John McFall, who could become the world’s first astronaut with a physical disability to be assigned to a long duration mission, is based at the
European Astronaut Centre in Cologne (Germany). He is now training to fly as part of his preparation for a space mission, having returned to the UK to assess how his disability could affect his Private Pilot Licence (PPL) training.
The assessment is being conducted with the charity Aerobility — at Blackbushe Airport in Hampshire — as part of the
ESA’s (European Space Agency) Fly! Project. The Phase 2 Mission Ready part of Fly! aims to ‘put in place all the necessary actions’ to enable Mr McFall’s potential assignment to a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station.
It was in 2022 that the former NHS surgeon was selected by ESA for a pioneering study on astronauts with physical disabilities. In 2024 he became the first person with a physical disability to be medically cleared for long-duration missions to the International Space Station.
Mr McFall said: “There is huge crossover between flying light aircraft and working as an astronaut; the judgement calls, task prioritisation, hand-eye coordination, and communication skills are all essential for both. By demonstrating that someone with a physical disability can learn to fly, we are showing these essential astronaut skills are absolutely achievable.”
Mr McFall, who lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident aged 19, won bronze in the 100m sprint at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics before qualifying as a doctor. He began the assessment with Aerobility in June this year and hopes to complete his PPL by October.
Neil Tucker, a Trustee for Aerobility, concluded: “This is the first time we have trained an astronaut but it is not the first time we have had an astronaut with us. Buzz Aldrin opened our hangar in 2015 and is a patron of the charity. So, you could say we have space in our DNA.”