Former pilot takes to the sky again after life-changing accident – Ballito

He was at the pinnacle of his flying career when life as he knew it was abruptly ended by a tragic accident.

Simbithi resident and former B777 Emirates Airlines captain Nic Bac was left paralysed after he broke his back in an accident on the first day of the Sani2C cycle race in 2015.

“All I ever knew was flying. My first flight lesson was in December 1989. Since then, I have done about 15 000 hours in the sky,” said Nic, looking up at the sky every time he heard a plane fly over.

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His last flight was on May 2, 2015 and he never thought he would fly again. That is until he met the new owner of Comefly! Pilot Centre, Graeme Markham.

“Graeme and I met by chance one afternoon and he mentioned his flying school. He said he would love to get me back in the sky which I did not think would be possible,” said the father of three children – Riley, Caley and Lacey.

Determined to get Nic airborne again, Graeme and Comefly pilot, Brad Isaacson lifted him into the microlight seat, strapped his feet to the foot rests and his chest to the seat making sure he was comfortable and safe before they took off.

Brad said it took Nic a moment to get used to the way a microlight flies.

“I could hear him saying in his head – I hope you know what you are doing,” said Brad with a chuckle.

“Nic was used to being in closed cockpit with many controls – a microlight is just a tube and fabric run by a two-stroke engine. It flies in the exact opposite way to a fixed wing plane – everything is in reverse.”

The former commercial pilot said he felt uneasy for the first five minutes – especially during the “slow” take off.

“I was used to taking off at a speed of 350 kilometers and here Brad was going at probably 40 kilometers! Also being in the air so slowly was strange, I had to get my head around the lack of speed,” said Nic.

While in the sky, Brad gave Nic the ultimate experience as he let him fly himself.

“Pilots always say “your aircraft” to show who is in charge, so I said “your aircraft” to Nic and told him to think of the wings as an extension of his arms. That moment was such a privilege for me.”
For Nic it was a moment he never imagined would happen again.

“For two and a half years I watched these guys fly over me longing to join them, but I thought the logistics would make it impossible. They proved that anyone can do it,” said Nic,

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