Nine Able Flight students were honored during a wing pinning ceremony at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh on July 23.
Able Flight’s Executive Director, Charles Stites, announced that this year’s class is the largest to date, with the organization now boasting 98 licensed pilots, including several who have earned multiple pilot certificates since its inception.
Stites introduced the 2024 class which included recipients Andrew Daigneau, Jake Simmons, Natallia Mirashnichenka, Ian Azeredo, Tyler Pugeda, Omar Duran, Jake Robinson, Jordan Sprague, and Tim Riney Jr. Tuesday’s ceremony also honored flight instructors who taught the students to fly.
This was the first year Able Flight students trained at Southern Illinois University and the 14th year it partnered with Purdue University. Aspiring pilots in the program fly in specially adapted Sky Arrows and Vashon Ranger aircraft.
To achieve this, Able Flight sought out the expertise of Clayton Smeltz—a pilot and engineer who is a paraplegic. Smeltz designed adaptive flight controls for his Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet and spearheaded the adaptation of the Vashon Ranger with hand controls, enabling it to be flown by individuals with disabilities.
Smeltz attended the wing pinning ceremony and jokingly remarked that he’s not a great engineer or a great pilot so he was very thankful his innovation was working as well as it is. He mentioned that flying was a blessing for someone with disabilities and expressed his gratitude for being part of the Able Flight community.
