Disabled urged to get airborne

By Geoff Adams-Spink
Age & disability correspondent, BBC News website

In spite of the costs involved and people's preconceptions about who can learn to fly, the British Disabled Flying Association (BDFA) is using a number of adaptations to persuade disabled people that flying is an achievable goal.

The BDFA welcomes people with all types of disabilities

"We want to make ourselves known to more of the disabled community - we're quite passionate about getting disabled people up into the sky," said BDFA vice-chairman, Ben Bennett.

"We cater for almost anybody."

Mr Bennett has a rare neurological condition called hereditary spastic paraplegia which means he has difficulty using his legs.

He says that he learnt to fly two years ago and now makes regular solo trips.

The BDFA's philosophy is that all disabled people should be able to have experience of flying even if they are not able to qualify as a pilot.

"We had a blind guy flying with us who really enjoyed it and we took him into cloud so that he could experience different sensations of turbulence," explained Mr Bennett.

"A blind person's never going to get a private pilot's licence (PPL) but it doesn't mean that they can't enjoy flying: obviously they'll need a qualified person sitting next to them but it's perfectly possible for a blind person to take off, climb and then fly straight and level on their own."

The association operates from two airfields - Lasham in Hampshire and Tatenhill in Staffordshire.

Many adaptations involve replacing foot pedals with hand controls

Aircraft types are carefully chosen so that getting in and out is made as easy as possible - the four-seater Piper Cherokee being particularly popular.

"We've got one aircraft with a retractable canopy so that we can hoist severely paraplegic people into position, strap them in and take them flying," said Mr Bennett.

Hand controls are used to replace rudder pedals and, in some cases, toe brakes.

The association's website has detailed information on the types of aircraft, modifications necessary and the likelihood of being able to qualify as a pilot depending on a person's impairment.

Paraplegics, for example, have an excellent chance of obtaining a PPL.

But the licence is likely to be valid only in the UK and separate permission would have to be obtained to fly to other countries.

Those with Cerebral Palsy are advised that they have a good chance of getting a PPL but that a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approved examiner would have to check the person's ability to operate the rudder, brakes and hearing via a headset.

The BDFA says it is unsure of the situation for deaf people who are unable to speak: the CAA requires a safety pilot to accompany the deaf person in order to deal with communications.

In the USA there are more than 80 deaf pilots who are allowed to fly solo in areas where the use of two-way radios is not compulsory.

The Piper Cherokee is popular among disabled pilots

Members of the association are able to fly for just over a quarter of the normal £140 or so per hour charged by flying schools.

It numbers about 300 members at the moment but Ben Bennett thinks more disabled people would give it a try if they knew that some of the most common hurdles could be overcome and realised how thrilling it is.

"When I'm in the sky I'm as good as anyone else," he said.

"Sometimes I use instructors to improve my flying but when they are next to me I fly as well as they do - it's a level playing field, and what a kick I get out of it as well."