[March 16]COMPTON,California,US–Sixteen-year-old Jonathan Strickland became the youngest black pilot to solo six airplanes and one helicopter in the same day, at Compton Woodley Airport on Saturday.

Jonathan Strickland, a Los Angeles resident, has been flying since he was 12. During a trip from Compton to Canada at age 14, he became the youngest black pilot to solo an airplane and a helicopter on the same day, the youngest black pilot to fly a helicopter internationally and the youngest black pilot to fly a helicopter on an international round-trip.

Kelly Anyadiki, a 16-year-old Inglewood resident, also broke a world record and is now the youngest black female to solo four airplanes on the same day.

“I’d rather have a plane than a car,” said Anyadiki, who is still waiting to get her driver’s license.

The Tuskegee Airmen were a distinguished group of nearly 1,000 black pilots recruited by the Army to fly and maintain combat aircraft between 1942 and 1946. Prior to Tuskegee, no U.S. military pilots had been black.
Photo:Sixteen-year-old pilots Kelly Anyadiki, left, and Jonathan Strickland, who set world records Saturday, share their record-setting day with Robin Petgrave, founder of Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum at Compton Woodley Airport, where they learned to fly.(Kevin Chang/ For the Press-Telegram)

The teens flew in and out of Compton Airport on Saturday as part of a Black History Month Celebration honoring the Tuskegee Airmen. The young pilots learned to fly through
Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum in the airport, which provides aviation-themed after-school programs for more than 800 children in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Robin Petgrave, founder of Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum:
“We’re trying to show (the Tuskegee Airmen) that the legacy is alive,” Petgrave said. “Anything is possible for these kids. We’re not limited by color.”

Petgrave said the Tuskegee Airmen are major contributors to the program.

Petgrave, a long-time Hollywood stunt pilot, founded Tomorrow’s Museum in 1997 as a way to keep inner-city kids off the streets and teach them life skills and discipline through aviation. As part of the program, children earn “flying money” by cleaning planes or painting over graffiti.

“Today we’re seeing history in the making,” Petgrave said. “So few African-American kids are introduced to aviation, by the time they do it, everything they do is a record.” Strickland, who hopes to become a United Airlines pilot, takes his accomplishments in stride. “I’m having fun,” he said. “You don’t have to do much up there once you’re up there.”

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By Kelly Puente, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 03/15/2008 09:59:10 PM PDT

Sixteen-year-old pilots Kelly Anyadiki, left, and Jonathan Strickland, who set world records Saturday, share their record-setting day with Robin Petgrave, founder of Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum at Compton Woodley Airport, where they learned to fly.
(Kevin Chang/For the Press-Telegram)

COMPTON - Sixteen-year-old Jonathan Strickland is barely old enough to drive a car, but he’s already breaking world records in aviation, according to a local program.

At Compton Woodley Airport on Saturday, Strickland became the youngest black pilot to solo six airplanes and one helicopter in the same day, said Robin Petgrave, founder of Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum.

Kelly Anyadiki, a 16-year-old Inglewood resident, also broke a world record and is now the youngest black female to solo four airplanes on the same day, Petgrave said.

“I’d rather have a plane than a car,” said Anyadiki, who is still waiting to get her driver’s license.

The teens flew in and out of Compton Airport on Saturday as part of a Black History Month Celebration honoring the Tuskegee Airmen. The young pilots learned to fly through Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum in the airport, which provides aviation-themed after-school programs for more than 800 children in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Petgrave said the Tuskegee Airmen are major contributors to the program.

“We’re trying to show (the Tuskegee Airmen) that the legacy is alive,” Petgrave said. “Anything is possible for these kids. We’re not limited by color.”

Maj. Levi H. Thornhill, 85, was one of four original Tuskegee Airmen on hand Saturday to watch Strickland and Anyadiki make their record-breaking flights.

“Whoo wee! That was smooth!” Thornhill said, as he watched Strickland land a Cessna

The Tuskegee Airmen were a distinguished group of nearly 1,000 black pilots recruited by the Army to fly and maintain combat aircraft between 1942 and 1946. Prior to Tuskegee, no U.S. military pilots had been black.

Thornhill worked as an airplane mechanic at Tuskegee Army Airfield from 1943 to 1945. After WWII, he stayed in the Air Force for more than 22 years.

On March 29, 2005, Thornhill and 350 Tuskegee Airmen, were collectively awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

Thornhill hopes young prodigies like Strickland and Anyadiki will influence other kids to join aviation programs.

“We gotta keep the kids off the streets,” he said.

Strickland, a Los Angeles resident, has been flying since he was 12. During a trip from Compton to Canada at age 14, he became the youngest black pilot to solo an airplane and a helicopter on the same day, the youngest black pilot to fly a helicopter internationally and the youngest black pilot to fly a helicopter on an international round-trip, Petgrave said.

His world records are kept at the Smithsonian Institution museum, Petgrave said. Strickland and Anyadiki’s new world records will be logged in the U.S. Congressional records, he said.

“Today we’re seeing history in the making,” Petgrave said. “So few African-American kids are introduced to aviation, by the time they do it, everything they do is a record.”

