Eight people with disabilities can become licensed pilots in 2016 thanks to Able Flight.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Able Flight’s eight scholarships sets a record, according to officials with the non-profit organization.
The recipients of the 2016 flight training scholarships come from throughout the country and face challenges from a variety of physical disabilities.
This year’s class will train at Able Flight’s program at Purdue University and includes seven people who use wheelchairs due to the effects of injuries, and a young woman who is deaf.
Receiving scholarships are Johnny Ragland and Justin Falls of North Carolina, Ethan Daffron of Indiana, Scott Earley of Florida, Shafeeq Moore of Georgia, Bernard Dime of Arizona, Trevor Denning of Texas, and Shavon McGlynn of New York.
“When I have the pleasure of calling to notify applicants of their awards, I tell them that they are about to embark on a journey that will change their lives forever,” says Able Flight’s Charles Stites. “Our program is demanding and challenging, and that’s because we work with our partners at Purdue’s Department of Aviation Technology to make it so. When our students become licensed pilots, they know they have earned it.”
This is the seventh consecutive year of Able Flight’s partnership with Purdue, and the graduates of the “Class of 2016” will be guests of honor when they receive their Able Flight Wings on stage at EAA AirVenture on Tuesday, July 26, at 11 a.m., just weeks after becoming licensed pilots.
Able Flight has an awesome program. Congratulations to the recent scholarship winners.