17 year old Licensed Black Pilot in the US is Christoper Ballinger from Washington DC
The ability to fulfill your aspirations has no age restriction! You are the ruler of your fate, no matter how big or small! Christopher Ballinger, a 17-year-old high school student, is altering the perception of pilots. Thanks to the Air Force JROTC Flight Academy Program, he is one of the nation’s youngest Black pilots.
Christopher reportedly told Fox 5 that he has a single-engine land plane pilot’s license, which is the first stage towards becoming a pilot. At Walla Walla University in Washington State, Christopher took part in an eight-week Flight Academy course. The university offers three alternatives for aviation degrees, according to their website. The course will teach students how to fly, operate safely, and communicate in the world of commercial aviation.
Students will also take the wheel and experience firsthand the difficulties and joys of flying an airplane. The future looks promising for Christopher Ballinger, a rising senior at Sidwell Friends School. After high school, the kid intends to apply to the Air Force Academy. He advised younger students who were considering following in his footsteps to keep an open mind about all of the chances that come their way.
Recently, news stories about black employees in the aviation sector have been everywhere. As we previously said, a recent American Airlines flight made history as it commemorated Bessie Coleman’s 100th birthday, the first African American woman to obtain a pilot’s license. For the first time in the 96-year history of the airline company, Black women made up the entire crew on the ramp, at the gate, in the cockpit, and in the cabin!
He is telling other people his age to be aware of new chances as well because his certification at such a young age puts him ahead of the curve of many individuals his age.
After successfully completing his instrument check-ride with the FAA medical examiner, he will receive this Private Pilot License (PPL). Ballinger is at least 17 years old, which is the required minimum age for the license.
He performed a solo cross-country flight while participating in the program. One of only two cadets in his program that was prepared to do so was him. Throughout the program, he put in a ton of effort, and it paid off.
“This has been a phenomenal experience for me all the way around, but it has been intense,” he said. “We wake up at 6 a.m., some mornings at 4:30 a.m. to get ahead of the winds to fly six days a week, hours and hours of ground school, studying to pass all the tests, but it’s so worth it.”
Since just 12% of all Air Force pilots are now from minority backgrounds, the initiative also attempts to address the issue of diversity in the aviation industry.
Christopher Ballinger has our best wishes for success in the aviation industry from everyone at DiasporaInfo! The young man will accomplish great things, we’re convinced of it!
FOX 5
