17-year-old Ryan Garner made history as the youngest and first African American to receive a private pilot’s license at Goose Creek Aiport, North Carolina in the United States.
Ryan started his aviation journey at a small airport in Indian Trail with the goal of being part of the ground crew to assist with plane arrivals. However, a conversation with a Delta pilot inspired him to apply into a flight school.
“I have always loved it since I was a kid. It’s a little adrenaline rush coming into the plane,” he said. Ryan is a senior student at West Cabarrus High School, an aviation or aerospace engineering program school in the United States.
Ryan’s mother, Melissa Dixon expressed her pride in her son’s success, stating his achievement serves as an example or inspiration for future generations, showing them that certain achievements or possibilities can be reached.
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“He’s the footprint… he is actually the footprint to future generations to come and say it’s possible. I trust his ability. I trust what he’s capable actually of doing. So yes, I am willing to go up and get that experience and actually just see life on a different level,” he said.
Ryan stated that he plans to expand his efforts to a larger scale, specifically targeting the airline industry.
In another story, a 19-year-old Ariel Messam has made history as the youngest certified black female pilot in New York.
Ariel Messam is an African American woman from Jamaica, New York, who recently become the youngest woman of color to be a Certified Private Pilot in New York. She enrolled in Aviation Career & Technical Education High School in Queens, New York in 2018.
Ariel graduated from Aviation Career & Technical Education High School in 2022, earning both her high school diploma and her certification as an Aircraft Powerplant Technician at the institution. Read more about Ariel HERE.
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