Jeff has always had a dream of flying. When he was 16 years old, a tragic accident left him in a wheelchair, but he never gave up on his dream of flying. He purchased a lovely fixed-gear Cardinal and had it fitted with hand controls. As an instructor, it was hard for me to learn to fly with my feet flat on the floor. The tower controllers at Anoka airport were quite entertained by my taxi practice.

Jeff is now studying with Ken Partyka, one of the very capable instructors at Knowlton Flight. Under Ken's expert tutelage, Jeff is realizing his dream of flying.

Jeff is an inspiration to everyone who knows him. I once asked Jeff why he wanted to fly. He thought about it for a moment, and then told me how he had always hung around airports, avidly listening to pilots talk about flying. His comment really summed it up - "I guess I just wanted a piece of the magic for myself." Go for it Jeff!

Comments or questions? You can e-mail me at lindowdy@visi.com

Copyright © 2003 Linda Dowdy, last revision 030228