'Flying With Autism' Initiative Launched | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Tue, Dec 29, 2015

'Flying With Autism' Initiative Launched

Will Help Parents Of Children With Autism Assess Their Ability To Fly

A new initiative has been launched in the U.K. to offer parents the opportunity to take their child with autism on a short experience flight so they can assess how they cope with the whole process and develop strategies to overcome any issues.

The lives of thousands of families are affected by autism. For many parents the prospect of a journey by air is too daunting to contemplate because of the worry of how their child with autism will react to this unique environment. The new sounds and sensations of air travel, together with the noise and bustle of an airport can be unnerving and frightening to anyone experiencing it for the first time, but for someone with autism, this can be greatly amplified and overwhelming.

Led by specialist aviation training company, FOF Events, raising funds in support of The National Autistic Society, and in conjunction with Ryanair, the Flying With Autism initiative has been established not only to help a child with autism familiarise themselves with the flying experience, but also for parents and carers so they can undertake the necessary preparation in advance of the flight to ensure that their child’s experience is as smooth and as comfortable as possible.

It’s a two-part program consisting of an initial Ground Course exclusively for parents and caregivers to help them prepare their child for the airport and aircraft environment. This is then followed by an exclusive Experience Flight, a fortnight later, offering the parents/caregivers and their child with autism the opportunity to take a short flight to assess how they cope with air travel before committing to a potentially expensive overseas holiday.

The program is designed to provide advice and coping techniques to assist parents and carers support a child with autism through the more stressful parts of the experience such as airport security as well as the noises and sensations on board an aircraft.

The two-hour Ground Course will be held Sunday 28th February 2016 at the Chiltern Hotel in Luton and the Experience Flight, aboard a Ryanair Boeing 737, will take off from Stansted airport on Sunday 13th March for a 30 minute round trip flight.

“A recent survey by the NAS showed transportation is a huge issue for people on the autism spectrum and their families, and can prevent them from taking part in everyday activities, particularly leisure opportunities such as holidaying abroad," said Kelly Railton, Corporate Partnership Lead Manager, The National Autistic Society. "We hope that Flying with Autism's courses, along with our own current work in creating more accessible transport environments (such as airports and trains), will help the more than 1 in 100 people on the autism spectrum in the UK, and their families, to access the same leisure and culture activities as everyone else.”

The cost of the full program is £289 (approx $443) which includes the initial ground course and the experience flight.

(Source: Flying with Autism news release. Image from file)

FMI: www.flyingwithautism.com

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Aviat A1

Airplane Bounced About 3 Ft Then Touched Back Down And Then, With No Brakes Applied, The Airplane Began Veering To The Left Analysis: The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.08.25)

Aero Linx: British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) The primary focus within all aviation activity is SAFETY. In all aspects of our sport SAFETY must come first, whether it b>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Fly Corvair’s Reliable Engine Alternative

From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, >[...]

ANN FAQ: Contributing To Aero-TV

How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: CiES Fuel-Quantity and e-Throttle Systems Praised

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Bridge of CiES CiES Inc. is a Bend, Oregon-based designer and manufacturer of modular embedded aircraft systems and sensors. The company’s fuel-l>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC