Interview: Breaking barriers, building a community, and a message of hope

To fly a helicopter without the use of your legs involved the design, construction, and validation of a device called the Aeroleg. It’s platform agnostic to be used in any helicopter. Can you describe how you came up with this concept and how it works?

Stewart McQuillan: There were a lot of ups and downs trying to get people onboard to help until we had a full working unit, which the AAC and Bristow Helicopters pieced together. We looked at electrical actuators, motor relays and hydraulics, and all of them had pretty drastic faults if they failed, such as if a hydraulic fails at near full left pedal, then there’s nothing you can do. So we decided on going with pneumatics because it was as close as we could get to a human muscle. If anything went wrong with that system, the thing’s just going to go flaccid, and you can centralize the pedals by pushing on a knee, or whoever’s in the other seat can take over. We continued down that route and were introduced to Festo, the German pneumatics company. We were invited to its facility in Northampton and they gave us lots of bits to play with. We built the Aeroleg from those components and a lot of their proportional valves and things.

What we came up with perfectly mimics a human leg in every way. I think that’s why the Surgeon General (UK) was so excited about it. I’d had dealings with him when I went through the Douglas Bader Foundation, he did the medicals. But we just couldn’t get past a certain department in the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), so were invited to take it out to the USA. We ended up in California and the US Surgeon General was interested if I could certify the system for a twin-engine airplane. I asked if we could get through the helicopter bit first! It had cost me enough of a fortune to get that far and I had nothing left. During the process of the evaluation, testing, and changing things, we went from flying a Gazelle to flying a Schweizer 300. The control unit for the pneumatic actuators itself was large, and they said that they wanted us to take that big box and put it into that little glove box on the console. I thought that they had to be joking, to reduce it by two-thirds! But we managed to do it.

We’d only just started training with it, and then 9/11 came up. We were then kicking our heels for more than six months because everything was grounded. We couldn’t fly flight schools, we were going out of business, and the insurance premiums quadrupled. The industry was really hit very hard over in the USA, but we managed to get the final sign-off for the certification in March of 2002.

His directive was to make the system fail. They wanted to know that if something went wrong, how I would handle it

The next thing was doing the check ride. That was interesting in itself because, and I’ve got all the original footage from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the individual who would have been my flight examiner there at the Flight Inspection Safety District Office (FISDO) wasn’t overly happy about flying with a paraplegic. So I had to look at other states and other examiners. I was invited to go down to Florida and introduced to a flight examiner who also flew for the fire department. He was a great guy, we flew together a lot. The check ride itself was quite novel; it didn’t last very long, because we’d done so much flying together already. We were flying on a gloomy morning during monsoon season in Miami. We took off and the heavens absolutely opened, and there’re no doors on the helicopter. He’s quite a big guy and I thought the best thing I could do was shoot the tail round and put him into wind so I would stay dry. So he’s screaming like crazy about getting soaked because he’s half hanging out the side of this little Schweizer. At the same time, he grabbed my power lead, ripping it out and leaving the plug still in the receptacle. He asked: “Now what are you going to do?” And then he stopped and said: “You’re still flying; how come?” and I point to the emergency battery backup. So he goes to the micro-compressor and switches it off, and then said: “There you go, you’ve got no air, now what you’re going to do?” He sees that my pedals were still moving and I tell him that I have nitrogen blowdown emergency. At this point he’s totally soaked, he’s tried everything to make it fail, so he goes: “Let’s go back, we’re done.” We’re only six minutes into the check. He knew how I flew but just wanted to see how I handled autorotation, so it was one of the quickest check rides in history. He told me a while afterwards that his directive was to make the system fail. They wanted to know that if something went wrong, how I would handle it.

You are a Co-Founder of the NV3 Foundation with Colonel Sean McClung and Kristen Christy; can you explain a little more about what NV3 does and why it’s important to provide this service?

Stewart McQuillan: As a nonprofit, we had various aims to try to create a veterans village. One of the best ways of helping veterans is to put them into a community that they’re familiar with, so we aim to build a micro-base camp without all the regimental rigor, not just with community housing but also put in facilities like a health center. The biggest thing is the commonality: they’ve all got something in common with each other. If they’ve got a problem, they know that somebody else has been through the same thing and they can talk to them. You can’t do that with a civilian because they’ve got no concept of what you’ve been through, what it was like, what it was to, perhaps at the age of 16, sign up for the military. And then when you’re in your 30s, that’s all the life you know, you don’t know about the outside because you’ve only lived on bases and camps. We decided to recreate something like that to help, but put industry with it. I started talking to Sean and Kristen and told them that we did this in the UK after World War One, in Papworth Everard: the village was for tuberculosis (TB), and they put everything in there – there was housing, there was a hospital, there was a production facility. So if we were to take that as a model and just bring it up to date, then we’d have something viable that could really work here as well. That’s basically what we’re trying to create, not for TB, but for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicide, and everything that vets are dealing with.

We’ve had a couple of hiccups along the way; we’re still trying to find a final location where we can build our hangers and the village

We’ve got a lot of the big industry leaders looking at it saying, “If you can build that facility, we’ll move in.” We had interest from Northrop Grumman. We’ve got an Italian company that manufacture helicopters looking at the USA and they’d love to have a veteran workforce manufacturing their helicopter kits. So it’s not just about the community living, it’s about giving them something positive, a fulfilling employment as well.

Sean McClung: What Stewart’s saying is right on point that when you get into military at a young age, they cut your hair the same, you march with each other, you train to fight as a team and as a unit, and they become your family. Then when an injury comes up and all of a sudden you can’t fight anymore, you’re then cut off from that community altogether. We wanted to really build a place for those who want to recapture their lives and find a sense of purpose; we give them vocational training either in the vocation that they left or a new one. We give them a community to live in with people who understand them, and that really goes a long way to helping people adjust. I was just on LinkedIn yesterday and found that there was another veteran suicide and the family said that the that US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) had really done nothing. Niall Toomey, who was the army Chief Warrant Officer (CW5) who posted it, said: “I hate to keep posting things like this but I’m going to keep doing it because all of the strategies that we’re using are not working.” We realize we’re not going to save all the 20–44 vets a day that are committing suicide [in the USA] but we want to start something that’ll give people hope.

Stewart McQuillan: To build this village, we are coming up with innovative ways to raise funds and bring attention to veterans’ issues. And we’ve got to do something pretty dramatic as the suicide rate is going up at a staggering rate amongst veterans around the world. How can we get that message out? How can we get people to stop and look? How can we get corporate support not just for ourselves but for other nonprofits in the UK or Germany or France or Italy? They’re all suffering. And this is really about raising awareness in each country, so we have determined that to build this awareness we need to do something international – something significant accomplished by a veteran providing hope for other veterans. This is how NV3 Foundation decided that as a paraplegic, I should become the first to circumnavigate the globe in an historic effort to encourage others.

Since I certified the Aeroleg using the Gazelle, I immediately turned to this helicopter for the tour. And now I’m picking up these two Gazelle 341G helicopters with parts. The story of how we got these is interesting; they belonged to a man called Paul Barth. He has a company called Camera Copters. He films offshore, racing, cannonball run, and a lot of other stuff. He let me fly his MD 500s when I was in Florida [after getting the certification for the Aeroleg]. In 2024, we were trying to find someone who did film production for the possibility of a reality TV series, documenting how we’re trying to get it all going, and following us around, getting the aircraft, inventorying etc. When I called him to find out if he knew of anybody in Los Angeles who could come and talk to us while we were at HAI Heli-Expo in Anaheim, he said that he wanted to do it. We hadn’t spoken for 22 years! I also told him that we were trying to raise money for the trip and that we really wanted a Gazelle, and he said: “Well, I might be able to help you! I just happen to have two Gazelles that I’ve had for eight years. They’re dismantled, but you’ll get a good one out of the two. And I would love to help your program.” So, we worked out the details and now are bringing the two Gazelles from Miami to Colorado.

