MOULTRIE, Ga. — Justin Carter of Moultrie is becoming a frequent flyer on angels’ wings.

Carter, who had a spinal fusion to repair degenerative disc disease, has used Angel Flight Soars multiple times, including to his surgery March 16. He’ll be back in the air Wednesday, May 8, to be transferred to Emory Orthopedic & Spine Hospital for a post-op.

Angel Flight was formed in 1983 as a loosely organized group of 15 volunteer pilots that just wanted to help people who needed medical treatment. Angel Flight Soars, based in Atlanta, was one of the first two groups organized under the name Angel Flight.

The pilots coordinated about a dozen missions that first year. Now 36 years later Angel Flight Soars coordinates free air transportation with volunteer pilots on private aircraft for medically stable and ambulatory patients. In 2018, they completed 3,371 flights — that’s nine a day, seven days a week.

“Patients from newborn to 90 years old with 118 different medical conditions from 27 states were flown to the treatments they required,” Angel Flight Soars said in a press release.

Carter said he found out about Angel Flight about the time of his surgery. They were able to get him to Emory for the operation.

“I'm 110 percent thankful for Angel Flight,” he said. “It’s just way more convenient to be on a plane for an hour versus driving in a car for four to five hours then having to stop every 45 minutes because I have to get up and walk around.

“They cover the pre-op, post-op and the time of surgery, it’s great.

“I've ridden in four different planes. Some are small and then some of them are big,” he said. “They give you bottled water and the pilots are nice and very talkative. Just overall great experience.”

Angel Flight is also involved with disaster relief. Some of their most notable flights included providing relief during 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and  Hurricane Harvey by delivering supplies and relocating nurses to help during the aftermath of these incidents.

If you or anyone you know would be interested in using Angel Flight Soars you can contact them at 770-452-7958 or visit their website http://www.AngelFlightSoars.org.