Army veteran who lost legs in Afghanistan set to become first double amputee commercial pilot since Sir Douglas Bader

AN Army veteran is set to be the first double amputee commercial pilot since Sir Douglas Bader.

Luke Sinnott, 43, lost his legs in an explosion in Afghanistan in 2010.

He has since learned to fly and is now training to pilot commercial aircraft, thanks to his bespoke prosthetic knee sockets equipped with microprocessors.

They enable him to work the foot pedals of large aircraft, controlling the rudder and brakes.

Luke, who is also hoping to compete in the long-jump at the Paris Paralympics, has passed his Class 1 medical with the Civil Aviation Authority and is starting a year of commercial training.

The retired Army captain, of New Forest, Hants, said: “After I joined the Army, I wanted to fly Apache helicopters.

"I was due to start training after the tour where I got injured.

“I thought that avenue was closed off to me and I never imagined I would fly again.”

RAF legend Bader survived a crash in 1931, but proved to the RAF he could still fly.

He became a World War Two Hurricane ace and later a commercial pilot for Shell.

Flying charity Wings For Warriors, which supported Luke, said: “He is doing what Bader did 90 years ago — proving it is possible to fly having lost both legs.”