| "You can't fly planes! Be more realistic!!" | | | | deaf pilots. |
| Those were the words of Stephen Hopson's | | | | "I found that they had been in existence since 1948, |
| well-meaning parents. | | | | much to my utter shock. I had no idea! |
| You see, Stephen was born with a passion for flying, | | | | "That's when my childhood dreams came roaring back |
| but he was also born profoundly deaf. | | | | to life in an instant. I was instantly transported back to |
| When he was just four years old, Stephen would beg | | | | my childhood fantasies and set out to find a flight |
| his mother to take him to the airport so he could | | | | instructor to work with me, not knowing how it would |
| watch the planes take off and land. He would stand at | | | | pan out." |
| the perimeter fence and watch until the plane went | | | | He found that instructor and went on to become the |
| taxing toward the runway. At that point, he would run | | | | world's first deaf "instrument rated" pilot. |
| back to the car and gently place his head its hood. | | | | Though it's easy enough for a deaf pilot to fly on a |
| "That plane would take off and the roar of its engines | | | | nice day, it gets tough when there's inclement weather |
| could be 'heard' through the tremendous vibration I | | | | and visibility is poor. It's times like these that you have |
| would feel," says Stephen. He describes the vibration | | | | to rely on only the instrument panel and your |
| as what you would feel if you put your hand on top of | | | | communication with the radio tower. |
| a furiously shaking washing machine. "That, of course, | | | | That's why, though there have been many deaf pilots |
| always made my day. It made my dream of flying | | | | throughout history, Stephen is the first to be instrument |
| even more vivid and made it easier for me to ignore | | | | rated. |
| my parent's well-meaning lectures." | | | | Learning how to fly solely by reference to the |
| Later, Stephen would construct makeshift villages with | | | | instruments presented its own challenges, as this |
| flying planes overhead and pretend he was a pilot | | | | involves wearing a restrictive view device, which |
| coming in for a major landing. | | | | prevented him from turning to his instructor and reading |
| When we was old enough to drive, he continued the | | | | lips for instructions. "Communication was then done by |
| ritual of taking himself to the airport to watch the | | | | dry erase board," says Stephen, "which would be |
| planes take off and land. | | | | shoved under my view limiting device, and I'd read it." |
| Sometimes, he would go for a long drive in the country. | | | | Once he conquered the skill of flying solely by |
| "After looking around for traffic, I'd swerve the car in | | | | reference to the instruments, Stephen and his flight |
| the middle of the highway so that the broken white | | | | instructor turned to the task of radio communication, |
| lines would slide beneath the car, and I'd imagine I was | | | | and in 2006, Stephen made history when the FAA |
| a pilot roaring down the runway for takeoff or landing. | | | | allowed him to modify the instrument rating and fly as |
| I'd put my hand on the gear, pretending it was a | | | | pilot in command through bad weather with another |
| throttle. Then I'd act like a real pilot by pressing | | | | hearing copilot onboard whose job is to handle the |
| imaginary buttons in the car as if they were lights, | | | | radios. |
| switches, dials and other instruments. It made it so real | | | | Today, Stephen divides his time between flying among |
| one time I had to pull off and cry." | | | | the clouds and working as a professional speaker, |
| "That," says Stephen, "is the power of | | | | author, and consultant, teaching others how they can |
| visualization--imagining yourself as doing something and | | | | overcome their own adversity and achieve their |
| actually feeling as if it were truly real. At times I would | | | | heart's desire. |
| be overwhelmed with a sense of 'knowing' that one | | | | So what's Stephen's advice for you to make your |
| day I'd take my first flight lesson." | | | | dreams become reality? It's the H.E.A.R. principle: |
| But there are no deaf pilots, right? So Stephen put | | | | -- Have a passion; |
| aside his dream and became a successful | | | | -- Entertain the possibilities; |
| stockbroker on Wall Street. | | | | -- be Authentic (that is, don't try to measure up to |
| It wasn't until years later, when fate landed him in | | | | someone else's expectations of you or compare |
| Michigan, that Stephen's dreams started to become | | | | yourself with another person); and, |
| reality. | | | | -- Remember who helped you along the way. |
| He had come there to work on a book project, and | | | | You really can have what you want. But like Stephen, |
| although that didn't turn out as he had hoped, while | | | | you must never give up the passion to achieve it, no |
| there he somehow stumbled onto information about | | | | matter what obstacles stand in your way. |