FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
earned private
pilot’s
license
 Monday, May 12,
2008—
Adele Schneidereit,
the woman who is working toward the goal of being the first
disabled person to fly around the world, earned her pilot’s
certificate.
Today,
Schneidereit became one of the few people with a developmental
disability, specifically Cerebral Palsy to earn a pilot’s
license.
Proud
of her accomplishment and thankful to those who had supported
her along her journey, Schneidereit
said:
“Earning
my wings was more difficult than I originally anticipated, but
it was well worth it.
I have many people to thank for their help. My husband is the most
supportive person, but there are many others. I have learned to fly
and endeavor to fly around the world to show how far a person
with disability can go.”
We
asked Schneidereit what is different about flying the airplane
for her because she has a disability:
“I
do certain things differently because I have to. Starting the engine
for example is usually a two-handed process that I have
refined to a single-handed procedure. I’ve become a ‘master
of trim’ knowing how many swipes and in which direction is
needed to hold the plane at the exact air speed for each
maneuver. This
frees my right hand to help with the yoke, work the throttle,
or put in flaps.
I’ve been told that I have an excellent understanding
of the relationship between trim and power using trim as a
tool and not merely a labor-saving device.”
Where
any changes made to the airplane to accommodate Schneidereit’s
disability?
“No. The plane is stock and
I have to figure out how to do things differently, if I have
to.”
Flight
training time and costs added up to much more than
Schneidereit first anticipated:
“The
lengthy medical process and having to change flight schools
were the two main reasons it took so long. The FAA medical/SODA
process took 11 months.
After I changed flight schools, I had to demonstrate
all 40 fundamentals of flight to my new instructor and do part
of ground school over again so that my new instructor knew
that the critical information had been
covered.”
Was
the process of becoming a pilot like she thought it would
be?
No. Like most people
starting out, I thought I could earn my wings in 40
hours. I soon
learned it often takes longer for many different reasons. However, the
extra training and experience take me closer to building the
skills I need to fly around the world.”
What’s
next for Schneidereit?
“I
will continue my flight training in the type of airplane in
which I’ll be flying around the world and will earn my
Instrument Rating.
For further training, I will take trips out of the
country to Mexico
and Canada. I understand that
earning my Private Pilot License is earning a ‘License to
Learn.’”
| 
