Pilot who previously held Guinness World Record gives back through aviation lessons

A pilot who previously held the Guinness World Records for being the first and youngest African-American to fly around the world solo is now giving back in a big way.

News 12 Staff

May 20, 2022, 12:28 AM

Updated 939 days ago

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A pilot who previously held the Guinness World Records for being the first and youngest African-American to fly around the world solo is now giving back in a big way.
Capt. Barrington Irving launched a program known as Flying Classroom, to show kids that STEM and aviation can be beneficial for them.
Irving has partnered with 14 Catholic schools across Brooklyn and Queens, impacting more than 3,000 students.
“What we’re giving students the opportunity to do is just experience STEM in a different way,” said Irving. “They focus on anything from parasites to a HALO jump. As long as it’s STEM-plus focused, we bring it to life for kids.”
Irving surprised the students of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy and two other schools by meeting with them in person, showed them behind the scenes footage, as well as images from different expeditions.
Irving and his team have been on 74 expeditions. For their 75th – they plan on flying in a hurricane.