JEREMY MADDOX BECOMES TENTH SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT TO EARN PILOT CERTIFICATE

When Jeremy Maddox passed his checkride on Thursday, March 5th, 2009 it was one year from the day when he mailed his application for an Able Flight Scholarship. And when Designated Pilot Examiner Ben Methvin, Jr. signed the required documents, the Georgia resident became Able Flight's tenth scholarship winner to earn a pilot certificate.

Jeremy, who uses a wheelchair due to a spinal cord injury, and whose scholarship was supported by a grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, trained in an adapted Sky Arrow 600 with instructor Matt Hansen of Hansen Air Group in Kennesaw, Georgia just northeast of Atlanta. The 27-year-old quickly adapted to the unique hand controls on the Sky Arrow, soloing after only 11 hours, and earning his license with a total of 37 hours in his logbook.

Not only did Jeremy become the tenth scholarship winner to earn his license, but as with the nine before him, he passed the checkride on his first attempt. He reported that during the ride, and after a well-demonstrated short field landing, Methvin asked if Jeremy was as comfortable flying as he sounded. He said that he responded with, "We are flying, Ben… it doesn't get any better than this. Why wouldn't I be relaxed?"

With his pilot certificate in hand, and looking ahead to flights with friends and family, Jeremy thanked those who made it possible for him to have this "great opportunity". He said, "Able Flight enabled me to achieve this goal, broaden my horizons, and create some life-long friendships through the process."

One of those friendships is with Able Flight's 2008 Instructor of the Year, Matt Hansen. Of his former student and now fellow pilot, Matt said, "Jeremy is a true aviation enthusiast. He has already made plans to come and fly the Sky Arrow this weekend to start his time as a light sport pilot. I look forward to sharing the blue skies with him."