By Flynn Tracy, flynn@newnan.com

The following article was published March 7, 2004, in the Newnan (Ga.) Times-Herald, and is reprinted with permission.

There will be a host of visitors to Coweta County this summer as the 11th Annual Deaf Pilots Association Fly-In gathers members July 12-18 at the Newnan-Coweta County Airport near Moreland.

Deaf Pilots Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that encourages deaf and hard-of-hearing pilots and association.

The International Deaf Pilots Association was founded in Knoxville, Tenn. in 1994, by deaf pilots Clyde C. Smith and Jack Kelsey. They obtained from the FAA official a list of licensed deaf pilots who were contacted and requested to attend a first fly-in of deaf pilots in 1994. During the first official fly-in, 26 deaf pilots participated, six deaf student pilots flew and three hearing pilots rounded out the group.

Robin Fields-Turner, co-chair of the DPA Fly-in Committee, and her husband Robert Turner, a committee member.

Last year's fly-in was based in Daytona, Fla. [Ed. note: Actually, it was Dayton, Ohio.] Kelsey is co-founder of DPA and has been a deaf private pilot for 36 years. While visiting at the Newnan-Coweta Airport this week, with the help of certified American Sign Language interpreter Thai Morris, he explained his role in the group.

"When I was 18 years old, or even before that, I had a love of planes," he explained. A native of Mississippi, Kelsey visited a few aviation schools, asking if they would be able to instruct him, and he was turned down each time. Finally, Kelsey was able to receive instruction from a flight school in Detroit, and received his pilot's license in 1967. When learning to fly, Kelsey communicated with his instructor using flash cards and American Sign Language pertaining to flying.

He later met Smith, and the two formed DPA [Ed. note: Actually IDPA] in 1994. "I've gone to all 10 of the fly-ins," Kelsey relayed. "I go because I want to improve and learn more about airplanes."

Duwayne Dukes, the 2004 Fly-in treasurer, and his wife Sandy Dukes, a committee member

He receives assistance during his flights from wife Nora, who helps him navigate. Nora is a native of Colombia, South America, and moved to the United States in 1980. She is also deaf, and the two have lived in Villa Rica, Ga., for four years.

"Even deaf people ask me, 'How do you fly?'" Kelsey explained. "But really, there are many hearing pilots who don't use audio [properly, radio] equipment." In addition, out of the 12,000 United States airports, only 700 require audio [radio] equipment by pilots, according to Kelsey. [Ed. note: Specifically, the FAA requires radio communications with towered airports, but deaf pilots can land and take off at such airports with prior permission.]

The DPA bids every year on locations for the annual fly-in, and Kelsey explained that a bid came up for Georgia. Originally, the group approached Peachtree City's airport, Falcon Field, but were denied access for the fly-in and encountered some difficulty from the airport's representatives in accommodating the deaf individuals.

Fly-in committee members Vicki Rogers and Mark Billen

Kelsey noted that the Newnan-Coweta County Airport, the second choice, was much more receptive; and Manager Calvin Walker was more than happy to accommodate the group. Kelsey took the project to the airport authority and gained approval.

"You know, there's no discrimination here," he said of CCO. "It's been a good experience here." The group president is expecting about 40 pilots for the July fly-in and added that the participants fly in from all over the country, as well as from Europe.

"Deaf people are not allowed to fly in Europe, so they come here," he said. [Ed. note: Deaf people, however, can fly ultralights and gliders in some parts of Europe.]

Committee members Cherry Hofecker and Barry Hofecker

While deaf people can become pilots by Federal Aviation Administration standards, they are restricted from flying into certain areas. The restrictions are based on whether or not the respective airport requires audio [radio] equipment, as well as the navigation patterns and altitudes of the areas. If a pilot flies 18,000 feet and above, constant radio use is required. Kelsey flies at or below 10,000 feet mostly but has flown as high as 15,000 feet. No state can refuse a deaf person to fly, because the freedom to fly is mandated by national FAA standards.

"I have a restriction on my [pilot's] license for radio," said Kelsey. "So the only restriction I have is any flight that requires radio equipment."

Kelsey and other deaf pilots are allowed to fly into commonly restricted areas if accompanied by a hearing passenger. [Ed. note: The hearing passenger must be a certified pilot, who thus becomes pilot in command for such a flight, but prior permission to enter controlled airspace without radio communications is often obtainable.]

"Safety is part of our education," he said.

Safety issues will be covered at the fly-in, and registration for the event will remain open until July.

Committee member Nancy Messa

"We welcome visitors to come to the conference, even if they don't fly," said Kelsey. "You don't have to be a member; it's open to everybody. It's open to people who are just interested in being involved in a different culture and language."

He added that DPA currently has about 150 members, which include hearing wives of deaf pilots and hearing people just interested in being part of the group. In addition, group members' ages range from 20 to 80 years old.

"There's a lot of benefits of the fly-ins," he said. "Members not only learn new things, like safety and technology, but they get to meet other deaf people. Many people don't even know deaf people can fly, so it's a great experience. My favorite part is discussing our experiences and the many things we're able to share and glean from each other."

The founding of the International Deaf Pilots Association in 1994 is just one of many historical landmarks in deaf aviation. For example, Cal Rodgers of Pennsylvania is considered to be the first deaf male pilot who flew across America. And in 1928, Nellie Willhite of South Dakota became the first deaf woman pilot. [Ed. note: To be exact, Rodgers was the first pilot, deaf or hearing, to fly across America.]

Committee member Joel Neilson

Representative programs and projects DPA members undertake include working with governments to gain and expand the rights for deaf to become pilots throughout the world, working with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to modify aviation regulations and initiate pilot projects to expand opportunities for pilots who are deaf, working with universities and technology companies to find ways to bring access technologies into the cockpit, developing a Web site to promote deaf aviation and performing historical research to produce exhibits on deaf aviation in the United States.

Membership for DPA is $30 a year for pilots and $15 for non-pilots. Four newsletters are distributed annually.

The organization has reserved local accommodations for fly-in attendees. For more information on DPA and the 11th Annual Fly-In, visit their website [www. deafpilots.org].

Editor's note: Thanks to Mark Stern for his assistance in preparing this edition of the newsletter, and thanks to Jack Kelsey for his photographs.