Sandstorms, snowstorms and tropical storms could not keep a 23-year-old pilot from achieving a dream and making history.
Amid gray skies and gusts of wind, Barrington Irving’s single-engine plane touched down at Front Range Airport on Thursday. After 90 days and 19,656 miles, Irving is close to finishing his goal of becoming the first African-American and youngest pilot to fly solo around the world.
But he’s not just doing it for himself.
“It’s so obvious that he’s all about the kids,” said Joe Jones, who has known Irving for three years. “I’ve never seen someone so accomplished with no ego.”
Irving is flying around the world to expose inner-city and minority youth to the field of aviation.
“It’s truly worth my life to do this,” Irving said.
He said that growing up in the inner city of Miami, he wasn’t sure that he would make it to 30 years old.
So he did not hesitate to undertake the dangerous journey to show youths such as 12-year-old Pedro Valencia, a student at Rachel B. Noel Middle School in northeast Denver, that they could do the same.
Valencia said he wants to be the first Mexican-American to fly around the world. He took away a lesson from Irving’s example.
“Just don’t let anybody put you down,” he said.
Mumbai, India; Athens, Greece; and Bangkok, Thailand are just a few of the locations where Irving has already touched down, flying up to 9 hours at a time. He has 1,673 nautical miles and just over 11 hours of flight time before his trip is complete.
Irving received $1.2 million in sponsorships to fund his endeavor.
Jim Harrison, 81, of Lakewood was a Tuskegee Airman. He said Irving’s example is especially important to African-American youths, who have very few role models outside of sports.
“For kids anywhere and everywhere, he’s going to be a role model,” Harrison said.
Staff writer Simona Gallegos can be reached at 303-954-1555 or sgallegos@denverpost.com.
