MESA, Ariz. — Kaiya Armstrong may have lost her sight as a teen, but she’s not going to let that get in the way of her passion for flying.
Around 9 a.m. on Oct. 7, Armstrong lifted off from Phoenix, Arizona, in her Cessna 172 bound for Washington, D.C. During the next six days, she will be taking off and landing at multiple airports while navigating each leg all without using her eyes, according to KTVK.
Armstrong set out on this journey to not only prove that her blindness doesn’t limit her but to inspire others. The journey is part of an event called Flight for Sight, KSAZ-TV reported.
Her completion of the journey on Oct. 13 in Washington, D.C., will coincide with World Sight Day, the international day of awareness to draw attention to blindness and vision impairment.
With the help of The Foundation for Blind Children, Armstrong has undergone months of training both on the ground and in the air to prepare for the journey, according to KPNX.
After training with her instructor, Kaiya Armstrong is ready to show everyone her disability will not keep her from taking to the skies as a pilot. https://t.co/p4KDzWuHFJ
— 12 News (@12News) October 8, 2022
Her co-pilot for the flight, Tyler Sinclair, has been working with Armstrong for months.
“The very first time we went up we spent a lot of time just listening to the engine itself, and learning what the different speeds sound like so I’d be able to find them on my own. He’d have me put my hands on the controls and steer us into small turns and larger turns giving me a feel of both,” Armstrong told KNXV.
Her cross-country route includes stops in Colorado Springs, Kansas City and Louisville.
Between Oct. 7 and Oct. 13, you can track her progress on FlightRadar24 here.
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