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

Jessica Cox

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

Verified

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

Key Takeaways:

Pilots with disabilities face significant challenges, including concerns about maintaining medical certificates and adapting to fine motor skill requirements in aircraft.
Organizations like Able Flight are vital in empowering individuals with disabilities by offering scholarships and training to pursue flight and aviation careers.
For pilots with disabilities, achieving pilot-in-command status offers a profound sense of freedom from physical barriers and social stigma, affirming their willpower and resolve.

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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.”