Scholarship for aviators with disabilities instills confidence

Through Boeing’s support of a UK charity, Flying Scholarships for Disabled People (FSDP), Dorothy Stuart has been able to fulfill her dream to fly a plane, despite her disability. 

Stuart has a rare degenerative genetic condition called Hereditary Spastic Paraparesis (HSP). Her love of flying was ignited during her early career working for a UK airline, and though her career was cut short by HSP, she has always had a love for all things aerospace.  

“This has made me realize how lucky I am to have been awarded this scholarship because of Boeing’s support of this amazing charity,” Stuart said. “Flying means that I can be in a plane where no one can see that I am any different from anyone else. No judgement. I find that due to age and disability I have become invisible, but this scholarship is going to build my confidence back and I am loving life!”

Stuart is Boeing’s fourth scholar to be awarded a three-week flying scholarship with FSDP, and she completed it with flying colors. 

For the last four years, Boeing Global Engagement has funded one scholarship each year to a Scottish student. The course involves flying training, both practical and ground school, and benefits are self-confidence and self-worth in the first instance, with a ripple pattern of proven positive effects on friends and family.

No student flies solo unless they have medical and instructor clearance. The charity is set up to accommodate the needs of the scholars in terms of the adaptations they may have to make.

Boeing’s support of Flying Scholarships for Disabled People is part of the company’s larger commitment to the communities where we live and work. In 2023, Boeing invested $558,488 (£430,000) in charitable causes in the U.K.