Strickland, who hopes to become a United Airlines pilot, takes his accomplishments in stride.

“I’m having fun,” he said. “You don’t have to do much up there once you’re up there.”

Petgrave, a long-time Hollywood stunt pilot, founded Tomorrow’s Museum in 1997 as a way to keep inner-city kids off the streets and teach them life skills and discipline through aviation. As part of the program, children earn “flying money” by cleaning planes or painting over graffiti.

The program helps children like 12-year-old James Knox, who lives across the street from Compton Airport and says he was getting into trouble before he started flying at age 10.

To join, Knox had to sign a contract saying that he would get good grades in school and would not fight, use drugs or associate with gangs.

“I have to be good because I want to fly four different helicopters in one day,” he said.

Petgrave said the program is catching wind in other cities.

The city of Norwalk at noon today will will launch its first satellite program for Tomorrow’s Museum at the Norwalk Arts and Sports Complex, 13200 Clarkdale Ave.

The program has room for 30 students and will allow young pilots to complete service hours in exchange for scholarship money.

For more information on the Compton or Norwalk programs call 310-618-1155.

kelly.puente@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1305

Compton, California—February 7th, 2008—Young people at Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum (TAM) are celebrating Black History Month by making plans to set new aviation world records. Kelly Anyadiki, 16, will become the youngest African American female to solo 7 airplanes on the same day, and 16-year old Jonathan Strickland will solo 7 airplanes and 2 helicopters in tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen. The world record events are scheduled to take place at Compton Woodley Airport on March 15, 2008.

“The kids at Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum want to tell the world that the heritage of the Tuskegee Airmen is alive and well in a new generation,” says TAM founder Robin Petgrave. “These new world records the kids will set are an example of where the past meets the present and the future!”

At age 14 Jonathan Strickland became the youngest African American to fly solo in a Robinson R-22 helicopter and a Cessna 152 on the same day. Strickland flew an R-44 with an instructor from Compton, California to Canada to set those records, and in doing so also became the youngest African American to fly a helicopter internationally, and to fly a helicopter on an international round-trip. All four of those world records have been recorded by the Smithsonian Museum. Strickland also appeared on the Montel Williams Show to celebrate his accomplishments.

On March 15, Kelly Anyadiki will fly solo in a Piper Tomahawk, a Cessna 150, a Cessna 172 RG, a Cessna 152, a Piper Cherokee 140, a Cessna 172 SP and a Piper Warrior. Jonathan Strickland will solo in each of those aircraft as well, plus two more flights in a Robinson R-22 and an R-44 helicopter.

Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum located on the airport in Compton, California offers aviation-themed afterschool programs for more than 800 kids from grades K-12. Kids can take part in projects ranging from washing airplanes to graffiti mitigation. Instead of earning money, kids are earn ‘museum bucks,’ which they can apply toward flight instruction.

Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum will soon be opening additional locations across the country, thanks to the support of the Organization of Black Airline Pilots and the Tuskegee Airmen. The Newport News, Virginia chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen will open a TAM operation this spring, and the city of Norwalk and the ‘Adopt A Bike’ program in San Bernardino, CA. have plans to open a TAM as well.

The media is invited to visit Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum throughout Black History Month to see the preparations underway for the world record events scheduled on March 15. Interviews with kids and Tuskegee Airmen are gladly provided.

For more information, contact Robin Petgrave at Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum (310) 938-2727 or visit http://www.tamuseum.org.

If Omarosa wins “Celebrity Apprentice” she will raise $250,000 for Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum’s youth programs.

To read the whole scoop and watch her take part in Celebrity Apprentice….

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If anyone thinks that they can’t do what they put their mind to, they should meet Jonathan Strickland. Like any typical teenager, his vocabulary gravitates toward words such as “yeah” and “cool.” But what sets him apart from the rest is quite extraordinary. Jonathan can’t drive a car yet, but he can fly both an airplane and a helicopter!

In June 2006, the 14-year-old carved a place in aviation history by soloing a Cessna 152 and a Robinson 22 on the same day. To accomplish this goal, he had to travel to Canada (where the age requirement is 14, as opposed to 16 in the United States). But Jonathan didn’t mind—“it’s just another excuse to fly,” he said of the 32-hour round-trip journey in a Robinson 44 from Southern California to British Columbia and back. The momentous trip earned him four world records: the youngest person to solo both a helicopter and airplane on the same day; the youngest African-American to solo a helicopter; the youngest African-American to fly a helicopter internationally; and the youngest African-American to fly a helicopter on an international round-trip.

Accompanying him was Robin Petgrave, an accomplished helicopter pilot, with more than 11,000 hours logged flying Hollywood stunts, sightseeing tours, flight training and ferry flights for his company, Celebrity Helicopters (www.celebheli.com). Robin also runs Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum (www.tamuseum.org), using proceeds from his other businesses as well as donations. The nonprofit organization at Compton/Woodley Airport in Los Angeles provides mentoring and outreach programs to motivate economically disadvantaged minority children.

