UK Charity Helps Wheelchair-Bound Brit Take to the Skies

Andy Braybrook, a 35-year-old Grantham, UK man, has been picking up the basics of aviation thanks to the disabled flying charity Aerobility. 

A motorcycle accident 6 years prior caused Braybrook to suffer a complete spinal cord injury at the 7th cervical vertebra, putting him in a wheelchair. Being a pilot at hard (as many motorcyclists are), Braybrook was eager to take the charity up on its offer, applying for a scholarship via Aerobility.

Their goal of granting anyone with any disability access to the "magic and wonder of flight" came in full effect in his case, thanks to their grant program. 

Since getting the scholarship, Braybrook has begun flying from Aerobility’s base at Tatenhill Airfield, Staffordshire alongside the group's Deputy Chief Flying Instructor, Andreas Bakolis.

After being awarded the scholarship, Andy said that he was “Ecstatic!” and that “The emotions and feelings I get from flying are something I haven’t experienced since riding a motorbike.

The scholarship has given me something to study toward and look forward to each week and proven that my fear of not being able to fly the plane was completely unnecessary. As soon as I saw the scholarship advertised, I knew that a door was now open to me which would not have been, had I not been disabled and not known about Aerobility.”

Mike Miller-Smith, CEO at Aerobility says “We offer scholarships to ensure anyone can fly with Aerobility, we know how participating in aviation changes lives and we want as many people as possible to experience that. We can only do this because of the generosity of our donors and supporters so we thank them very much indeed for making this possible for Andy.”

FMI: www.aerobility.com