Yes. Helen Keller briefly flew a plane in mid-flight, with a trained pilot handling takeoff and landing and giving her instructions through her interpreter.
What actually happened
In June 1946, during a flight from Rome to Paris, Keller sat in the copilot’s seat of a Douglas Skymaster and controlled the aircraft for about 20 minutes over the Mediterranean Sea. The pilot remained beside her, and this was a supervised experience rather than solo piloting or being a licensed aviator.
How she could control it
Keller’s companion and interpreter, Polly Thomson, relayed the pilot’s directions to her using tactile signing into Keller’s hand, allowing Keller to adjust the controls based on those instructions. Crew members later remarked on how smoothly she handled the controls, noting that she was very sensitive to the plane’s movements through touch.
Did she have a pilot’s license?
Keller did not have a pilot’s license and would not have met the medical requirements for one, so she was never an independent or professional pilot. The 1946 incident is accurately described as her taking the controls and flying the plane in level flight under close supervision, which is why credible historical and reference sources still describe her as having flown a plane.
