On Jul 4, 12:38*am, Bob Kuykendall wrote:
On Jul 3, 7:37*pm, son_of_flubber wrote:

Is there something wrong with this picture?

That's my way of thinking. Someone not fit enough to leave a sailplane
under their own power is likely not fit enough to fly. I remember Ken
Pruchnik (sp?) had no knees or lower legs and was every bit as capable
at the basics as any bipedal pilot.

At Freedom's Wings Canada, www.freedomswings.ca , we encounter this
challenge frequently and our various chapters have similar but
different approaches.

The most sophisticated is the Toronto Chapter at York Soaring
Association. There, one our most ingenious and industrious members,
Martin Sanderse, has built a lift on the back of a golf cart, which
originally used a Hoyer sling, (a fabric lifting device with six
straps that connect to a hook, two pass under and then between the
legs, tow around the middle, and two over the shoulders. It has since
been upgraded with a device called Sure Hands, - easier to use and
surprisingly more comfortable than it looks. You can find an article
and photos on the fine Canadian journal of soaring, Free Flight, at
www.sac.ca. There is a searchable index available.

Others have used the Hoyer lift, or in its place an engine lift.
These have been well received both by our passengers, and those who
previously lifted them in and out.