Photo courtesy Airborne Petawawa
An accessible skydiving operation in Petawawa has helped a local man with cerebral palsy take to the skies.
Airborne Petawawa says 25-year-old Kevin, who uses a power wheelchair and has limited control of both legs and his left arm, completed an accessible tandem skydive over the weekend.
The jump was made possible with a specialized Freedom Harness designed for tandem skydivers with limited mobility. The equipment provides support and control for the legs during freefall, while a pulley system allows the tandem instructor to position the jumper’s legs for landing.
Airborne Petawawa says the setup was tailored to Kevin’s needs, with staff spending nearly three hours on the ground fitting the harness and testing different configurations before the jump.
Dropzone manager Aria Zaharia says every accessible skydive presents different challenges and can require additional time, creativity and teamwork.
The operation thanked its staff, Kevin’s family and the Pembroke and Area Airport for helping make the jump possible.
Zaharia says accessible skydives require additional time and flexibility for boarding and preparation, making cooperation among the family, ground crew, pilot and airport staff an important part of the process.
(Steve Berard)
