Sports and Recreation for Those with Lower Limb Amputation or ...

Flying
iners is maintained by !ocal flight
schools.
When a local FAA examiner is
designated, the prospective pilot
can apply for a third-class medical
certificate. Once the doctor has
indicated on the application the
precise nature of disability, the
material is forwarded to the FAA
Aeromedical Certification Branch,
Oklahoma City, for a determination
. In cases of certain functional
losses, such as loss of a limb, the
FAA can issue a medical certificate
with the limitation "valid for student
pilot privileges only."
At the conclusion of a flight test,
assuming that it is passed, the
FAA flight inspector will issue a
temporary private pilot certificate,
the new medical certificate, and a
Statement of Demonstrated Ability
("waiver") . Appropriate limitations
may be placed on the pilot
and/or rnodioal certificate . For example,
in the case of a pilot with
lower limb amputation, the rnedioal
certificate may state that it is
valid only while wearing his or her
prosthesis.
Although the rules governing
flying for those with physical disability
are stringent, many have become
avid flyers. Bill Blackwood
who cannot walk went on to become
the first wheelchair pilot to
get an instructor's rating from the
FAA. Today, Blackwood heads the
Wheelchair Pilots Association of
America, an organization active in
designing aircraft hand controls to
meet the needs of people with
amputation and other severe impairments
who are interested in
flying airplanes.
The Weiokuontm! system designed
for Piper PA 28s (the Cherokee
series), PA-28Rs (Arrows), and
PA-32s (Saratogas and Lances) requires
no bolts and simply clamps
to the aircraft. This control system
allows the pilot with a disability
the option of positioning his or her
wheelchair (for those confined to a
wheelchair) along the wing . Another
advantage of these aircraft
and the low-winged Grumman
American is the baggage area,
which is sufficiently large to accommodate
a wheelchair and other
equipment.
In fact, with help in the installation
of controls and the procurement
of a modified FAA-approved
flight manual, almost any aircraft
can be made suitable for the pilot
with amputation. Erooupadesigner
Fred Weick, and others, have
come up with approved hand controls
that fit various rudder-pedal
airplanes. These conversions put
brakes and the left and right rudders
in the pilot's hands by simply
touching a lever.
Other aircraft that pilots with
disability favor include the Piper
Tri-Pacer vvhioh is equipped with a
partially coordinated nontrol system
and hand brake. Mooneys,
Beechcraft, Musketeers and other
low-winged aircraft offer relative
ease of climbing into the cockpit.
A few twin engines such as the
Cessna 337 Skymaster, which displays
simple single-engine procedures,
is recommended . Highwinged,
multi-engine aircraft and
taildraggers are generally not suggested,
however, except for very
skilled pilots.
There are also several fixed, or
permanent, hand controls for aircraft
that are commercially sold,
but in order to avail oneself of
these controls, the pilot must own
the airplane . Sources of fixed
hand controls are: Aircraft Inspection
& Maintenance, 2680 East
Wardlow Road, Long Beach, CA
90807 (213) 595-5738 ; or, Union
Aviation Inc., RO. Box 207, Sturgis,
KY42459 (502)333-5918.
Modification of the
Prosthetic Foot
For those individuals with amputation
who choose to pilot an
aircraft without hand controls,
modification of the prosthetic foot
is sometimes helpful in operating
the rudder pedal and in keeping
the foot from inadvertently hitting
the brake pedal, although this
problem is rare. For operation of
the toe brake, most fliers prefer
the two-part SACH (solid ankle/
cushion heel) Foot designed by
the Navy Prosthetic Research Laboratory
in Oakland, California.
This prosthesis can be worn for
everyday use; for flying, the prosthetic
toe section can simply be
disconnected (Fig. 12).
Choosing an Aircraft
The kind of aircraft that the pilot
decides to fly is essentially determined
by the ease it offers in
getting into and out of the cockpit .
Hand Controls
Hand controls for certain Cessna
and Grumman American aircraft
are manufactured by Union Aviation,
Inc., RO . Box 207, Sturgis, KY
42458(5O2)333-5918 .
Fig . 12. The SACH foot showing the disconne"tenme
section . (Photo courtesy of Navy
Prosthetic Research Laboratory, Naval Regional
Medical Center, Oakland, CA)
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