Four ADI residents made history at El Al as the first wheelchair users to train in El Al’s Boeing 737 flight simulator.
In honor of Good Deed’s Day, Tuesday, March 16, Captain Eran Lichter welcomed the ADI residents for a 60-minute flight instruction simulation after removing the standard co-pilot’s seat to make the area wheelchair accessible. The joint initiative between El Al’s “Fly Card” credit card and Frequent Flyer Club and the ADI centers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities enabled ADI residents to fulfill their dreams of flying an aircraft and made them the world’s first wheelchair users to train in the advanced simulator. Other than switching the seat and adding a detachable ramp for direct access to the cockpit, the simulator was not altered in any way and ADI residents enjoyed the same experience as everyone else.
Major-Gen. (res.) Doron Almog, chairman of ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran and Shlomit Grayevsky, CEO of ADI Jerusalem proudly watched as the four trainees received their wings and a certificate of course completion from El Al Fly Card and Frequent Flyer Club CEO Lior Tanner upon completion of the training session.
