Able Flight held its annual wings ceremony at AirVenture Oshkosh and the organization’s remarkable record of success continues. The six graduates brought to 33 the number of students in wheelchairs who have qualified for light sport and/or private certificates in the past four years. This year everyone who entered the program, which uses aircraft with hand controls, has earned a certificate. Five of the six trained at Purdue University, which has graduated 17 hand-control pilots in the last few years.
Among the graduates was Marine Lt. Andrew Kinard, who lost both legs in an IED explosion in Iran. Dierdre Dacey has had MS since she was a teenager and Young Choi got polio as a child. Warren Cleary was paralyzed in a skydiving accident, Dennis Akins was hurt in a trampoline accident and Stephany Glassing was paralyzed in a car accident. Able Flight’s Charles Stites said the dedication of the students and their instructors is remarkable and the success rate is proof of their commitment. “If you want to see what’s right with aviation today, you can begin by looking at Able Flight,” said Stites.
