The monthly newsletter for friends of Angel Flight South Central
Flying at the top of the world
Wayne Maynard's interest in aviation began at a young age with his own family's history. Maynard's paternal grandfather was a World War I pilot who eventually became the first sheriff of Collier County, Florida. At the request of the county's namesake, Baron Collier, Maynard's grandfather photographed the entire county from his biplane, taking hundreds of feet of film. The film ended up at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. where it was made into a map. Later, it was moved to the Naples Museum in Naples, FL.
Maynard's father, while not a pilot, served the military in World War II on a PT boat. Wayne's aviation mentor was his uncle, Robert Maynard, who was a World War II pilot. His uncle encouraged him every step of the way when he got serious about flying in high school.
Maynard has been flying for 50 years, and he's had some amazing adventures. Imagine you're at a cocktail party and you overhear someone talking about flying to the North Pole. You might pause your conversation, turn towards the speaker, and listen. Even the locations along the route create a vivid image of an epic journey: Thunder Bay, Northwest Passage, Resolute Bay, and Eureka. It's that kind of interest that Maynard was trying to create so he could raise funds and awareness for Angel Flight South Central. About 10 years ago, he completed his inaugural flight to the geographic North Pole in his single-engine Columbia 350 (now known as the Cessna 350). In 2018, he flew to the magnetic North Pole in the same plane. A launch party was held at the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas, TX prior to his last departure, raising an amazing $80,000 for Angel Flight South Central.
Maynard began flying Angel Flight missions about nine years ago when his brother-in-law was diagnosed with cancer. He was a physician in Lubbock, TX and needed to go to MD Anderson in Houston for treatment. Maynard flew him and his wife a number of times back and forth for treatment. Since he was already flying missions to help his brother-in-law, Maynard decided to officially join Angel Flight and help others in similar situations.
For the last year and a half, Wayne Maynard has been serving as Chairman of the Board for Angel Flight South Central. He continues to provide free flights for people in need and has been involved in numerous fundraising efforts while serving on the board, including Angel Flight's inaugural Soaring Hearts Gala. Maynard is also being recognized by D CEO's Nonprofit and Corporate Citizenship Awards as 2020's Volunteer of the Year.
On the Beam!
Top Pilots for May
7 Missions - Scott Gloyna
5 Missions - Jerald Molleston, Larry Forney
4 Missions - David Prentice, Joel Buhrmann
1st Mission Flown in May
James Buis Aaron Lawrence Chip Mikesell David Wood James Carter Albert Hilliard Pat Boone
Milestones for May
5th Mission - Todd Abbott, Joel Buhrmann, Jerry Fitzgerald
Top Pilots for June
7 Missions - Jed Molleston
6 Missions - Scott Young, Scott Gloyna
4 Missions - Patrick Andrews, Joan Waddill, Todd Abbott, Dennis Moore
1st Mission Flown in June
Bradley Yates William Terrell Daniel Parker Jonathan Goodale Benjamin Bleichwehl Luis Castelan Jason Byers Mark Crumblish
Milestones for June
5th Mission - Miles Matthews, Mark Congco-Antoine
10th Mission - James Howard, John Epley, Kenneth His, Joel Mack, Todd Abbott
25th Mission - David Dryden
50th Mission - Philip Nicholson
100th Mission - Scott Gloyna