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Gang
As you may recall, Jessica Cox is the young lady who was born without arms that
I am teaching to fly. Her website is www.rightfooted.com . We started the
training in my "D" model but needed to find a "C" or "CD" as she is going the
Sport Pilot route. She also needed to get her Student Pilots License before
solo. With much apprehension, she went to a designated examiner to get her
Student Pilot License. This is simply a matter of filling out the paperwork
and receiving the certificate in return. Nevertheless, Jessica was worried that
the DE might not give her the license. At first all appeared to go well. She
presented the forms, paid the money and he gave her the Student Pilots License.
She was glowing, to say the least.
At this point I must add this aside: Then Jessica went to get her drivers
license, she showed up at the DMV testing area for her road test. When the
examiner got in the car with her, his mouth dropped when he saw that she had no
arms and drove with her feet (no special adaptations to the car). She looked
at him and asked "have you ever tested anyone without arms before?" He shyly
said no. She responded "well buckle up and hold on" and flashed him a
mischievous smile. She passed the test with flying colors and was given her
drivers license without any restrictions. A week later she received a call
saying her license was revoked and she must come back for further testing.
Apparently some "supervisor" felt, just by looking at her, she should not be
driving and pulled rank over the man who actually tested her. Understandably
she was disappointed and concerned she would not get her license. She went
back, as requested, and was told she would have to be retested in a car which
was modified for a person with disabilities. She clearly didn't want to have
this restriction on her license. Again she was tested, this time with the
modified car and a different examiner. She passed, again. She then asked the
examiner if he would allow her to take the test in an unmodified car. He
agreed. She took the test for a third time. The tester said she drove better
in an unmodified car and was granted her license, without restrictions, again.
This time it stuck.
Now back to flying. The day after she received her Student Pilots License, she
received a call from the DE that gave it to her. He said he had second
thoughts about providing her the license and was revoking it. He said he spoke
to his local FSDO supervisor and they both agreed on this matter. Fortunately,
I had done my homework and just two days prior I spoke with the head if the
Light Sport Category department at the FAA. I explained Jessica's situation
and specifically asked if a DE had the authority to deny her the license. His
answer was "no". He said all she needed was a valid drivers license and the
blessing of her CFI. Jessica had the DE contact me, I gave him the name of the
head of the Light Sport Department. They spoke and a few hours later Jessica
had her Student Pilots License, again. As Yogi Berra said "da ja vou all over
again!"
Now the hunt was on for someone with a "C" or "CD" who would be willing to let
me and Jessica continue our training schedule in their airplane, working toward
her solo. Tommy Terri in San Antonio generously offered his Coupe and we made
commercial plane reservations and housing arrangements for our stay in Texas.
Twenty four hours before we were scheduled to arrive in Texas, Tommy called
with the bad news that his plane was down-for-the-count because of two bad
cylinders. Murphy's law was clearly out to get us. Fortunately, Linda Abrams
offered us Skysprite, her lovely "C" model for the continued training. We
scrambled and made last minute reservations to fly to LAX instead of San
Antonio. Linda also graciously let us stay at her house for five days while we
trained. The weather was marginal with visibility only three to four miles,
but we got in about 15 hours anyway.
Jessica is flying very well and is very close to solo. What is holding her
back is the throttle. Try to picture this...she holds the yoke with her right
foot and crosses her left leg under her right leg to control the throttle.
This is a rather awkward position as she is only balanced on her tailbone with
both feet up in the air, at chest level. She does it but it's not easy or
comfortable. We came to the decision that she will need to have a slight
modification to the Ercoupe she flys. It will need a throttle pedal, similar
to a gas pedal in a car. I have already spoken to an A&P IA about this and he
feels it is something he could do and get approved. In fact, he did this once
before on an RV.
That leads me to ask for your help. We can't ask anyone to allow us to modify
their airplane so Jessica is prepared (with the help of some generous friends
and family) to buy her own "C" or "CD" so it can be modified with a "gas
pedal". If anyone is considering selling their "C" or "CD" and want it to go
to a really good home and a really good cause, please contact me. I know that
anyone selling a "C" or "CD" can sell it almost instantly these days. Please
consider giving Jessica the opportunity to buy it before you list it to the
world. You can contact me at 917 297-1111 or via email at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Any leads would be appreciated. While cash is available for the purchase, if a
tax deduction for all or part of the purchase price is more appealing to you, a
401C purchase is an option.
Thanks
Glen Davis CFII
Grumman Tiger N70GD
1946 Ercoupe N3103H
www.ishootpictures.com
www.ercoupepilot.com
917 297 1111
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