Using the device in 2001, you became the first person with paraplegia to fly a helicopter, but in 2021 you also became the first person with paraplegia to build a helicopter – a Rotorway 162F. Can you describe the process of construction?

Stewart McQuillan: We needed something to start the program leading up to the big village. So we started with the aeronautical side, getting veterans to build a kit helicopter, learn new skills, and become an A&P (an aircraft engineer). It’s such a big field; you can become a general engineer, or somebody that works at a bench for hydraulics, or install avionics.

I was then able to do anything that a person with legs could do. Sure, it was not the most comfortable, and it was tiring. But I proved that a person who is a paraplegic can actually build a helicopter

We decided to get a helicopter and I would build it. Once we got the helicopter, I’d already arranged to get it down to Florida to one of the gurus of the world who’d mentor me on how to build it. When we got it there, he goes, “Well, how are you physically going to build it?” We ended up buying a gantry with a hoist on the top and put an electric winch up there and attached one of the body slings they use in hospitals. That allowed me to work on the top end of the helicopter, the mast. A Swedish company called Permobil loaned me a power chair that would stand me upright, so I could reach other sections. Between the two of them, I was then able to do anything that a person with legs could do. Sure, it was not the most comfortable, and it was tiring. But I proved that a person who is a paraplegic can actually build a helicopter. That was really the starting point of our program.

We had to then try to secure a facility where we could build more, and bring veterans in, and work with the industry who could actually take our veterans and put them through a certified course of instruction by working on these helicopters so they could become aircraft engineers.

We’ve had a couple of hiccups along the way; we’re still trying to find a final location where we can build our hangers and the village. For the two Gazelles that I’m picking up, we’ve got local aircraft engineers that have rebuilt former British Army Gazelles who’re going to come and help inventory recertified parts and then take our vets and teach them at their own facilities.

We’re starting the vocational training on the aviation side because that’s what we know, but there are folks that don’t necessarily want to be mechanics or want to fly. So, the next portion of our program is in agriculture; doing tiny farms. That’s pretty therapeutic and it gets people back to the land. Then there are other folks who like to work on computers. Gradually, as we get the first vocational piece of this started and we get our village going, then we will expand to other vocations and, eventually, we have a complete industry in the village.

Challenging yourself and also blazing a trail seems to be a theme with your career. You are about to embark on a trip around the world, which would make you the first person with paraplegia to circumnavigate the globe in a helicopter. Why this particular challenge?

Stewart McQuillan: The round-the-world trip is a tool, a world first, for raising awareness. I’ve proven that paraplegics can fly helicopters, that’s one part. I developed the Aeroleg that, with this, you can go back to flying helicopters, but the industry still needs to be woken up to the fact that this system is available and it works. If they just see me pottering around in a helicopter, that doesn’t give them the confidence they want. They want to know: can that pilot after an injury go back to being a commercial pilot, can he go back to flying to the oil rigs in the North Sea? And the answer to that is yes, because I’ve been through dunk tank training, I’ve been dunked in the ocean as a paraplegic in my ‘goon suit’ [waterproof rubber coverall], proving it can be done.

By doing the world flight, it shows that by flying a large commercial turbine helicopter and flying around the world, then someone like me can fulfill any commercial role

By doing the world flight, it shows that by flying a large commercial turbine helicopter and flying around the world, then someone like me can fulfill any commercial role. If they want to start talking about sling load and things like that, sure, stick the hook on and I’ll show them that a paraplegic can do anything another pilot can do. It’s the same as if you’re wearing spectacles: the spectacles don’t make you any less of a pilot or less of an expert in your own profession; it’s just an aid, and that’s what the Aeroleg is. It enables you to manipulate the anti-torque pedals on a helicopter and then it’s down to your skill level. By doing the world tour, we show the industry, and the world, that if a paraplegic can fly around the world, they can work in the industry.

Sean McClung: The broader piece of that is that Stewart mentioned that we’ve had a couple of false starts on this village. The village takes a lot of money to start and get going and so we’ve been attempting to raise money now since we got started. We started just before the Covid-19 pandemic, so those two years were shot. We’ve had three years now where we’ve done some attempts and had some setbacks. Our biggest challenge is getting the word out that veterans are in need, that they have challenges and that we have a potential solution with this type of village that was so successful in England during World War One.

