Freedom Tour To Touch Down At Islay Airport

As part of a 2000 mile charity flight round Britain, a disabled pilot plans to land at Islay Airport on the 29 June 2010.

Raising money for Freedom in the Air (FITA), Gautam Lewis plans to begin his mission on the 26 June and will go onto land his Cessna 172 at 17 airfields across England, Wales and Scotland.

Aiming to raise awareness of disabled aviation, Gautam will carry out his Freedom Tour with the aid of hand controls for pilots with lower limb disabilities, the effect of contracting polio when he was just three years old. Since realising the sense of freedom that flying has given him, Guatam has been determined to help others with disabilities to experience the independence and feelings of liberation from his disability that he has found so therapeutic and inspiring.

Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd is delighted to be welcoming Gautam to Islay Airport. Inglis Lyon, Managing Director of HIAL explains, “Guatam is an extremely inspiring pilot, who uses aviation as a means of educating and motivating people with disabilities in a unique and captivating environment. We are delighted that he has chosen Islay airport as one of his stops during the tour.”

FITA is committed to opening horizons for people with disabilities so that they can fly higher socially, physically and professionally. By challenging, educating and passing on transferable skills through learning to fly, FITA aim to give people who have a disability the determination and motivation to take control of the lives and aim high.

Gautam, the founder of FITA, believes that flying is one of the few activities where disabled people can participate to the same degree as an able-bodied person. The exhilarating experience rebuilds confidence and restores self-esteem. This, in turn, empowers people to explore their potential by extending their personal boundaries. In the air, we all fly at the same speed; nobody is disadvantaged or disabled.