The British Disabled Flying Association has many goals and objectives for the next 10 years:- some of them are as follows: you can help by making a donation via their website
1 A flight training centre facility for disabled people
2 Access to specially adapted and designed training aircraft
3 Fundraising & Awareness
please continue to the next page to carry on finding out about our ambitions
High Profile Patron – It is important to us that we have patrons who have a great passion for Aviation. It is necessary for us to continue raising our current profile which will help with our ambitions to raise funds and grow as a not for profit organisation. It would greatly benefit both our prospective patrons and us, leading to mutual profile-building and so increasing opportunities.
Free as a bird – We are now looking to extend the opportunity beyond our membership and make the experience available to a wider audience by offering short, instructional “FREE AS A BIRD trial flight to disabled people who have not flown an aircraft before. In the first instance, we would wish to work with the Personal Assistants within Regional Rehabilitation Units, who are heavily involved with the re-integration of people suffering from disabilities or injuries. By subsidizing the cost of flying we believe we can bring more disabled people into the world of aviation which has proven to provide a rehabilitation and goal orientated benefits to disabled individuals.
Wing name schemes – In return for a donation we will proudly carry the name of the individual or company on the wing of the aircraft or on the tail. I have attached a small PDF about the scheme. This is another area that I wish to seek your advice on.
4 A range of specialist training programs run for disabled people
5 Further changes in aviation legislation relating to disabled pilots
In 2004 our co-founder Tim become commercial pilot (FAA) in the world who has a disability. This was largely done through our organisation. With the legal barrier broken, and a growing range of hand control systems now available that fit straight into most general aviation aero planes, the BDFC’s final “big issue” is to establish a sufficiently large infrastructure to ensure that disabled people who want a flying licence can gain one. The recent donation of the Bulldog aircraft has been a significant step towards the creation of a not-for-profit flying school at our base in Lasham’s but we know only too well how far we still have to go. We work with EU aviation, CAA and medical regulators and we have had considerable success in enabling those with physical disabilities to achieve both private and commercial pilots’ licenses. We now want to build on these success’s.
6 Employment potential for disabled people in aviation
We advice on policy in general aviation and we now want to implement these legislations which we been passed. Simply, we now need to work with airlines and the aviation industry to get disabled people working for them at all levels, from pilot to air traffic controller to airport manager.
7 Greater public awareness of the capabilities of disabled people with an interest in aviation
