NOTE:

The information in this Web page is up-to-date as of Sept. 1995. Things may have changed since Sept. 11, 2001. Before acting on the information in this Web page, make inquiries.

See also Flight of the Gin Fizz - an account of Henry Kisor's repeating Cal Rodgers' historic 1911 flight from ocean to ocean.

Introduction

In some countries, which are sparsely populated, deaf people can safely fly aircraft. They communicate with control towers by TTY and/or follow rules for landing without radio contact.

See also Restrictions on deaf people - real and imaginary.

International Deaf Pilots Association

(Contributed by Henry Kisor at 26 Sep 1995.)

I'm a member of the International Deaf Pilots Assn., and can probably answer all your questions about it.

We don't have an introductory brochure or anything like that (we should!) but if you are currently a non-pilot and you'd like to join, send $15 to Joseph Stevens, 1710 Wells Rd., Orange Park, FL 32703, and you'll get on the quarterly newsletter list.

The major activity of the group is an annual three-day fly-in. The first one was at Knoxville, Tenn., in 1994. This year's was at Manteo, N. C. Next year's will be somewhere in the Southwest, probably Texas.

In addition, individual members carry the flag to local fly-ins, introducing the group and explaining how deaf pilots can fly without the use of radio.

Sometime in 1996 or 1997 several deaf pilots plan to fly from Seattle to Anchorage en squadron.

Currently about 50 deaf pilots are full members of the group. I'd say 3/4ths to 7/8ths of them are Deaf; the rest are oral or lately deafened.