Sitting in a wheelchair as he addressed members and delegates of the 92nd State conference of the Country Women’s Association of NSW in Griffith, Gordon McCaw began to relate the story of one man’s dream – to fly solo around Australia.
A former teacher of metal fabrication at the local TAFE, Gordon became a paraplegic following a glider accident in 1984, but did not let this stop him from returning to work that same year, and continue teaching until retirement in 2005.
The accident also failed to prevent him from indulging his passion for flying, and in 2006 Gordon obtained his private pilot’s license and now has more than 500 hours in command.
Gordon’s presentation for the CWA, entitled “One man’s dream”, was not about his life as many in the audience expected but rather about a close and remarkable friend, Dave Jaka, a C4/5 quadriplegic.
Dave is 43 and a senior project analyst in the governance team at Melbourne Water.
Gordon said Dave has no movement below his armpits, can’t move from side to side or bend over without assistance, has limited wrist function and no finger movement, only limited arm movement and no balance.
“If Dave falls over or off a chair he needs help to get back up right,” Gordon said.
“Another major challenge is the fact Dave is unable to control his body temperature – he can quickly suffer from either hypothermia or overheat – and has little upper body strength.”
To overcome these challenges, the light plane Dave flew during his epic journey was modified with a joystick for the control; this in turn has two supports either side to hold his wrist in place to move the joystick.
He also wore a headset which while providing a means of communication also included a plastic tube to Dave’s mouth – not for water but to allow him to control the plane’s speed, blowing air through the tube to increase the plane’s speed while sucking slowed it down.
Dave’s trip around Australia followed the coastline and included all States, including Tasmania, traveling anti-clockwise and was supported by Griffith Aero Club, of which Gordon is a member.
The journey covered 17,000 kilometres at an average air speed of 185 kilometres an hour, took 31 days (21 of which were spent flying, the remainder as rest days) and required 2000 litres of avgas.
In effect Dave and his support crew of seven, which included Gordon and two light planes and crew, traveled the same distance as it takes to fly from Sydney to London.
The light, single seat plane Dave flew weighed not much more than a large motorcycle and was made in Australia.
Gordon said the risks of such a journey were many – even for an able-bodied person.
“The weather along the coast can be changeable and bad which is more difficult to handle in a light aircraft,” he said.
“With only one pilot fatigue is another issue – in this plane there was no option for the use of an automatic pilot and the route flew through some of the most remote areas in Australia, in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia which means few landing strips and no close emergency services.”
A hoist was used to lift Dave in and out of the plane and his support crew ensured he was buckled up safely.
Dave set off on his trip on April 29 last year and flew back into Melbourne on June 6.
Gordon said the trip had it’s moments, such as oil pressure problems the first day, two flat tires to contend with (not easy to deal with as Dave’s small plane did not come with a jack), and plenty of bad weather to scout round.
However, Gordon said no flight plans had to be filed for the trip, even when flying past State capitals.
“The journey was a great adventure and provided wonderful views of Australia – a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Gordon said statistics showed more than 1.2 million people in Australia had some level of disability to cope with.
“But if somebody like Dave can follow his dream and make it come true, then together we can make the world a better place – anything is possible if you try hard enough.”
Aside from his passion for flying, today Gordon undertakes volunteer work for a number of local not-for-profit organizations and is also undertaking a Bachelor of Arts degree hoping to complete a double major in philosophy and sociology.
Story and photo: http://adf.farmonline.com.au
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