7NEWS Spotlight: How Glenn Collins is getting back on his feet after Avalon Airshow crash

7NEWS

6 days ago

Glenn Collin's survival was nothing short of miraculous.
The Sky Aces aerobatic pilot was flying at 300km an hour when he crashed at the Avalon International Airshow in March.
With the support of his devoted wife, Tracey, and his loving family, Glenn is pushing the boundaries of his physiotherapy to get back on his feet..
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Cockpit footage of Avalon Airshow crash
And it won't be too long before he and Tracey are heading back home to the Hunter Valley.
However, their life will look different on their return with the pilot's spinal injury meaning there will be multiple lifestyle changes.
These include renovating their house for accessibility.
'You need to allow for your worst days and my worst days might be that I'm not on my feet, so we need to make the house suitable for that,' Glenn acknowledges.
Despite the ordeal, Glenn remains as positive as he can be and realised it could have been much worse.
'I'm one of the very, very lucky ones where my spinal injury is low, so I will hopefully be able to walk again,' he said.
'Many people don't.'
For Glenn and Tracey, there are so many people who they want to thank.
Among those are the pyro crew - Phil, Jay, Brooke, and Todd - whose rapid response in getting Glenn out of the wreckage to be treated by paramedics was critical.
'They are very much heroes. They saved my life,' he said.
A long list of healthcare practitioners also contributed to keeping him alive and then helping with his recovery.
From paramedics, to doctors, nurses and numerous other hospital staff; dozens and dozens of caring individuals helped put Glenn back together.
Tracey feels particularly strongly about the regular Australians who donate blood.
'Glenn was revived using bloods and fluids, which saved his life,' she said.
So, on the anniversary of Glenn's fateful flight, their whole family will donate blood themselves to mark the occasion.
It's obvious that there's a deeply emotional connection between Paul Bennet and his crew member Glenn. After all, Paul is the one who straight away, initiated the GoFundMe page for the Collins family.
Glenn recognises how valuable this will be in his getting him back walking - and maybe even back in the sky!
'It's amazing what he's done there, looked after me. And it'll also pass on through the family,'