Girl loses legs to Wenchuan earthquake, wins a dream in Canada

Huang Meihua takes a selfie in a grassy area with a lot of trees in the background. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"After the aircraft took off and was stable, the trainer let me experience the handling of the joystick. It seemed to be lighter than that of the analogue machine. I touched the joystick very lightly and the aircraft became turbulent unexpectedly. That made my co-trainee's face turn pale," Huang said.

After receiving additional training, she became better at piloting the aircraft. When she operated the aircraft independently for the first time, she finished all the flight procedures except landing.

If she wants to get a flight permit, she will have to do another 40 hours of theoretical study and accumulate 50 hours of flight time.

"The headmaster offered me much help in realizing my dream of flying. He also wants to encourage others to realize their dreams using my story as an example," she said.

"Huang always has a smile on her face. Despite her disability, she has confidence," her classmates said.

"The school treats disabled students as equals and has allowed her to participate in all activities such as dancing and physical education," said Xu Wencan, Huang's classmate.

While studying at the Guangya School, Huang was wheelchaired to class by her mother, 44-year-old Yan Xiaorong.

Huang will be alone during her four-year stay at the UBC. But she is confident she will adapt well to life there.

"Canada is friendlier to handicapped people with its public facilities," she said.