Welcome to Diabetes Formation Flight USA 2013
Diabetes Formation Flight USA 2013 is a formation flight of general aviation airplanes
flown by pilots with diabetes which will fly in formation from Pellston Regional Airport (KPLN) in
northern Michigan (KPLN) to the EAA AirVenture airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on July 29th, 2013.
A goal of DFFUSA 2013 is to allow participation from as many pilots with diabetes as possible. In support of this
goal, it has been planned so that a wide variety of aircraft can participate. If you are a pilot with diabetes who
is interested in participating in the flight, please look here and contact us
for more information.
Until 1997, piloting by individuals with insulin treated diabetes was completely prohibited
throughout the world due to concerns of the dangers of low blood sugar during flight. With
the advances in easy to use, portable blood sugar monitoring devices, and an intensive pre and in-flight
blood sugar monitoring regimen, in 1997 pilots with well controlled insulin treated diabetes were allowed
by the FAA to obtain medical certificates for private piloting.
Several other countries have followed and in some ways surpassed the lead of the US including Canada, Great Britain,
and Australia. Canada has even allowed some pilots with insulin treated diabetes to fly commercially when
using a rigorous blood sugar monitoring procedure, and the United Kingdom has recently updated its regulations
to allow this as well.
The DFFUSA 2013 flight has several goals:
- To raise diabetes awareness and funds for diabetes research.
- To demonstrate that pilots with diabetes can safely fly challenging flights using the FAA’s protocol for private flying
with insulin-dependent diabetes.
- To illustrate how advances in diabetes monitoring and management make management
of diabetes in flight a straightforward, safe, and simple part of flight operations.
Diabetes need not limit the scope of people’s dreams and ambitions.