SCI Superstar: Capt. Stewart McQuillan

They say the desire to be up in the great blue yonder is something you’re born with. If that’s true, then that certainly explains Captain Stewart McQuillan’s lifelong passion for aviation, the world’s first paraplegic to fly a helicopter.

A hardy veteran of the Royal Air Force, McQuillan’s father and grandfather were both pilots and he himself began flying at 11 years old, but he’s much more than just a pilot. He’s also an electrical engineer and the brain behind a groundbreaking device that allows those with paralysis to fly a helicopter (or any other rotary device).

For a fearless story that crosses oceans and endless skies, read on to be inspired by Captain Stewart McQuillan.

Why He’s Fearless

It was a crushing blow quite literally – by a Tornado GR1- that brought McQuillan into the world of disability. While checking out an issue, the air brakes failed and before he knew it his spinal cord crushed. At 29 years old and thick into his military career, this was not something he planned for.

When he was in rehab and was told he could no longer fly helicopters, one of his favorite aircraft, he was definitely more than perturbed. Most of us see this kind of thing happen to us right after our injuries. “Ok grreat…one more thing I can’t do.”

While in rehab, one good thing and one bad thing happened to him. The bad – no one thought he could fly. It was 1988 too and no one had heard of a paralyzed pilot before. And the good – after rehab he was offered a Air Force scholarship and learned how to fly single-engine fixed wing aircraft.

Quickly thereafter, King Hussein of Jordan then asked him to begin working on a device that would allow people who are paralyzed to fly helicopters, and thus began the Aeroleg journey.

McQuillan quickly realized he had an opportunity to make flying a helicopter possible for people with paralysis. Inspired by the movie Robocop, McQuillan knew we needed what Robocop wore on the outside his legs to fly safely – an external metal sheath that could be controlled. After months of working on the device, the Aeroleg was born – a $30,000 device marvel.

The way the Aeroleg is made is relatively simple, even though getting it on can be a smidge cumbersome. It only goes on the right leg and it has a separate pneumatic hand control just for the thumb, which is what lets you control the legs, both the ankle and knee; each necessary to fly a helicopter. This is some impressive fine-tuned stuff.

The Aeroleg was actually approved by the FAA back in 2002, but only in the last five years has it been actively used in the disability community. McQuillan decided to team up with partners to to create a disability flight school called Return Flight in Denver, Colorado after moving to Colorado from the UK (with his wife Honey in 2010).

They even purchased 150 acre tract of land and began teaching people disabilities (mainly young male paraplegics) how to fly helicopters. Unfortunately however, the flight school was put on hold due to financial issues.

What’s Next?

As the years passed, Stewart decided to co-found a live-in disabled veterans organization/village instead, which he did in 2020, called the National Veterans Vocational Village. NV3 will be a self-sustaining vocational training center and residential village that educates, employs, and houses disabled and injured veterans and those with invisible wounds, transitioning from military and first responder duties to civilian life. They plan on building their headquarters in 2021. Check out the site: NV3 Foundation

Captain Stewart McQuillan has lived an amazing life. From inventing a life-changing device and having a no-fear attitude to tackling the intimidating world of flying choppers paralyzed to now creating a community for disabled vets to thrive, he is a brave spirit that refuses to be grounded.

Videos:

–  RAF-USAF PILOT Builds Helicopter to SAVE LIVES

–  AOL Profile: Inspirational Paraplegic Pilot Captain Stewart McQuillan

– Capt. Stewart explains the Aeroleg in detail

– Newbie paralyzed pilot being taught by Capt. Stewart how to fly a helicopter