Dare to Dream: Flying Solo with Diabetes by Douglas Cairns
Solo Flight  The next day I discovered I could get a sport
medical and fly solo. Fantastic. My Thai girlfriend, Karuna, and
I went down to Sri Racha Hospital, and after a quick interview
during which I declared my diabetes, I handed over Baht 500
($12.50) and was the proud owner of a sport medical license. I
could now fly solo, albeit in a tiny, fragile, noisy little
machine that flew 30 mph. It was time to have fun on my own.
Every time I flew I would test my blood sugar before takeoff. If
I was low, I ate food and waited until my blood sugar level was
at least above 70. However, it was nigh impossible to test while
flying in the open air, with 30 or 40-mph winds buffeting your
face, body, hands, blood glucose meter and strips. I therefore
did my usual thing and munched candy after 30 minutes of being
airborne to avoid going low.  The instructors at the microlight
club sent me off solo after a couple of hours' practice. This
was the first time I'd