Winging it

Dream of flying again comes true for paralyzed pilot

Justin Sands was fresh out of high school and just six days away from getting his private pilot's license when a four-wheeler accident paralyzed him from the waist down.

The tragedy steered his life in a different direction, but he never strayed far from his passion for planes. Life came full circle for Sands a year and a half ago when he and his wife, Tracy, bought Red Eagle Aviation, a fixed-base operation at the Kalispell City Airport that offers flight instruction and charter services.

Sands, 34, spent countless hours at the Kalispell airport during his youth, flying with his father, Tom Sands, and working as a fuel boy. He helped out in the paint shop, stripping planes and doing other jobs, all the while getting to know the planes inside and out.

When the time came to get a pilot's license, Sands learned from Jack Archibald, the same pilot who had taught his father and grandfather to fly.

JUNE 16, 1991, was like any other early summer day in the Flathead. Sands and his friends were riding their four-wheelers on Blacktail Mountain, checking out the terrain, when Sands' vehicle flipped.

"It folded me up like a pretzel," he said, recalling the accident. "It doesn't take much sometimes" to get injured.

He spent the rest of the summer at Craig Hospital in Denver, a facility that specializes in spinal-cord injuries and rehabilitation. Plans to attend Cheyenne Aerospace were scrapped. Sands had intended to get his air-frame and power license there so he could do mechanic work on planes to help pay for college.

Instead, Sands took general-studies classes at Flathead Valley Community College, where he met Tracy.

In 1995 he underwent experimental spinal-cord surgery in Argentina for a procedure that's illegal in the United States. A doctor took nerves out of his leg, cells from his stomach and tissue from the back of his leg to apply to the damaged area.

"It's like an electrician doing a spice on a line," Sands explained.

Tracy accompanied him to Argentina and witnessed the surgery.

The results were better than expected. Sands regained more mobility, including some movement in his legs.

The couple moved to Seattle, where both attended the Art Institute of Seattle. Sands earned a degree in industrial design; Tracy got a degree in fashion design. They married in August 1998.

Ford Motor Co. wanted Sands to design cars in Detroit and flew the couple to Michigan to look at the facilities. The couple had just bought a house in Seattle, though, and not long after Ford came calling, Boeing recruited Sands.

"I was back to planes," he said with a smile.

He worked with the Joint Strike Fighter program, doing prototype work in a research and development laboratory. At the time, Boeing was competing with Lockheed for the fighter jet contract, and Boeing lost. Sands then went to work on civilian aircraft, helping design the 787 Dreamliners that will hit the market in two to three years.

SANDS ENJOYED his work at Boeing, but both he and his wife wanted to move back to the Flathead. An opportunity came along in January 2006 when Dave Hoerner, the owner of Red Eagle Aviation, wanted to sell the business.

Sands and Hoerner's son Ryan were childhood friends, and when Ryan was killed in an airplane crash in Alaska nearly three years ago, Dave decided to sell the business. He remains the chief pilot at Red Eagle Aviation.

Owning the business has given Sands a chance to fly again. Using special hand controls, he's been able to complete solo flights and is working toward Federal Aviation Administration certification. He also has been able to fly helicopters again.

"I'll have to take a check ride like anyone else" to get licensed, he said. After the accident almost 16 years ago, his log book containing the number of hours he'd flown was discarded, so he's starting from scratch. It takes a minimum of 40 hours to earn a private pilot's license.

Tracy, a 1994 Whitefish High School graduate, helps run the business and also is learning to fly.

"I married into an aviation family," she said. "It'll be kind of neat to say I can fly."

GROWTH IN the Flathead Valley has translated into growth for Red Eagle Aviation, too. Red Eagle had so many people wanting helicopter training that it added a second Schweizer helicopter. The firm also added a new Cessna 172 Skyhawk fixed-wing plane to be able to train with the newest technology.

"It's cutting edge," Sands said. "Just having that is exciting."

For charters, scenic flights and U.S. Forest Service work, Red Eagle has two Cessna 206 models, "the John Waynes of Cessna," he said.

The newest addition is a Cessna 182 RG (retractable gear) for complex high-performance training.

A Jet Ranger helicopter is used for scenic tours and photographic work. National Geographic magazine is among their clients.

Sands hopes to one day earn his commercial pilot license so he can haul rafting and outdoor gear to remote outposts such as Shafer Meadow.

His independent spirit and positive attitude recently caught the attention of a writer for Men's Journal Magazine, who spent time at Red Eagle learning to fly and documenting the Sandses' lives. They will be featured in the June issue.

Sands' love of aviation goes beyond owning a fixed-base operation. He enjoys promoting aviation in every way.

"I like to see kids succeed," he said.

Sands' father has been an important mentor, they noted.

"We ask him for guidance. He's been in the business," Sands said.

"The airport has been gracious to have us here," he said. "And it probably hasn't seen this much action in 10 years."

Sands got involved in building remote-controlled model planes not long after his accident, and he still competes and has placed in international competition.

"We compete all over," he said. "Those mini-cruise missiles go 200 miles an hour. You have to be licensed for those."

As exciting as racing remote-controlled planes is, it can't take the place of climbing into a real plane and taking off.

"Things are finally coming full circle," he said.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com