How Did Helen Keller Fly a Plane?
Contrary to online rumors, Keller really did take to the sky.
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Transcript
Helen Keller was a world-famous Deaf and blind writer, educator, disability activist—and, believe it or not, a pilot.
So, how did Helen Keller fly a plane?
Keller became Deafblind due to childhood illness. She achieved an extraordinary amount in her lifetime: graduating from college with honors, writing 14 books, cofounding the ACLU, and winning an Oscar.
In June 1946 Keller took to the sky.
Keller was visiting Europe with her companion and interpreter, Polly Thomson. At that time, airplanes were gaining popularity as a novel way to travel. During the flight between Rome and Paris, as they crossed the Mediterranean Sea, the pilot invited Keller to handle the controls.
Keller sat in the copilot seat with her hands on the throttle and instrument panel. As she steered for about 20 minutes, the pilot gave instructions that Thomson interpreted through tactile fingerspelling, a form of communication that uses touch to convey letters and symbols.
Keller handled the plane calmly and steadily, with no shaking at all. She told reporters the controls felt like “jewels to [her] touch.”
Keller faced skepticism about her accomplishments throughout her life. And somehow, a few people still think this flight was impossible. But Keller isn’t the only Deafblind person to fly an airplane. In 2012 15-year-old Katie Inman also flew a plane with help from an interpreter—including takeoff and landing!
So, yes, it is possible for Deafblind people to fly airplanes. And yes, Helen Keller was real!
So, how did Helen Keller fly a plane?
Keller became Deafblind due to childhood illness. She achieved an extraordinary amount in her lifetime: graduating from college with honors, writing 14 books, cofounding the ACLU, and winning an Oscar.
In June 1946 Keller took to the sky.
Keller was visiting Europe with her companion and interpreter, Polly Thomson. At that time, airplanes were gaining popularity as a novel way to travel. During the flight between Rome and Paris, as they crossed the Mediterranean Sea, the pilot invited Keller to handle the controls.
Keller sat in the copilot seat with her hands on the throttle and instrument panel. As she steered for about 20 minutes, the pilot gave instructions that Thomson interpreted through tactile fingerspelling, a form of communication that uses touch to convey letters and symbols.
Keller handled the plane calmly and steadily, with no shaking at all. She told reporters the controls felt like “jewels to [her] touch.”
Keller faced skepticism about her accomplishments throughout her life. And somehow, a few people still think this flight was impossible. But Keller isn’t the only Deafblind person to fly an airplane. In 2012 15-year-old Katie Inman also flew a plane with help from an interpreter—including takeoff and landing!
So, yes, it is possible for Deafblind people to fly airplanes. And yes, Helen Keller was real!