A Deaf Pilot’s Path to Aviation
Sheila Xu is deaf, but that didn’t stop her from pursuing her passion for aviation. In this blog post, she shares what her journey looked like.
By Sheila Xu
From the beginning, aviation wasn’t an obvious choice for me. As a deaf child of hearing Chinese immigrants, I faced significant communication barriers growing up. Despite having a Cochlear Implant since I was three years old, I still encountered misconceptions and stereotypes of the deaf, much to my frustration. I also never had opportunities to connect with people in aviation, including pilots. Aside from that, I never dreamed I could be a pilot who identifies as deaf. It never occurred to me that deaf people could be pilots.
In college, I took aerospace and planetary sciences/astronomy courses, which sparked my initial interest in aviation. It spurred me on to join activities like the MIT Flying Club. That led to a summer internship at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, to build a model that forecasts California’s sea level rise. My interest in aviation grew when I did another summer internship with the U.S. Transportation Department. I was privileged to work on an FAA-commissioned project analyzing and forecasting greenhouse gas emissions from aviation biofuels.
As I studied those schematics for aviation biofuel production, I briefly considered what an amazing feeling it would be to be able to fly as a deaf pilot. Years later, I finally had the chance to put that wishful thought into action. With a scholarship from a wonderful non-profit organization and the support of the FAA, I started the intense six-week long training to earn my Sport Pilot license at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Most countries in the world currently forbid deaf people from training as pilots because of societal misconceptions about our abilities. However, the FAA allows deaf people to earn a pilot’s certificate with the limitation “Not Valid for Flights Requiring the Use of Radio.” (Learn more in the “How Do You Hear? FAA Safety Briefing magazine article). Deaf pilot students usually need a side-by-side arrangement to communicate with their instructors. The FAA, Pipistrel Aircraft manufacturer, and Purdue University also collaborated to convert the aircraft I trained in from a glider to a light sport aircraft, allowing me to sit beside my instructor in flight.
When I started my training, I initially encountered communication barriers with my hearing instructor, Colleen. As we sat at the controls of the Pipistrel plane, the wind and the rumbling engine were so loud I could not hear her or the radio. But with a high-end headset compatible with my Cochlear Implant’s telecoil feature (like the concept of Bluetooth), my telecoil paired with the headset filtered out the engine and wind noises while keeping the radio and Colleen’s voice.
Although my pilot’s license would not include the privilege of using radio, I could safely communicate with airports that have towers using light signals by making arrangements in advance. The vast majority of the airports in the U.S. are fortunately non-towered. Deaf pilots like me can fly (almost) anywhere!
While flying, we combined lip-reading, hand signals, simple spoken phrases (“Right rudder!”), and shorthand writing to minimize distractions in the cockpit. Occasionally, my instructor would tap the instrument panel and point to the altimeter or airspeed indicator — “You’re out of tolerance limits!”.
From my pilot training, I’ve been able to envision how both technology and public policy changes can benefit deaf pilots. For instance, text-based radio communication has been argued to be more efficient and safer than voice-based radio communication at towered airports. (Text-based communications are increasing in commercial aviation as part of the NextGen effort.) If text-based radio communication is widely adopted in general aviation, deaf pilots will be able to operate in towered airports and take on any aviation jobs without restrictions.
Thanks to the support of my instructor and everyone at Able Flight, I am honored to call myself a pilot and join the ranks of around 200 deaf pilots in the nation. I’ve grown and gained so much knowledge and know I can be a competent and safe deaf pilot. I recently received my pilot wings at a ceremony at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh show, a very proud moment for me.
My flying experience has motivated me to earn my private pilot license this fall to further challenge myself as a deaf pilot. Continuing my pilot training will raise the visibility and representation of deaf pilots, so others will realize that deaf people can become pilots. The most important thing for me is to encourage deaf individuals to dream big and imagine themselves as pilots. You CAN become a pilot!
Sheila Xu can be contacted at sheila022@gmail.com or through Instagram.