At the museum, kids perform community service, such as cleaning planes and running an on-site cafe, in order to earn museum dollars that can then be used to purchase flight time. Children can start training as young as eight years old. “At an earlier age, they just catch onto it real quickly,” said Robin.

But the organization is far more than a flight school. By filling a void of after-school activities (there’s a computer lab with flight simulators) and offering positive role models (the Tuskegee Airmen serve as mentors), it helps keep youth off the streets and out of trouble. To remain in the program, participants must maintain good grades.

As a child, Jonathan lived near Los Angeles International Airport and enjoyed watching the air traffic, an interest that grew when his mother bought him a flight-simulator program. After seeing a television feature about two young boys, Jimmy Haywood and Kenny Roy, who trained at Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum and became two of the youngest pilots to solo, Jonathan was inspired to join the program. After more than two years of community service and maintaining B grades, he earned his dream trip.

I joined Robin and Jonathan on their quest in Canada. Upon arrival, Jonathan passed two written tests, scoring in the 90s on both. “It can get confusing because the emergency procedures between a fixed-wing and helicopter are totally different,” said Robin. “To pass both exams on the same day is something else!”

Not to mention that Jonathan, who had just used his passport for the first time, had a few culture-shock distractions. “I can’t find a Taco Bell anywhere,” he lamented. “And, where are the cops? I’ve only seen two in Canada.” He giggled at Canadian accents with each use of “eh?!” and the novelty of replacing “point” with “decimal” when stating frequencies.

The young dreamer soloed in the fixed-wing aircraft first. At Pacific Flying Club (www.pacificflying.com) at Boundary Bay Airport in Delta (just outside of Vancouver), British Columbia, he flew a Cessna 152 alone. While Jonathan was in the air, Robin was a little bit tense on the ground: “I feel like a nervous hen! That kid worked his butt off, and here he is setting the world’s imagination on fire.”

Although Jonathan was supposed to do three patterns, he did four—a victory lap, Robin decided. Did he lose track while having too much fun? At the time, Jonathan couldn’t explain it. But looking back, he is thankful for the miscount: “After the trip, it was two months before I flew in a 152 again, so I’m glad I got the extra flying time in.”

Upon landing, the solo star was greeted by newscasters. How did it feel up there all alone? “I looked to the right and I didn’t see anyone and I was, like, cool!” smiled Jonathan. “No one was there to tell me how to land, so I did it my own way.”

The next stop of the day was Heli College at Langley Municipal Airport (www.heli-college.com), where only 2.5 hours after his Cessna 152 solo, Jonathan soloed in a Robinson 22. To fly alone, oil cases were loaded for additional weight. “You have to weigh 130 pounds to solo,” he explained. “I only weigh 90 or something.”

On the ground, the crowd of flight instructors and media fell silent in awe and nervousness as Jonathan hovered and flew a traffic pattern. “It was phenomenal. This kid was the sole manipulator of the controls,” said Robin. “His destiny was in his hands right then and there. I was looking at it, and I still don’t believe it. To solo both an aircraft and a helicopter is a tough order, but he did it. He’s an inspiration to everybody, not just African-Americans.”

As for Jonathan’s modest take on the event: “Anybody can do it. It just takes a lot of hard work.”

I sat backseat as Jonathan flew a Robinson 44 back to Los Angeles from Canada. He piloted through mountains, around the Space Needle, along the Golden Gate Bridge and low over California’s coast. In Malibu, we hovered in a friend’s yard for an early-morning wake-up surprise. At the time, the young aviator preferred flying the Robinson to the Cessna: “Helicopters are cool. If you see something, you can just stop and look at it. In a plane, you’d have to make circles.” (Today, however, it’s evident that he has caught the speed bug: “Planes are cooler because they’re fast. Even cars pass helicopters.”)

Smooth and steady on the controls, Jonathan flew and navigated like a pro. Because of extensive media coverage, people recognized Jonathan at our fuel and overnight stops. I definitely had a hero-in-the-making as my pilot.

Two days and 1,000 miles later, we touched down at Compton with great fanfare, greeted by Jonathan’s friends and family, media, Compton Mayor Eric Perrodin and former Tuskegee Airmen. The Air Operations division of the Los Angeles County Fire Department arrived in a Black Hawk helicopter, and during a ceremony for Jonathan, presented him with a job application for future employment consideration. “It feels good,” was Jonathan’s typical unassuming brevity when addressing the crowd. “I’m a little tired, though.”

By now, Jonathan has caught up on his rest, is midway through freshman year in high school and is rarin’ to go. This March, he’ll take the written exam for his private-pilot license. The results remain valid for two years, and Jonathan is already planning to take his checkride on his sixteenth birthday, March 1, 2009. What’s after that? “I want to fly commercial,” answers Jonathan without missing a beat. “I’ll fly CRJ’s for a bit and then move on to the bigger planes like the 747.” Not bad for a little kid who dreams big, eh?

Click on this link below to download the Plane & Pilot March 2007 article featuring TAM & Jonathan Strickland’s world-record-setting trip to Canada:

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TAM Kids go to Dr. Frank Ryan’s Bony Pony Ranch and have a blast. Check them out on the video!