A paraplegic Pennsylvania pilot has become the first to earn a type rating in a Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet. Clayton Smeltz lost the use of his legs when he was just 16 months old in a vehicle accident and earned his private certificate in a Cherokee 10 years ago. On Jan. 4, he got typed in the jet using hand controls to manipulate the pedals and other controls.
“I feel like I just cheated being disabled! As a boy I dreamed of being a jet pilot but of course that would never happen. Now, after a year in the making, we’ve developed adaptive controls that allow the jet to be flown by hand!!,” he tweeted after completing the ride.
