Lucio Pelz set up Wheels4Flying to help wheelchair users fly. Tarquin Cooper talks to the people and pilots involved
Lucio Pelz, originally from Italy, was accustomed to appreciating the joy of his clients as a tandem pilot in Mayrhofen, Austria. But one in particular stood out. “About 10 years ago I flew with a guy in a wheelchair,” he recalls. “I always let my passengers fly and I realised this guy was more able than many people. The feeling he had was totally different.”
Suddenly an idea was born – to teach wheelchair users to paraglide. Initially, the paperwork made it impossible – just taking a wheelchair user tandem was illegal in Austria and Germany as the passenger needs to be able...
