The Disabled Can Fly: An Able Flight Scholarship Provides the Lift

Jessica Cox

Friday, September 16, 2022 at 09:24 PM ET

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Nathaniel Miller, with Able Flight graduates, class of 2022. [Courtesy: ableflight.org]

Key Takeaways:

Pilots with disabilities often face challenges maintaining medical certification for powered flight, a frequent concern among aviators.
Organizations like Able Flight are dedicated to empowering individuals with disabilities by offering flight and aviation career training scholarships, fostering self-confidence and self-reliance.
For disabled pilots, achieving pilot-in-command status offers profound freedom from physical barriers and social stigma, reaffirming their willpower and providing a sense of equality and accomplishment.

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Disability is something that pilots always have in the back of their minds, because becoming disabled could mean losing their third-class medical certificate. It is a frequent topic for discussion at my Experimental Aircraft Association chapter every month.

I mentioned this to another pilot at this year’s EAA AirVenture. Rather than thinking of how to appeal a medical denial, he just said, “If you ever have a problem getting your third-class medical, you could always fly gliders. You don’t need a medical for that.”