Question about flying

[Alpo]

Flying, like driving a car, involves things you do with your hands and things you do with your feet. And like driving a standard shift car, you need to do things with both feet at the same time.

 

But do you need an articulated ankle?

 

If I had a fake left leg, as long as the knee would bend I could still push in the clutch and shift gears in my car.

 

But if I had a prosthetic leg, could I fly? Not would the FAA let me fly - that's a different question. That's may I fly. Can I fly? Or would I need to be able to pivot my foot at the ankle, so my fake foot would not allow me to do that?

 

The question is being applied to both fixed and rotary wing. I don't know if the pedal requirements are different with the two types. I know the hand requirements are different.

[Chantry]

5 minutes ago, Alpo said:

Flying, like driving a car, involves things you do with your hands and things you do with your feet. And like driving a standard shift car, you need to do things with both feet at the same time.

 

But do you need an articulated ankle?

 

If I had a fake left leg, as long as the knee would bend I could still push in the clutch and shift gears in my car.

 

But if I had a prosthetic leg, could I fly? Not would the FAA let me fly - that's a different question. That's may I fly. Can I fly? Or would I need to be able to pivot my foot at the ankle, so my fake foot would not allow me to do that?

 

The question is being applied to both fixed and rotary wing. I don't know if the pedal requirements are different with the two types. I know the hand requirements are different.

 

See Douglas Bader, although he is probably an outlier:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Bader

[Redleg Reilly, SASS #46372]

With a fake leg, you could fly.  The only problem would be applying the brakes.  That requires pushing forward on the rudder pedals and that action might be a problem.  Otherwise, go for it.

[SHOOTIN FOX]

You could fly.

Getting the medical certificate would require you to demonstrate your ability by doing a special medical flight test with an examiner.

[Subdeacon Joe]

26 minutes ago, Chantry said:

 

See Douglas Bader, although he is probably an outlier:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Bader

 

You beat me to it.

 

 

 

 

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

Short answer is YES.

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

A side note: My wife and I got to meet Douglas Bader when he was Parade Marshal at the Calgary Stampede, I think 1974.

I was "Back Home" from the East and was showing my wife around my old stomping grounds in Alberta and the NWT.

[Trailrider #896]

"Dog's Body" (his callsign) hasn't been the only one to fly with a prosthetic leg. I don't recall the name, but there was a U.S. Navy pilot who was cleared to fly, at least multi-engine aircraft. 

[Howlin Mad Murdock SASS #4037]

Helicopters with skids, (no wheels or brakes) no problem.

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

20 hours ago, Howlin Mad Murdock SASS #4037 said:

Helicopters with skids, (no wheels or brakes) no problem.

The helicopters I've flown in had foot pedals, controlling the tail rotor pitch.

[Yul Lose]

My youngest son used to be a fixed wing Life Flight pilot. His foot got injured in an accident and he had to have surgery and the surgeon and the anesthesiologist ended up severing a nerve in his leg. The FAA grounded him and he hasn’t flown for 5 years now. He hopes to one day have the damage repaired but all attempts, including implanted devices have failed to return feeling to his right foot. He reached a settlement with the surgeon, hospital and others involved. So I guess in his case you can’t fly with certain foot injuries.

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

I wonder if another opinion is in order.

[Yul Lose]

30 minutes ago, Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 said:

I wonder if another opinion is in order.

He’s been to a number of specialists and they’ve been unable to fix it and without that part of his foot working he can’t pass the FAA physical.

[Charlie Harley, #14153]

21 hours ago, Howlin Mad Murdock SASS #4037 said:

Helicopters with skids, (no wheels or brakes) no problem.

I might have to agreeably disagree with your observation. 
 

Speaking as an Army rotor head, I’d say probably not, regardless of skids or wheels. 
 

The foot motions required for tail rotor control are rapid and subtle, especially when hovering. Those finer motor skills come from the toes, foot, ankle, shin, and calf. 
 

Even a lower leg prosthetic would take away that ability. 
 

Modern prosthetics and state of the art stabilization systems probably mitigate the risks, but neither existed in the 1980s. 

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

4 hours ago, Yul Lose said:

He’s been to a number of specialists and they’ve been unable to fix it and without that part of his foot working he can’t pass the FAA physical.

Has he applied for a waiver to demonstrate he can fly with the disability? That can be accomplished, but I’ve no idea of your son’s particular situation. 

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

Hans-Ulrich Rudel, Germany's most decorated pilot* in WWII, lost a leg during the war.  He kept flying.

 

A hard-core Nazi, the man was not a nice guy; but his biography, "Stuka Pilot," is a good read.  

 

*Rudel was credited with the destruction of 519 tanks, one battlesip, one cruiser, 70 landing craft and 150 artillery emplacements. He claimed nine aerial victories and the destruction of more than 800 vehicles. He flew 2,530 ground-attack missions exclusively on the Eastern Front, usually flying the Junkers Ju87 "Stuka" dive bomber. 

 

[Chantry]

What the FAA (and its equivalents in other countries) will allow and what a person can do aren't always going to match.

[Alpo]

16 minutes ago, Chantry said:

What the FAA (and its equivalents in other countries) will allow and what a person can do aren't always going to match.

Yeah, I think people seem to have missed that in my original post.

 

On 11/28/2024 at 8:43 AM, Alpo said:

But if I had a prosthetic leg, could I fly? Not would the FAA let me fly - that's a different question. That's may I fly. Can I fly?

 

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

Here in Canada, the fellow who taught me to fly, lost an eye in an accident.

He was able to keep flying, just turned his head a lot more, but he no longer taught.

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

 

 

  The important thing about flying is :

 

     Even though your arms do get tired, .... DON'T STOP FLAPPING.

 

 

 

🙃

[Sedalia Dave]

15 hours ago, Alpo said:

Yeah, I think people seem to have missed that in my original post.

 

 

 

Well the FAA certified a Quad-amputee to be a flight instructor.

 

 

[Sedalia Dave]

Amputee Pilots Discover Peace, Freedom in the Skies

 

Para athlete Luke Sinnott has reached new heights as the first UK bilateral amputee to fly an unadapted aircraft since Sir Douglas Bader.

 

There are also Police officers, Firefighters, and active duty military that are amputees.  All you need is the drive to persevere.