Update: Global Trekking Pilot Completes Trip
You may recall Avjobs Weekly’s special report on Barrington Irving, a young aviator with plans to fly around the World in the name of promoting careers in aviation to disadvantaged children. Well, on June 27, 2007, Irving completed his global trekking flight, which has unofficially made history as the youngest person to complete the solo flight and as the first African-American to do so as well. Mentally and physically tired, Barrington returned to thunderous applause and the sound of a praying clergy that surrounded him right in the middle of the tarmac at Miami’s Opa-Locka Airport.

Before landing his Columbia 400 single-engine airplane, Barrington flew over the designated active runway as a band played. Upon landing, the 23-year old pilot smiled and waved as he climbed out of the plane in his tan jumpsuit, while hugging and greeting 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. Dying the last portion of his return leg, Irving flew his airplane (called “Inspiration”) from Houston to Mobile, Ala., in the morning and then from Mobile to Orlando late in the day before his last flight home. The short flight from Orlando on the 27th completed his journey.

The National Aeronautic Association, the aviation record-keeping authority in the U.S., does not track pilots' age, sex or ethnicity, said Nathan Rohrbaugh, who helps coordinate records at the organization. So, some of Barrington Irving’s historic achievements may not be recognized in their database. 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. Barrington’s trip may have been longer than originally intended but never any easier than first thought. 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.

Barrington Irving's trip was made possible by the kind support of Miami Executive Aviation, Chevron, Universal Weather and Aviation, Miami Dade Empowerment Trust, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Avidyne, Teledyne Continental Motors, NASA, Miami-Dade County and many more companies that believed in his dream. We invite you to watch a video report of Barrington’s arrival celebration courtesy of Miami-based CBS affiliate WFOR.