Atlanta resident
Jorge Urrea passed his checkride on February 20th to become the
third Able Flight Scholarship winner to earn a Sport Pilot Certificate.
He trained with volunteer flight instructors Mitch Hansen, Mike
Davidson and Matt Hansen in a specially-adapted Sky Arrow 600 LSA
at Hansen Air Group in Kennesaw, Georgia.
Jorge came to
the United States after sustaining a spinal cord injury in a 1992
accident in his native Columbia. At the time, rehabilitative opportunities
in Columbia didn’t compare with those in the United States,
so the young man who had been trained as an architect traveled
to Atlanta for the advanced care and support he needed.
Urrea now works
as a projects coordinator for a major Atlanta firm, and has donated
hundreds of hours of his time at Shepherd Center, one of the nation’s
premier facilities for the rehabilitation of people with spinal
cord and traumatic brain injuries. As a volunteer, he uses his
architectural training to help the families of recently injured
patients modify their homes to make them more accessible.
Those who meet
Jorge soon learn of his passion for aviation. So it came as no
surprise to family, friends and co-workers when he won an Able
Flight scholarship and worked hard to meet the challenges of learning
to fly. By earning his license, Jorge has fulfilled a dream that
began during his childhood, and reaffirmed his belief that “If
you fight for your dreams no matter how long, those dreams can
become a reality.”
