Young Pilot Ends Round-The-World Solo Trip
A 23-year-old pilot landed his single-engine plane as onlookers cheered Wednesday, becoming what he says is the youngest person to fly solo around the world.
Before ending his three-month trip, Barrington Irving circled the Opa-locka airport and flew low along the runway as a band played. He smiled and waved as he climbed out of the plane in his tan jumpsuit, hugging and praying with friends and family.
"I am home," he said quietly when he stepped to a microphone. The long flight challenged him mentally and physically, he said, and "I am proud to have had the opportunity to live my dream."
Irving, an aerospace student who built his plane from more than $300,000 in donated parts, had left the Miami-area city March 23. In all, his continent-hopping journey covered some 27,000 miles.
He completed two legs Tuesday, flying the "Inspiration" from Houston to Mobile, Ala., in the morning and then from Mobile to Orlando late in the day. The short flight from Orlando on Wednesday completed his journey.
He claims he is first black person as well as the youngest person to complete the journey alone, though it was unclear how the claims would be validated.
The National Aeronautic Association, the aviation record-keeping authority in the United States, does not track pilots' age, sex or ethnicity, said Nathan Rohrbaugh, who helps coordinate records at the organization.
The Web site EarthRounders.com, which tracks round-the-world flights, lists 255 journeys, including 82 solo trips since 1929. The trip has been done in far less time than Irving, and even by younger pilots, though they were not flying solo.
Irving believes his mission — to bring hope, primarily to inner-city minorities — made his trip unique.
"I want to show them they can do more with their lives than resort to violence!" he wrote on his Web site before his journey ended.
From Florida, he flew to Cleveland and New York before continuing into Canada, then flying across the Atlantic to Europe. He crossed the Middle East and Asia, then flew on to Alaska earlier this month. He stopped in Seattle and Denver before arriving in Houston last week.
Irving, born in Jamaica, became interested in aviation as a teen when a Jamaican-American pilot took him to see a Boeing 777. Now a Florida Memorial University student, he has earned private and commercial pilots licenses and founded Experience Aviation, an organization to encourage other minority youths to get interested in the field.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Before ending his three-month trip, Barrington Irving circled the Opa-locka airport and flew low along the runway as a band played. He smiled and waved as he climbed out of the plane in his tan jumpsuit, hugging and praying with friends and family.
"I am home," he said quietly when he stepped to a microphone. The long flight challenged him mentally and physically, he said, and "I am proud to have had the opportunity to live my dream."
Irving, an aerospace student who built his plane from more than $300,000 in donated parts, had left the Miami-area city March 23. In all, his continent-hopping journey covered some 27,000 miles.
He completed two legs Tuesday, flying the "Inspiration" from Houston to Mobile, Ala., in the morning and then from Mobile to Orlando late in the day. The short flight from Orlando on Wednesday completed his journey.
He claims he is first black person as well as the youngest person to complete the journey alone, though it was unclear how the claims would be validated.
The National Aeronautic Association, the aviation record-keeping authority in the United States, does not track pilots' age, sex or ethnicity, said Nathan Rohrbaugh, who helps coordinate records at the organization.
The Web site EarthRounders.com, which tracks round-the-world flights, lists 255 journeys, including 82 solo trips since 1929. The trip has been done in far less time than Irving, and even by younger pilots, though they were not flying solo.
Irving believes his mission — to bring hope, primarily to inner-city minorities — made his trip unique.
"I want to show them they can do more with their lives than resort to violence!" he wrote on his Web site before his journey ended.
From Florida, he flew to Cleveland and New York before continuing into Canada, then flying across the Atlantic to Europe. He crossed the Middle East and Asia, then flew on to Alaska earlier this month. He stopped in Seattle and Denver before arriving in Houston last week.
Irving, born in Jamaica, became interested in aviation as a teen when a Jamaican-American pilot took him to see a Boeing 777. Now a Florida Memorial University student, he has earned private and commercial pilots licenses and founded Experience Aviation, an organization to encourage other minority youths to get interested in the field.
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this young man has lived more and seen more of the world the most people ever will... and he is only 23
This young man is what IS great about this Country.. and i bet he has a great life full of adventure ahead of him....
Larry King should invite you to his show. You have done much more than PH. You are in school, raised 300K of donated parts, have flying licenses, founded a worthy organization, and you are only 23 yrs old.
You are an inspiration to all.
My question to the editor did these other folks build their own plane?????
This is truly remarkable, and as well he should be commended.
I hope he is able to reach inner-city black youths, giving them a positive role model as opposed these negative rap artist.
He does show inner-city youth they can do something constructive with their lives besides gang-banging, drug dealing, and becoming fowl mouthed rapsters.
Why someone (who can't even spell), would actually post such a post as that Mr. Middleman8..I simply shake my head in disbelief. Barrington didn't set out to PROVE anything to us, he wanted to prove something to less driven kids. He chose a goal, committed himself to it and achieved it only to set an example for kids to follow. His plane is called 'Inspire', and in it his goal was to be a role model primarily for 'inner city kids', or all youth as underpriviledged as he was,.. to do anything they set their mind to. Isn't that exactly what we need in this world today, is a better role model than any one of the most popular celebraties or atheletes you can think of?
I'm a cop in Orlando, my heart overflowed with desire to be a part of this endeavor when Barrington contacted me because of it's potential to reach out to youth...so, in my free time I designed a computerized 3D model of his aircraft so that it may be used in a flight simulator program for kids to use as a training tool in Barrington's learning centers.
If you could have seen all the kids there today...their excitement...you surely would have been touched.
So please, before posting such a cold, clueless comment, be open minded just a bit to the fact that there may much much more to it than what you read in such a short story. Thanks.