Neil Armstrong in response to Bill’s letter of encouragement and support before the launch of the Apollo 11 mission on July 16, 1969. Armstrong wrote, “I certainly want to send my congratu- lations on your efforts on behalf of Wings of Hope. I am certain that this
valuable project is achieving brother- hood between nations in a way that cannot be accomplished by diplo- macy or government aid programs. As an aviator, I sincerely salute this fine service as being one of the best achievements of the combination of general aircraft and dedicated indi- viduals of good will.”
Throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s, Wings of Hope continued its work and was often recognized. The Associated Press wrote in 1973, “George E. Had- daway, editor and publisher of Flight magazine, Dallas, has been awarded the Federal Aviation Administration’s highest honor, the gold medal for ex- traordinary service to aviation. The
FAA said Haddaway was cited for leadership in the encouragement of the growth of civil aviation. He helped establish Wings of Hope, a charitable organization providing air- craft and flight personnel for needy people in remote areas, and also was a founder of the Air Force auxiliary, the Civil Air Patrol.”
Challenges
As Thomas Dwyer learned initial- ly, the Cessna 206 was the aircraft of choice for their missions. However, by the early 1990s, the 206 had ceased production, and many of the incen- tives available for charitable dona- tions were gone. Until then, the or- ganization enjoyed multiple aircraft donations every month, but the flow of donations had slowed considerably. Tom Haines of AOPA Pilot wrote, “Many of the tax incentives are gone now, and because 206s are no longer in production, they are extremely valuable. As recently as 1987, peo- ple donated an average of two 206s a month to Wings of Hope. Since 1988, a total of three has been donated. To stay alive, the 30-year-old organiza- tion takes whatever airplanes it can get in donation and refurbishes them using its skilled volunteer workers. Those airplanes unsuitable for field work are sold and the proceeds used to buy 206s.”
Wings of Hope hangar panorama
The MAT pilot corps
May 2023 / TWIN & TURBINE • 13