PRESS RELEASE: 14 Year Old Helicopter Pilot Successfully Lands in Vancouver
June 23rd, 2006 Posted in Press
14-Year Old Helicopter Pilot on World Record Flight
Successfully Lands at Boundary Bay Airport in Vancouver, BC Canada
Youngest Person to Solo Both a Helicopter and Airplane on Same Day
Youngest African-American to Solo a Helicopter
Youngest African-American to Fly a Helicopter Roundtrip Internationally
BOUNDARY BAY, CANADA, June 23, 2006– Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum today announced that Jonathan Strickland, the14-year old world-record contending helicopter and airplane pilot, successfully landed in Canada at 1:35 p.m. PST at the Boundary Bay Airport in Delta, located approximately thirty minutes outside of Vancouver, British Columbia.
Jonathan, who has never been outside of America and used a passport for the first time, went through customs and flew himself across the United States/Canadian border today in a grey Robinson R44 four-seater helicopter. Jonathan is being accompanied on his flight by his mentor, flight instructor, and Museum Director Robin Petgrave, and Robin’s wife Myra.
His scheduled arrival time of 12 noon was delayed due to battling continuous headwinds encountered on the last leg of his journey between North Bend, Oregon, and Boundary Bay, Canada. Jonathan, whose story is being covered internationally, was met on the ground by news reporters from Canada. “I am very excited about being in Canada and looking forward to passing my tests so that I can solo both a plane and helicopter on the same day,” stated Jonathan. “We met many people along the way who already knew about my flight, and I would like to thank them for their kindness and words of encouragement.”
Jonathan is in Canada to fulfill a wish to solo both an airplane and helicopter on the same day. Jonathan plans to first solo a Cessna-152 airplane at the Pacific Flying Club located at the Boundary Bay Airport, then travel twenty minutes away to Heli-College Canada Training Center at Langley Airport where he will then solo a Robinson R22 helicopter. His world record flights are tentatively scheduled for Wednesday or Thursday, June 28 or 29.
Jonathan trained for the past three years at the Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum in Compton, California, a Congressionally-recognized non-profit that teaches disadvantaged children to fly planes and helicopters, for free, in return for community service.
The Pacific Flying Club at Boundary Bay Airport is located at Unit 96 4400-72nd Street Delta, BC, CANADA V4K 5B3, telephone (604) 946-0011, (604) 946-0821 fax, website: pacificflying.com.
The Heli-College Canada Training is located at Langley Municipal Airport at Hangar #2-5333 216th Street, Langley, British Columbia, Canada V2Y 2N3, telephone 800-363-4354 or 604-530-3812, 604-532-7821 fax, website: heli-college.com.
Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum is located at 961 W. Alondra Boulevard in Compton, California 90222, 310-618-115, tamusem.org. For questions and inquiries, please contact Cynthia Macon, 310-940-8801 or Mmacon1960@aol.com.
For up-to-date flight information, contact Robin Petgrave at 310-938-2727 or Myra Petgrave at 310-920-7323.