With your trip around the world, why this aircraft and what difficulties do you anticipate that you will have to overcome to achieve your goal?

Stewart McQuillan: There are a lot of things pre-trip that have to be done. Starting with myself, I’ve got to go through a very rigorous fitness program to get myself physically as well as mentally conditioned. Then, as a paraplegic, what’s going to make the trip different than the average person? For example, on the trip we’ll be landing at places where there’s probably going to be an evening event. They’re going to be laying on food while I have to go back to my room. I’m going to be sucking food out of a toothpaste tube because we won’t have bathrooms and, for paraplegics, our bathroom needs are a lot different; I can’t produce solid waste, for instance. I don’t even get alcohol to cross my lips because I’m flying. Also, we suffer from things like pressure sores because we don’t have butt muscles, so I’m going to need a specially adapted lower seat cushion.

We’ll be going over some pretty hostile areas and across open water

We’ll be going over some pretty hostile areas and across open water, Greenland being the most hostile section of the trip. We have to do our timing very carefully because we want the ice shelf to be as narrow as possible before crossing. Should I have to ditch, can I get an expandable system for the skids for the Gazelle? What kind of life preserver do I need? Some of the preservers are designed where it makes a single-person raft that comes out from beneath you, like the Beaufort that the military use in the UK. If I have to get out, rather than trying to struggle in heavy seas to get to a dinghy, this thing deploys around you; it’s literally a pack on your back. There’s also small survival oxygen bottle that’s clipped to the suits in case it does go under, which’ll give me a little bit more breathing time. So a lot of things like that we need.

Why the Gazelle? It’s robust. It’ll run on just about anything; nearly any kind of fuel. It’s reliable. But it’s also low to the ground. Access is important.

Parts of the journey go from hot climates to very cold climates, and hypothermia is a problem for paraplegics. Our body temperatures don’t regulate properly. I’m going to need a heated suit under my flight clothing and, if I’m flying in the cold, then I’m probably going to be flying in a goon suit just for the extra insulation, not necessarily for ditching in the water.

There’s a lot of factors and a lot of training leading up to it. All this has got to be practiced. I’m going to survival companies on the coast, getting signed off, sorting dietary needs, training, and the helicopter’s going to have systems in that I’m not already familiar with. We’ve got a US-based company that are going to fully re-equip all the avionics and that’s quite a learning curve. There’s going to be a lot of ground training and a lot of simulator work prior to the actual tour.

Then there’s a support team to make this tour work. And it has to be successful because the world is watching. All the veterans around the world are watching.

That sort of the planning is beyond me. Sean takes care of a lot of that side and we’ll have other experts we’re trying to bring onboard, for example, teams that have already done this, but I’d be the first paraplegic.

We need an advance support plane. In fact, one of the pilots for the support ship that’ll be going with us would hopefully be in a King Air, and he happens to be one of the top FAA surgeons here in the USA. He’s said already that we have to have a doctor. And he’s adamant that he’s going to be flying the aircraft. We also need experts that can work with world media. We need all the permits for each country, as, on the political side, we’re going to be touching China, and working out the details for Russia, which presents its own challenges.

Flying this helicopter in all these different climates means I require different equipment. The fuel has to change if we’re flying below 20°F. When going through desert areas, I need sand filters for the intake. There’s a lot of other things to consider and all of that has to be in place. Obviously sand filters will be fitted probably while we’re still in Italy and then flying across the Mediterranean that way. Then, as soon as we get out, once we start to hit India, we have to reconfigure the aircraft again. So all of these things come into play.

Sean McClung: There are a lot of logistical issues that are being worked out for special equipment considerations. All those have to be pre-positioned and effective, and/or carried within the advance aircraft that’s going along. My favorite part of it, though, is the media part where we’re spreading the awareness of the veterans’ plight, and it’s not just US veterans, it’s not just allied veterans; we have a kindred spirit with all veterans. So we would like to visit with those folks as we’re going across the world.

