There is a man in Australia called Dave Jacka. Dave will be the first person with quadriplegia to fly solo 16,000KM around Australia. So when we at FITA heard about him, well, we just had to find a way to talk to him and be wowed by what he’s doing.
Like many 19 year-olds, Dave thought he was invincible. Until he had a motorbike accident. Four days before his 20th birthday Dave broke the fifth vertebrae in his neck, leaving him with quadriplegia.
Former Paralympian and adventurer Dave Jacka sets out for his world record challenge, to be the first quadriplegic to fly solo around Australia. This daring flight will involve Dave flying to 21 rural towns and cities around the coastline of Australia.
What will follow is a four and a half week tour of regional and rural communities around the 16,000 km coastline of Australia. Dave’s plane will cross the four most southern, northern, eastern and western points of the country, South East Cape (TAS), Cape York (QLD), Cape Byron (NSW) and Steep Point (WA).
“I’m excited to be heading off on this pioneering journey. I truly believe you are only limited by what you think you can do, “David said.
“For me one of the greatest challenges was learning to get out of the wheelchair and into bed and into and out of the car on my own — that gave me my independence back.
“It took me 10 years to get my life back”, he said.
After his accident, Dave started the charity On a Wing and a Chair aiming to raise expectations of what people with disabilities can achieve and provide inspiration for people with or without disabilities to achieve their own challenging goals.
Dave’s mantra is that with an open mind and determination, the impossible becomes possible.
Follow the flight via the On a Wing & a Chair website with a real-time tracker. Daily updates will be posted through a blog, You Tube, Facebook (facebook.com/OnAWingAndAChair) and Twitter (@wingandachair).
For more information go to: http://www.onawingandachair.org.au/
