An update about Build & Soar, the educational initiative
Hope you're enjoying the summer! I'm
writing with an update about Build &
Soar, the educational initiative
Barrington launched this spring though
his nonprofit, Experience Aviation, as a
follow-up to his historic
round-the-world flight. Last week CNN
interviewed Barrington, two students,
and a program instructor for a segment
about Build & Soar that was
broadcast on CNN American Morning and
Headline News in 34 markets nationwide,
reaching 2.8 million viewers.
As you know, Barrington's personal goal
in making his record-setting flight in
2007 was to show other
youth—particularly inner city kids—that
anyone with a dream who is willing to
work hard can achieve what seems
impossible. With the Build & Soar
program, he's giving them a chance to
show the world what they can do!
This spring, with the support of The Children's Trust and NASA, instructors
from Experience Aviation offered a
9-week, after-school Discover
Aviation course to middle and high
school students attending F schools
(schools with poor F-CAT scores) in
Miami. Several of the students who took
part (about half boys and half girls)
had failed in school or had shown little
interest in their studies. With
Barrington as a mentor, they worked to
bring their GPA's up to 2.0 to qualify
for the summer portion of Build &
Soar where they would learn about
aircraft systems and actually construct
an aircraft, one piece and system at a
time.
Beginning June 9th, 60 inner city and
foster care students, supervised by
instructors from the George T. Baker
Aviation School, began building an
aircraft they call Inspiration II that
Barrington has promised to fly as a
testament to his faith in their
abilities. Scheduled for October 1st,
this test flight will be captured by the
local and national media and attended by
busloads of students from area schools.
Watching the plane take off will be the
experience of a lifetime for the young
people who build and painted the plane,
many of whom are now talking about
pursuing careers in aviation or
aerospace. You'll hear a few of them
speak on camera in the CNN piece. In the
words of another student, a 15-year-old
boy: "I was a troubled student but now I
have a reason to do well. Barrington
believes in me; he showed me I didn't
need to be "average." Instead I can be
exceptional like him. First I want to
train to become a mechanic, then a
pilot. I have a future now."
Barrington's goal for Experience
Aviation, which he founded three years
ago at age 21, is to continue to offer
programs like Build & Soar that
positively affect the lives of young
people during their impressionable
middle and high school years. We value
the generous support of friends and
sponsors whose contributions are helping
students accomplish what seemed
impossible. If you would like to help
Barrington "take today's youth to a
higher plane" through mentoring, career
guidance, and hands-on programs, please
visit
www.experienceaviation.org and click
on "Be a Sponsor." Any support you can
offer will be most appreciated.
We do hope you will join us in Miami on
October 1st when Inspiration II
takes flight. In the meantime, thank
you for interest in Experience Aviation
and Barrington's ongoing efforts to
enable students to build and soar!
Other Barrington Irving Stories
on AvjobsWeekly.com:
