PPRuNe Forums - Paraplegic Helo Pilot

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Paraplegic Helo Pilot

Don't know if the Mods will see this as advertising, I thought his story was worth sharing, good on him. Reminds me of a wheelchair bound individual who built their own RV-6, nice to see folk who make we mere mortals look mundane. From Avweb.

Quote:

Stewart McQuillan is a former Royal Air Force Tornado pilot who suffered a triple spinal injury in a takeoff accident. It left him wheelchair-bound, but he regained his pilot license through the Douglas Bader Foundation.Bader lost both legs in a 1931 flying accident, talked his way back into RAF service, and led a wing of Spitfires during the Battle of Britain. He was inspirational to his fellow fighter pilots and, after the war, continued to advocate for the disabled, thus the foundation established in his honor.

McQuillan is carrying on Bader’s tradition. An engineer as well as a pilot, he learned to fly helicopters—developing a technology that enables paraplegic pilots to control the antitorque pedals from thumb switches on the cyclic and collective controls.

Having emigrated to America and become a citizen, he is also dedicated to helping veterans here in the United States through the National Veterans Vocational Village (NV3), in Colorado Springs, Colorado, home of the U.S. Air Force Academy. NV3 is “a self-sustaining vocational training center and residential village that educates, employs, and houses disabled and injured veterans—and those with invisible wounds—transitioning from military and first responder duties to civilian life.”

Sponsored in part by RotorX, McQuillan is preparing a tour of U.S. veterans hospitals next summer. He appeared at the RotorX display at EAA AirVenture with the helicopter he built, himself.

I met Stewart briefly years & years ago. I quick dig into the archives tells me that he used to post on here (as aerolog):

https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/190189-helicopters-flying-disabled.html

A bit like the story of Allana Arnot, made a paraplegic in a plane crash, but learned to walk again, got her helicopter licence, and became the first woman to circumnavigate Australia in a helicopter. Double tragedy when her husband Roger Corbin was killed 2 years ago in a longline accident.

Roger's accident was actually a training flight. But yes, tragic.

AC, by chance happened to fly over the top of Allana as she tracked north coastal abeam East Sale.

Another one who also flew Tornadoes, Martin also flies helicopters......I flew with Martin on Nimrods and he has also flown a helicopter with me:

Martin H Lloyd

Thread Drift:
While not a true story but uplifting.
In the new Magnum P.I.series “Shammy” a paraplegic, played by Christopher Thornton, obtains his helicopter rating thanks to TC and flies the 500D.

Megan, I was flopping around the Flinders Ranges when she went past, had a chat to her on The Numbers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordy (Post 11271320)

Another one who also flew Tornadoes, Martin also flies helicopters......I flew with Martin on Nimrods and he has also flown a helicopter with me:

Martin H Lloyd

curious about the wheelchair with one leg? Not looking for a flaming, just curious in the context of many recent combatants

Quote:

Originally Posted by 212man (Post 11271498)

curious about the wheelchair with one leg? Not looking for a flaming, just curious in the context of many recent combatants

There is not much left to attach a prosthetic, and it was painful hence he just uses a chair.

On the same thread drift, does anybody know what happened to Trevor Jones, the ex RN pilot who was rendered paraplegic after a skiing accident representing the RN? He was making the best of his life flying microlights and sailing around UK after the accident but have not heard anything for about 15 years or so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by megan (Post 11271053)

Much respect for that gentleman. :ok:

And let's not forget Wheely Dave- David Sykes- as a paraplegic flew a trike from the UK to Australia. Incredible feat!