Alabama Branch
ANGEL FLIGHT NAMES PILOT BILL HARDY
NEW DIRECTOR OF ALABAMA BRANCH OFFICE
“We are very pleased to announce that veteran pilot Bill Hardy has accepted the position of Director of our Alabama Branch office in Tuscaloosa,” states Jeanine Chambers, Executive Director of Angel Flight Soars. “We opened the branch a year ago and have been searching for an experienced pilot to join our team there. Bill is an excellent match for us and his enthusiasm for our organization’s mission is sure to be a recipe for success. We are really looking forward to working with him and recruiting pilots throughout the state to help serve the residents of Alabama!”
“I am delighted about this opportunity to combine my love of flying with helping the people of Alabama in this new venture with Angel Flight,” says Bill Hardy. “I am getting my bearings and am eager to meet area pilots to talk about the program and get them involved as well.”
After a four year stint with the US Marine Corp where he trained and served as an electronics technician, Hardy took his skills to AT&T where he had a long and accomplished career. Working there from 1965 to 1990 he recalls how technology has changed the industry over the years.
“When I first started out, AT&T had microwave stations all over the country about 30 miles apart,” he explains. “We had to travel in our territory constantly to perform maintenance and keep the stations operational.”
“Now with fiber optics and the addition of internet, cable and other services, the industry is very different,” he adds. “Who knew they’d offer so much more than phones?”
Actually the traveling to maintain the microwave stations is how Bill came to be a pilot. In the early 1970’s someone in the Atlanta division of AT&T came up with the idea to lease helicopters to fly technicians in and out of the stations to save time. Since they were going to be flying a lot, Bill decided to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot and he got his private pilot’s license in 1973. The AT&T helicopter program turned out to be too expensive so it was cancelled. Since he had his license and loved being in the air, Bill started flying nights, weekends and whenever he could. He became a flight instructor at Tuscaloosa Regional Airport in 1975 and continued as an instructor there until 1990.
“I had an ambition to be a pilot full-time and when I took early retirement from AT&T, it was the perfect time to switch careers,” he says. “I got a chance to do that within a few months when I became the pilot for Pate Development Company in 1990.”
He flew Pate company executives and clients to and from numerous projects and meetings in the company’s Cessna Twin Engine 421 for three years. Then from 1993 to 1999 he flew for Odyssey Aviation in a larger King Air B100 turbo prop airplane. During his tenure with Odyssey he talks about the joy he had in mentoring a young pilot who went on to become a pilot for Purdue Chicken. “Seems like pilots travel in a small group and I enjoy passing on my knowledge and continuing the circle.” he says.
Since 1999 Hardy has flown a King Air B200 for Oahu Properties, a real estate company based out of Tuscaloosa. He plans to fly for them until the end of May this year and then get more involved with Angel Flight, his family and church.
“I heard about Angel Flight from another pilot at Tuscaloosa Regional Airport and I was intrigued by the idea of providing transportation for people who really need it,” Hardy explains. “I admire their mission and I just felt the timing was right for me to get involved. We are planning several events here for area pilots over the next couple of months. We need experienced pilots with planes to join us and continue this great work. So my goal is to meet with as many pilots as possible and get them onboard.”
Angel Fight is a non-profit organization that provides free air transportation for people that have a medical need that can’t be filled in their local area. Their services are available throughout Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and the Carolinas. They actively seek both new patients to serve and experienced pilots to fulfill missions.
Angel Flight Board of Directors, Volunteer Pilots and Staff
Angel Flight Soars - AL Branch
7601 Robert Cardinal Airport Road
Tuscaloosa Regional Airport
Tuscaloosa, AL 35401
(205) 345–1416
Branch Director: Bill Hardy
albranch@angelflightsoars.org
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