|
Ed went to work directly out of college for IBM, doing computer programming, and Judy became a schoolteacher, working with physically handicapped third-graders. Judy would later go back to college, taking courses in chemistry and calculus, and landed a job as a research chemist. Ed continued his career with IBM, but it wasn't until their children were raised that Judy would eventually take to the air.
"My husband bought me flying lessons for a birthday present in 1996," she remembers. "Then I went on to get my pilot's license, and a month later we bought an airplane."
A few times a year, they would fly from their home in Connecticut to Florida. One day she asked her husband to land the plane, and he was quickly thrust into the realization that he needed to learn how to fly - so he did just that. Ed Ungar retired, received his wings in 1999, and the couple settled down in Florida.
It was in Florida that the Ungars met Lee Johnson, who was the CEO of Angel Flight Southeast.
"Lee was intensely persuasive about Angel Flight and its cause," the Ungars note, "and we said that we'd like to know more about the organization."
The timing was perfect for both parties as both had unfulfilled needs. Surely, Lee Johnson wanted more dedicated pilots to fill the ranks of Angel Flight Southeast and the Ungars had been soul-searching, looking for a deeper and more rewarding reason to fly. Being volunteer pilots that could save or improve lives was the noble cause that they had been seeking.
Because Judy had enough flight hours, she signed up first in 2000, and Ed flew as her co-pilot.
"We flew all the missions together," he says. Ed Ungar soon followed his wife's lead and became an Angel Flight pilot a year later.
The Ungars have found that sense of satisfaction that they had longed for by helping transport those in need of emergency health care.
"It's easy to write a check to a charity," Ed says, "but there are very few ways in which you can actually do something hands-on, where you can see the personal effect it has on people."
Both Ed and Judy feel the gratification of truly knowing that they are making a difference in someone's life every time they fly an Angel Flight mission.
|
|
"I enjoy meeting the people and being able to be part of their lives, especially the children," says Judy. "I just enjoy hugging the babies."
It is no small wonder that the most memorable passenger for the Ungars was a young boy named Alex Billingsley, who had to be transported from Tampa to Cranial Technologies in Miami to be fitted with a cranial helmet that slowly remolds his skull as he grows. Every week Alex's helmet had to be adjusted.
"We took him so many times that we became close with his family," Judy says. "One time due to fog and inclement weather, we invited the Billingsleys to stay overnight at our house, feeling that we had a better chance to get Alex to Miami on time if we flew out of our airpark at Hidden Lake." The Ungars were correct in their weather assessment and were able to get their clearance; Alex arrived in Miami in time for a very important appointment in his treatment schedule.
"There are some people that never make it into the publications," Ed notes, "yet their contributions are many."
He sites the FBO at the International Flight Center at the Tamiami Airport, which gives the Angel Flight pilots gas discounts and supplies a courtesy car to take the children to Cranial Technologies. "And they never ask for anything in return," says Ungar.
Both the Ungars praise the professional staff at Cranial Technologies because they try to accommodate the Angel Flight patients in terms of appointments and treatments, which helps make their visit a one-day process.
The Ungars have become tireless promoters of the Angel Flight cause. They have spoken to EAA Association Chapters, various physicians and social services at hospitals to help raise public awareness about the services that Angel Flight provides. Along with information and brochures about Angel Flight, the Ungars leave Angel Flight Aviator Teddy bears at every FBO in their area, hoping people will adopt the bears and donate funds to Angel Flight Southeast.
It could be said that this inseparable husband-and-wife team of aeronautical Wolverines is not only bullish about bears - but also bound together in their enthusiasm to spread the word about the good deeds performed by Angel Flight and their team of selfless volunteer pilots.
|