My name is Krzysztof (Chris) Lapinski. I am 40 and started flying a long, long time ago in galaxy far, far away. I soloed in a glider in Poland before I was sixteen and a year or two later I earned my silver glider badge but I never went for my license. I quit flying after communists established military law and in my local flying club there were more politics than flying. I returned to aviation in the USA and in 1997 earned my private pilot license (single engine) and a year later I became instrument rated. In the beginning of 1999, during my commercial, CFI, and CFII training (I did all three at once), I went skiing at Hunter Mountain, NY and broke my back. Since then I am paralyzed and had to stop flying. I only needed a long cross country before my practical exam. I had passed the written tests for all three ratings already. It was difficult time for me. I thought that all my training and all the time I devoted was wasted.

Years ago I received brochure from Mt. Sinai which included an article about flying gliders in Northeastern Pennsylvania with an organization called Freedom's Wings International. I called Ray Temchus and he put me in contact with another FWI member named Chris Bigalke with whom I had an introductory flight.

Chris and Gil preparing for takeoff

After several more glider flights and because of patience and devotion of Gil Frost, my flight instructor with whom I had most of my flights as a student pilot, I was encouraged enough that I decided to go to California to try to fly power planes with hand controls. In October 2004 I purchased a Piper Archer and installed hand controls. In May 2005 I passed the Standard of Demonstrated Ability with FAA and got my private pilot license back. In August I passed IFR proficiency check. So, I've recovered everything I lost after my accident. And in October 2005 I added new rating - glider pilot license.

I would like to thank Gil for training me and I would also like to thank Bob Greenblatt and Jim Josenhans, my two other instructors, and everyone with Freedom's Wings.

I must say that since I joined Freedom's Wings my life has changed. I have become a much more active person. Before, I was working, reading and watching TV and nothing else, now I do many more different things that I never thought I could.