The letter came from his mom. She wrote: “My son is now 19. When he was young he wanted to fly for a living. When he was 16 he got in a motor vehicle accident that left him a paraplegic. He has full use of his upper body and is very strong in his back and arms. His level of injury is T-6. When I talk with him about a career he still says all he wants to do is fly. Is it still possible for him to make a career out of flying?”
The answers come from two different but related questions. The first is “Can a physically challenged person with limited use of the limbs earn a pilot certificate?” The second is, “Can such a person earn a commercial pilot or airline transport pilot certificate and the requisite second or first class medical certificate and, if so, are the job opportunities out there?”
A review of the FAA’s medical standards in Part 67 of the federal aviation regulations presents the first logical consideration: “No other organic functional or structural disease, defect, or limitation that the Federal Air Surgeon, based on the case history and appropriate, qualified medical judgment relating to the condition involved, makes the person unable to safely perform those duties or exercise the privileges of the airman certificate applied for or held.” Naturally, being able to control the aircraft by successfully manipulating the yoke, rudder pedals, and brakes is essential to safe flight.
However, aviation is filled with wonderful examples of humans longing for the freedom of flight who compensate for their physical limitations through the use of approved appliances and apparatus, such as hand controls for manipulating the rudder or brakes.
One of the many organizations that supports persons with disabilities is Able Flight (http://ableflight.org). Six Able Flight scholarship recipients were awarded their sport pilot certificates at EAA AirVenture in July 2013. The new pilots are: Marine Lt. Andrew Kinard, who lost both legs from an IED explosion in Iraq; Deirdre Dacey, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at 16; Young Choi, who had polio as a child; Warren Cleary, a former member of the U.S. National Skydiving Team who was paralyzed during training; Dennis Akins, who became paralyzed as the result of an accident on a trampoline; and Stephany Glassing, who was paralyzed in an auto accident as a teenager.
There are other groups that are committed to launching challenged individuals into the sky. These include Para Pilots (www.parapilots.com); Returnflight (www.returnflight.org); Wheelchairaviators (www.wheelchairaviators.org); and Aerobility (www.aerobility.com). There are some 125,000 paraplegics in the United States, and, as can be seen from these few examples, many are going skyward because of their uncanny courage and the support of friends and groups such as these.
The FAA needs to know how the condition occurred. What are the details of the airman’s current condition? What is the level of paraplegia? Does the airman have any extremity function? Can he transfer himself from a wheelchair into an aircraft? Does he have pressure sores? Does he require a urinary catheter? What medications is he taking?
In most of these cases, the aircraft will need such modifications as hand brakes, and if seeking a private pilot certificate, a medical flight test and statement of demonstrated ability (SODA) will be required. The local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) and the aviation medical examiner can be a resource to the challenged pilot for navigating the SODA process.
Should the applicant require a modification of the aircraft, he or she must take the test in the aircraft that was modified, and the applicant will receive a revised airman certificate that limits flying to only that particular aircraft type. If the airman wants to move into another aircraft, another flight test will be required. In that case, the FAA issues a restricted medical certificate for private pilot applicants (student pilot only). This allows the airman to fly, but, prior to solo, the flight instructor should send the applicant to the FSDO for a flight test. If the applicant passes, then he can be issued an unrestricted medical certificate and the SODA.
Many of the chronicled success stories center on challenged pilots flying recreational aircraft, such as powered parachutes, gliders, or Light Sport aircraft where medical certificates are not required at all. Will the traveling public ever see a wheelchair-bound pilot take the flight deck of a 737 for a major airline? Right or wrong, probably not.
But Dwight Leiss is a T-8 paraplegic flight instructor; Dennis Whitely flies both VFR and IFR as a T-12/L-1 paraplegic; Janine Shepherd is an aerobatics instructor; there are scores of other success stories. It is possible for a paraplegic pilot to earn a second class medical certificate and a commercial pilot certificate. That could open the door to flight instruction; flying scenic flights; aircraft sales and leasing; and airshow performances.
There is no record of any seriously disabled pilot earning a first class medical certificate and ATP certificate and parlaying those credentials into a professional flying career. However, the airlines offer nonflying careers that get close to the action such as dispatcher, scheduler, load planner, and ground logistics coordinators.
So, mom, is there a place for your son in the sky? Absolutely.
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