From Wheels to Wings

Submitted by Tony Schmitmeyer

Fort Loramie, OH

www.schmitmeyer.com

 The thrill of piloting a powered parachute is an experience hard to put into words. I took my first solo flight on October 7, 1996. The flight lasted 23 minutes and was one of the most enjoyable 23 minutes I've had in a long time. Not only was this my first solo flight, but I believe it was the first solo flight in a powered parachute of anyone in my condition.

I am a quadriplegic due to a diving accident. On July 20,1983 a couple of friends and I attended a swimming party at a public pool. Someone brought a large inner tube and we decided to try to dive through the center of it. When I tried to dive through, my head hit the inner tube, snapped my head back and broke my neck at the C5-C6 vertebrae. The accident left me paralyzed from the chest down. Initially I could barely move my arms but through months of therapy and years of determination, I've regained enough strength in my arms to enable me to get around in a manual wheelchair. I still don't have full functional use of my arms and I'm not able to move my fingers at all. I am also not able to move my legs at all.

The accident happened between my junior and senior year in high school. I was very active in sports at the time. I played basketball, baseball and ran track at Fort Loramie High School in Ft. Loramie, Ohio. Ever since I was paralyzed, I have been limited to the types of sports and recreational activities that I can participate in at an equal basis as anyone else. I have developed ways to hunt and fish again, which I really enjoy. I continually look for ways to make my life easier and more enjoyable. I like to participate in activities where I'm at an "equal" basis as anyone else.     

About five years ago was the first time I saw a powered parachute. I saw someone flying one as I left work one night. I really didn't know what it was other than some type of ultralight. It looked like it would be a lot of fun and I thought to myself, "I wonder if I could do that?" I never gave it much more thought until this past summer when I decided to investigate. I sent for information from several powered parachute manufacturers, read all the articles I could find, and talked with several powered parachute dealers and pilots. I came to the conclusion that the Buckeye would be the easiest to modify and safest for someone in my condition to fly. I contacted Buckeye Aviation and told them my story. They gave me the name of a dealer in my area and suggested that I contact him and have him give me a ride on his two-place Buckeye to see if it was something I felt I could do.

The day I met with the dealer, it was too windy to fly. But I really didn't need to go up to know this was something that I really wanted to try. After seeing the Buckeye in person, I felt confident that hand controls could be developed and I would be able to fly. The dealer suggested that I contact Buckeye Industries again and see if they would be willing to develop the hand controls. The next day I called Lloyd, Buckeye's engineer, and discussed the possibilities of them developing hand controls. He was a little apprehensive at first but after I explained how I use hand controls to drive, and flying a powered parachute was something I really wanted to try, he agreed that just because I'm paralyzed, why should I have to sit on the side line and watch everyone else have the fun?

After numerous phone calls and several visits to the factory, the modifications were finally complete and ready for my first flight. During the days I spent at Buckeye Industries, I was fortunate to get to talk to many veteran Buckeye pilots. I watched as they test flew my aircraft using hand controls. They did a good job of talking me through what it would be like for me to pilot the aircraft. Even though they have full use of their arms, they gave me a good idea of what to expect. The next step was for me to wait for a calm day to take my first solo flight.

Finally, on October 7, I made my first solo flight. There are a few adjustments that need to be made to the hand controls to make them a little easier to push, but I feel very comfortable and safe flying the Buckeye. On my second flight, I flew around the outside edge of Ft. Loramie, Ohio, the small town where I grew up and still live. It was quite a thrill to see where I grew up from 500 feet. People came out of their houses and watched and waved at me with excitement as I flew around the town. Many people knew that I had the Buckeye Powered Parachute and were excited to finally see me fly it. It is a neat feeling to fly over the runway and see my wheelchair sitting on the ground without me in it.

            I'm going to continue to work with Buckeye Aviation to perfect the hand controls. I'm also going to be a dealer for Buckeye Powered Parachutes and hope to introduce this sport to both able bodied and other handicapped people. I thank the good people at Buckeye Industries for making this dream become a reality.