This is what es-scholar Karen Cox had to say when asked that question:
“One of the most powerful mantras in my life is: ‘Well… if I can fly a plane…’. It sounds simple but those words have carried me through some of the hardest and most extraordinary moments of my life — because learning to fly truly changed everything.
Before my scholarship with FSDP my world had been shrinking. Living with Ehlers‑Danlos Syndrome, along with fibromyalgia, FND, Raynaud’s, Sjögren’s and neuropathy, meant years of declining mobility, chronic pain, and a comfort zone that felt smaller by the day. Anxiety and overthinking had become constant companions, and my confidence had all but disappeared.
So when I was accepted for an FSDP scholarship, I hoped it might help… but I had no idea just how transformative it would be.
Those three weeks of flight training with John Griffin at Gryphon Aero Club opened up my world. Flying taught me that I was resilient, capable, and far stronger than I’d ever allowed myself to believe. It showed me that pain didn’t have to be a barrier to living — and that accepting my disabilities, rather than fighting them, could be the key to adapting and thriving.
Most of all, flying taught me to trust myself again. To step beyond fear. To say yes to life.
And that confidence has taken me on some incredible adventures:
• landing my job with Outfit Moray
• abseiling off the Forth Rail Bridge
• taking up cycling
• climbing Britain’s sixth‑highest mountain
• plunging into sea swimming
• and even doing a skydive!
Ten years on, flying is still teaching me about myself. And every time I face something daunting, I come back to that mantra: If I can fly a plane, I can do this.
#FSDP #WhatFlyingTaughtMe #AbilityThroughAviation #EDSAwareness #OutfitMoray #Changing Lives
