Montco Hero Pilot Flew 47 Patients In Need Of Treatment For Free

BLUE BELL, PA — A Montgomery County pilot who has provided dozens of free emergency flights for individuals in need of medical treatment will be honored at an upcoming gala.

Rob Newman, a Chadds Ford resident, flew 47 free flights over more than 250 hours from Wings Field in Blue Bell over the past year. Angel Flight East, which organizes the charity flights, has named Newman its pilot of the year.

"According to Rob, there is no greater reward than being able to help a stranger during a time of need," Angel Flights East Director of Outreach, Jessica Ames, told Patch.

Angel Flights, founded in Pennsylvania in 1992, now runs missions for individuals in need throughout the northeast. Pilots pay for all expenses for each mission, and most patients require multiple flights over several years to complete treatments. In 2023, more than 950 "angel flights" took place, including Newman's 47.

The son of a D-Day B-26 pilot, Newman graduated from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado and served as a pilot for years before earning an engineering degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and an MBA from the University of Baltimore. He spent much of his career developing innovative medical devices, and then began searching for even more ways to give back.

Newman said it was during a visit to Wings Field around ten years ago that he rediscovered his passion for flying.

Newman was "captivated by a fully loaded Cirrus, and the experience of transitioning from a 1960’s era mechanical/analog airplane with handheld maps to a glass cockpit with two GPS systems and an autopilot was transformative," he said. "Flying quickly became a habit."

Newman points to the desire to serve honed in the Air Force as the driving element leading him to seek out Angels Flight. He joined as a pilot in 2018.

Newman will be honored at Angel Flight's annual fundraising gala at Hangar 4 at Wings Field on Saturday, April 27. For tickets and more details, see online here.