14-Year Old To Pilot Both A Helicopter and Airplane
June 21st, 2006 Posted in Press14-Year Old To Pilot Both A Helicopter and Airplane
Setting Three World Records:
- Youngest Male to Solo Both a Helicopter and Airplane on Same Day
- Youngest African-American Male to Solo Pilot a Helicopter
- Youngest African-American Male to Fly Helicopter Roundtrip Internationally
Jonathan Strickland (Age 14)
Young pilot training at the Compton/Woodley Airport in Compton, California at Tomorrow’sAeronautical Museum, a Congressionally-recognized non-profit that teaches disadvantaged children to fly planes and helicopters, for free, in return for community service. The museum is noted for being the home of several world-recording setting young pilots mentored by the Tuskegee Airmen.
, in pursuit of fulfilling his desire to excel in flight training, will embark upon a trip to Canada to solo at age 14 versus the legal age of 16 in America. Jonathan will pilot a Robinson R44 helicopter from Compton, California toBoundary Bay Airport near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and back, making him the youngest African-American to pilot a helicopter roundtrip internationally. He will be accompanied on this estimated thirty hour flight by his mentor and flight instructor Robin Petgrave, Executive Director of the museum While in Canada, Jonathan plans to pass the Canadian requirements to solo a Cessna-152 airplane and a Robinson R22 helicopter making him the youngest pilot in history to solo both types of aircraft on the same day. Jonathan’s achievement will also make him the youngest African American pilot to solo a helicopter.</p>
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Background:
Jonathan recently graduated from St. Francis Cabrini School and will enter the ninth grade in September 2006 as a freshman atCleveland High School in Reseda. Jonathan has been training to fly since 2003, has over sixty hours of combined flight training, and goals are to become a test pilot, attend the Air Force Academy, and become a commercial pilot. His hero is Tuskegee Airmen Lee Archer, the only African-American ace pilot to shoot down five planes.
When:
Saturday, July 1, 2006 at 11:00 AM (World Record Landing)
Thursday, June 22, 2006 at 6:30 AM (Take-off & Initial Departure)
Friday, June 23, 2006 at 12 Noon (Estimated arrival at Boundary Bay Airport/Canada)
Tuesday or Wednesday, June 27tth or 28th (Estimated date of solo flights)
* All times and dates subject to change. Please contact Robin Petgrave for latest status.
Where:
Compton/Woodley Airport
961 West Alondra Boulevard
Compton, California 90220
310-618-1155
http://www.tamuseum.org
admin@celebheli.com
To Pick-up Canadian Broadcast Feed
http://www.vancouvertelevision.com/streamnews.jsp?id=/news/streaming_news.htm
Contact:
Cynthia Macon/PR, 310-940-8801, Mmacon1960@aol.com
Robin Petgrave, 310-938-2727, robin@tamusem.org
Pilot, Founder and Director of the Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum, the
Aero-Squad Non-Profit Flight School and Celebrity Helicopters.
One Response to “14-Year Old To Pilot Both A Helicopter and Airplane”
By Jonnie on Jul 1, 2006
We are very proud of Jonathan. I am grateful for this website. I am Jonathan’s great-aunt in Mobile, AL and would not have been able to see him make history otherwise.
You rock Jonathan!! Sending love from Mobile, AL