Blind Woman from Arizona to Fly Plane Across the U.S.

AZ – A blind woman from Arizona is set to make history by piloting a plane across the country.

With a few flights already completed, Kaiya Armstrong, 21, will fly from Mesa, Arizona, to Washington, D.C., on Oct. 13 in honor of World Sight Day. Armstrong has spent months preparing for this moment. She had to go through extensive ground school and in-flight training to figure out all the ins and outs and all the details. The training school got Armstrong a poster of the inside of the airplane and an exact replica. She was able to Braille it at home and Armstrong would practice for hours. Armstrong became blind at age 14 and can only see a few inches from her face today due to an autoimmune disease. With support from the Foundation of Blind Children, Armstrong’s cross-country flight will be part of the Flight for Sight Challenge Event. The foundation gives kids a chance to prove to the world they can do anything.

The fact that Armstrong will be flying across the country, it is going to show the world that anything can be done. Tyler Sinclair, a pilot with Leopard Aviation will be Armstrong’s flight guide. While she is flying, Tyler will help her navigate and keep the plane level. She will be doing most of the flying by herself.

Armstrong said she hopes to inspire others with her flights. “I think the biggest message I want everyone — both sighted and blind — to take away from this is that we don’t have limits,” Armstrong said. “The only limits that we have are the ones that we’ve given ourselves, and I want everybody stop limiting themselves.”