limb wasn’t his greatest concern. A roadside bomb in Iraq had exploded into his convoy in 2003. Among the carnage, Kelly was losing blood. Staying conscious, he fired against enemy combatants until help arrived. His leg was actually still attached—barely. “There was so little tissue holding my leg on that I didn’t see it because it was hanging at an angle,” explains Kelly. Later that night, doctors at a field hospital likely saved his life by amputating his right leg below the knee.
A
fter the explosion, U.S. Army soldier
Ryan Kelly
looked
down and didn’t see his leg. At that moment, the missing
Limbs are not all that are being lost. Many times the amputee will not be able to return to their previous job. In Kelly’s case, his father was an Army officer, and the son had grown up wanting to follow in his father’s footsteps. “I was so committed to making a career in the military. My dad was an Army officer; that’s what I was going to do.” At Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Kelly realized that dream had ended. “Giving up military service, that was so hard.”
However, another inspiration came along to replace that career dream. During his recovery, Kelly met an above- the-knee amputee who was an Air Force pilot. “I was still a patient,” Kelly says. “He came into my room and he was wearing a flight suit. It was a huge motivation for me. I can’t thank him enough for placing that scene in my head. He told me, ‘You can grow into being a pilot out of this injury.’”
his work, he has defined his persona as an exceptional pilot who is committed to his country, community, and his craft. Captain Ryan Kelly is an extraordinary example of the type of professional PHI is proud to call one of our own.”
How did Kelly and others with disabilities
find their flight path? While flying above a disability can be challenging, it also can be rewarding. Help is available to lift above their circumstance those who want to fly.
MEDICAL CERTIFICATION Today, Kelly helps save lives Kelly’s Humvee moments after being hit by a roadside bomb
Due to advancements in body armor, those serving in combat zones are surviving injuries that would have been fatal 20 years ago. Still, while the majority of body armor protects the head and vital organs, service personnel are suffering traumatic amputations. According to the military,
1,558 U.S personnel received
traumatic amputations from 2003 to 2014 while serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. This figure does not include troops and contractors from coalition forces.
50 September 2014
as an EMS pilot in Texas for PHI Air Medical, a company that has helped more than 700 members of the U.S. armed forces return to work following their military commitments.
David Motzkin,
president of PHI Air Medical, expresses the company’s pride in their pilot. “Captain Kelly embodies the values by which our company operates. He has not allowed physical challenges to limit his vision or dictate his future. Instead he has used his superior knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitude to continue on a successful career path of giving back and helping others in need. Captain Kelly personifies what it means to lead by example, and refuses to allow his injuries define him.Rather, through
For someone that has suffered an amputation or other serious injury, there are extra steps involved to obtain medical certification. Pilots with a qualifying injury need to take a medical flight exam and receive a Statement of Demonstrated Ability (SODA). Potential pilots can start flight training, but they will not be allowed to solo without a medical and student pilot certificate with a SODA.
There are different paths to receiving a medical certificate and SODA. Here’s one way. Go to an aviation medical examiner and receive a flight physical for the desired class of certification. A SODA does not expire and it is issued at the desired class of certification. This means that in some cases it may be in the applicant’s best interest to go for the highest attainable level. For example, if a pilot gets a second-class medical certificate and accompanying SODA, but later in his career he requires a first-class medical certificate, he may have to reapply for another SODA to match the upgraded certificate.
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