So, with the stages that you’re at, are you going to be going to any more shows like Heli-Expo to drum up more support? Will you be travelling internationally to do that and is there anything else that’s upcoming that you’ll need to do before you move on to the next stages?

Stewart McQuillan: We have an awful lot to do if we want to try to hit that 2025 target. If we can get Airbus onboard or Bell… We were very close to support from Airbus last year.

I am meeting with a US-based avionics company that does have the ear of the industry. They’ve got a big show coming up and we’ve just sent him a flash drive with all our packages on and he wants to do a presentation to the industry. We’re talking Garmin, Honeywell, Dynon, uAvionix… all the companies. He’s going to help get them onboard and he has also offered to help equip the Gazelle for the tour. He just loves the idea that this helicopter is going to go out there and raise awareness and get people thinking.

Depending on what study you read, between 20–44 veterans a day commit suicide in the USA alone

Next year we hope to still be at Verticon. I’m hoping by that point, we’ll pretty much have got all the sponsors lined up that we need. But for right now with an international audience, someone in the UK may say, “Well, he’s a Brit; why are we not doing anything?” or someone in France may say, “Hang on, he’s flying one of our Aérospatiale Gazelles; why are we not doing anything?” There are quite a few shows that we could take advantage of. We’re a small nonprofit and there are budget issues with bringing a helicopter places, so if we get a big supporter like Airbus and/or Bell who would provide us a stand for our helicopter, that could open up things for us. As well as Verticon, there’s also EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, and European Rotors in Amsterdam.

Is there anything that we haven’t covered that you’d like to mention at this point?

Stewart McQuillan: This started in the UK and it’d be tremendous if we could get some UK support. We’ll be coming back to the UK with it depending on how it works. 2024 is Farnborough. Then we’d be looking to try to time it also to be at the Paris Air Show in 2025. Again, if we can get UK and European support, it’d be great publicity for them as well if we fly into the Paris Air Show.

I don’t want to end on a sober note, but there is a sense of urgency here. Depending on what study you read, between 20–44 veterans a day commit suicide in the USA alone. I know other countries have the same issues; it’s a problem worldwide. Every day that we delay this trip there’s more veterans really making a bad decision for not only themselves but every suicide also affects 135 other people – family, friends, loved ones. Another thing is, in the UK, we don’t have our dedicated military hospitals anymore

This provides hope and inspiration to a lot of people. Even folk like me who are who are pretty hard-nosed

. RAF Hospital Ely and all got closed down. The Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre (DNRC) at Stanford Hall (formerly at Headley Court) and the Headley Court Veterans’ Orthopaedic Centre are the only ones that’re still open. The old Headley Court facility was just below the Epsom Downs; we used to escape there just to get away from the hospital. You were in the middle of nowhere and it’s like you had your head in the guillotine, just waiting for the axe to come down and say “You’re out,” or “You can stay in.” It’d be really nice if we could drop in at Headley Court and Stanford Hall. Also, we’d like to try to meet with other British organizations, like Blesma, The Limbless Veterans [the British military charity], which helps and supports veterans that have become permanently disabled from spinal injuries and those who have had lost limbs. I think it could really encourage other vets that are maybe coming out disabled and just cannot see what’s in front of them or what they’re capable of doing. To have me land, flop into my wheelchair and say, “Hey, I was one of you guys here in the UK and this is my story.”

Sean McClung: To have Stewart do this provides hope and inspiration to a lot of people. Even folk like me who are who are pretty hard-nosed, every once in a while we have our moments, and you see someone like Stewart who has overcome a lot of obstacles and is still pressing forward, getting world firsts, setting records. That’s inspirational and produces hope, and that hope keeps you going. It does this to me every time.

Stewart McQuillan: We have my experiences, the experiences that Sean’s had, and the ones that Kristen’s had; we bring that to the table. This is what we need to pass on. But we need to get it out now. As we’re talking, we’ve lost veterans around the world. If we put that number together and put it out, people would be shocked at how many vets we’re losing.