A Victorian pilot has become the first person with quadriplegia to fly around Australia.
Dave Jacka took 38 days to circumnavigate the country, arriving back as his start point, Tooradin, Victoria, yesterday.
He completed the trip in a specially modified Jabiru J230, followed by a support team in two other aircraft.
The route he took hugged the coastline, and passed through each of the four most extreme points on the continent: South East Cape in Tasmania, Cape Byron, NSW, Cape York and Streep Point in WA.
His journey was dogged several times by bad weather, and a close call with turbulence near Airlie Beach, QLD.
On his return to Tooradin, Jacka heaped praise on his support team.
"Even though I was a solo pilot, it has been the flight team who have made this trip possible," Jacka said in his final blog post. "As I got to know each member over the last 38 days, I greatly appreciate what a dedicated and amazing group of people they are.
"Each member brought a different skill set, view and energy to the team. If it wasn’t for them, this would not have been possible. This is a team’s success, not an individual’s success."
Jacka became a quadriplegic after a motorcycle accident when he was 19. The injuries he suffered left him with no movement below his armpits, and only limited function in his arms.
His organisation, On a Wing and a Chair, was set up to raise expectations of what people with disbilities can achieve, and inspire others to challenge their own limits.
"From this flight, I’ve become the first quadriplegic to fly solo around the coast of Australia. However, more than this, I hope we have achieved what we set out to - to raise the public's expectations about what people with disabilities can achieve and provide inspiration for all, to get out and have a go at their own dreams and goals."
See more about Dave Jacka's odyssey at www.onawingandachair.org.au.