Paraplegic Pilot Gets Cirrus Jet Type Rating
A paraplegic Pennsylvania pilot has become the first to earn a type rating in a Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet. Clayton Smeltz lost the use of his legs when he was…

A paraplegic Pennsylvania pilot has become the first to earn a type rating in a Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet. Clayton Smeltz lost the use of his legs when he was just 16 months old in a vehicle accident and earned his private certificate in a Cherokee 10 years ago. On Jan. 4, he got typed in the jet using hand controls to manipulate the pedals and other controls.
“I feel like I just cheated being disabled! As a boy I dreamed of being a jet pilot but of course that would never happen. Now, after a year in the making, we’ve developed adaptive controls that allow the jet to be flown by hand!!,” he tweeted after completing the ride.

Russ NilesEditor
Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.
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