Flyability is a UK based charity that works to help disabled people fly hang gliders and paragliders. It is the disability initiative of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, the governing body of hang gliding and paragliding in the UK.[2]
Registered on 13 November 1996[7] by Steve Varden, John Crosbie, Pamela Hughes and Mark Hastings.[8] This followed an intensive period of organising and fundraising within the hang gliding and paragliding community.[9][10]
Flyability works closely with British Disabled Flying Association (now Aerobility).[11][4]
Flyability is one of the chosen charities of Access Unlimited.[12] Generous donations from the Lakes Charity Classic event allowed Flyability to expand into offering pilot scholarships[13] with continued financial support over the years.[14]
Flyability Activities
Equipment loans
Flyability loans out specialist equipment to BHPA schools for training disabled people. This includes a range of paragliding buggies including the Flychair,[15] the Swanton, the Chevron paragliding wheelchair and the Sanderson.[16] Flyability was involved in encouraging the development of some of these buggies and has passed some of their older buggies onto disabled flying organisations in other countries. One Sanderson buggy has even got as far as New Zealand where Making Trax and Infinity Paragliding use it.[17][18]
Pilot Scholarships
Flyability offers scholarships for tandem flights and Elementary and Club Pilot training.[19]
Events
Flyability has a presence at a number of flying events around the UK. Recent events have included Farnborough 2016[20] and Flyer Live 2016[21] on the Aerobility stands. Flyability also attended and was a beneficiary of the Richard Westgate Memorial Fly-in in 2013[22]
Flyability and Aerobility ran a combined "Try Everything!" event in June 2016 offering flights for disabled people in hang gliders, microlights and aerobatic gliders and motor gliders.[23]
Media
Flyability and their activities are often reported in national, local and specialist press reports.
National
BBC - Flyability worked with Airways Airsports to take BBC Presenters Mike Bushell and Tony Garrett flying in a tandem hang glider to demonstrate how accessible the sport is.[24]
Guardian - Flyability referenced within an article introducing paragliding.[25]
Local
Two pilots from Guernsey train to fly paragliders in Dorset with Flying Frenzy with help from Flyability using the Sanderson and FlyChair buggies.[26][27]
^ abDerwin, Steve (Autumn 2002). "The Darley Moor Project". BDFA Newsletter: 2. "Airways has been involved with 'Flyability' within the BHPA since its outset and received the 'Flyability Trophy' in 2001 from the BHPA for their efforts in supporting and promoting free flying for disabled people.
^"Charities". Access Unlimited. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
^Varden, Steve (October 2009). "LCC – Not just about 'US'". Cumbria Soaring Club Newsletter. it was monies donated to Flyability from the 1996 Lakes Charity Classic that were used to conceive, begin and fund the first two historic Flyability pilot training scholarships.
