Able Flight Pilot Program Helps South Side Grad Earn His Wings
Fort Wayne native, Jordan Sprague, was one of nine 2024 Able Flight Scholarship recipients to receive their wings at a special ceremony on Tuesday, July 23, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The ceremony was part of the annual Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in convention.
Jordan and his four peers earned pilot certificates during an intensive training program at Southern Illinois University and Purdue University between late May and early July.
Jordan, age 19, is a 2023 graduate of South Side High School in Fort Wayne. His passion to be a pilot came naturally, with his great-grandfather and great-uncles all being pilots “for the fun of it,” and one who flew for a living. Jordan was born with several disabilities due to having Nager Syndrome, a condition that can affect an individual in a variety of ways. Jordan’s classmates all have some kind of physical disability, ranging from deafness to amputations and spinal cord injuries.
In addition to dealing with his disabilities, Jordan has overcome personal challenges, as well. His single mother passed away at a young age, requiring him to move in with his grandparents while he was still in high school. Jordan is the grandson of Marlis Harper and the great-grandson of Doris Dalman Mirwaldt, both of Fort Wayne. In his scholarship essay, he wrote, “I dream of following in the footsteps of my elders. I dream of flying, ultimately as a commercial pilot… And maybe—once the dream is realized—I can even help pass it on.”
Jordan is one of five students being trained at the Able Flight program at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, in its first year at SIU. The students stay in university housing and are being trained at the Southern Illinois Airport by SIU Aviation instructors during an intensive flight training program as they earn their Sport Pilot Certificates. They are halfway through the program and are returning to SIU to complete their training. A similar program is in its 14th year at Purdue University in West Lafayette.
The year 2024 marks Able Flight’s 18th year of providing full-ride flight training scholarships and aviation career scholarships. The nonprofit program’s mission is to offer people with disabilities “a unique way to challenge themselves through flight and aviation career training, and by doing so, to gain greater self-confidence and self-reliance.”
For more information on Able Flight, visit ableflight.org.
> Read More Information About Us
> More Articles Written By Our Staff
- “I Voted” Sticker Design Contest - September 13, 2024
- SCAN Unveils Resource Database - September 13, 2024
- EHD Detected In Indiana Deer - September 13, 2024