The Persistence of Possibility
Aviation marks perhaps the most breathtaking confluence of man’s intellect and passion. It is the poetry of magnitude expressed in the language of superlatives: fastest, highest, farthest, longest, stealthiest, deadliest. The inveterate aviator is invariably numbed by the sheer preponderance of supremacies.
Occasionally, however, the ambient din of technological, aspirational, and regulatory excesses is punctuated by an instance of sublime simplicity, and the whole of the aviation sphere—if only for a moment—is reminded that freedom is flying’s first blessing.
Comes now Justin Falls, a full-time pharmacist who’s about the business of converting and customizing an existing Zenith STOL CH-750 to hand controls. Justin intends to purchase the customized CH 750, and plans to share his airplane with fellow pilots. Incidentally, Jason is a quadriplegic, a pilot, and by all accounts, a damned good one.
Recently, Justin did some flying with fellow-pilot and eminently able paraplegic John Robinson. The occasion may well have marked history’s first instance of what Justin called, “ … a quadriplegic pilot and a paraplegic pilot get out of their wheelchairs, squeeze into a small airplane together, and take to the sky."
Justin asks that aviation enthusiasts subscribe to his YouTube channel—which he’s cleverly named WheelieGoodPilot. In addition to building and flying airplanes, Justin has been polishing his video-editing skills that he might skillfully and stylishly chronicle his aeronautical pursuits in the hope of amassing an audience of one-thousand-subscribers.
“Please help me reach my goal of 1,000 subscribers on YouTube!” Justin requests. “It’s completely free to subscribe! I just passed 100 subscribers, but I need to get to 1000 to apply for a YouTube partnership. Get your family and friends to subscribe too! I appreciate the support!"
Justin learned to fly under the auspices Able Flight, a charity that offers people with disabilities a unique way to challenge themselves through flight and aviation career training—and by doing so, gain greater self-confidence and self-reliance.
Founded in 2006 by a forward-thinking pilot, writer, and businessman named Charles H. Stites, Able Flight affords flight training scholarships to any U.S. citizen seventeen years-old or older with a physical disability that significantly impairs function. Disabled persons may apply the scholarships to the acquisition of a Sport Pilot Certificate.
Career training scholarships are also available through Able Flight. Such grants may be used to earn an FAA-issued Light Sport Repairman Certificate with Maintenance rating, an FAA Dispatcher License, or—at the discretion of the scholarship committee—applied towards academic expenses while training for a career in aviation-related fields such as air-carrier management or air traffic control.
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