A 23-year-old Jamaican-American on Wednesday became the youngest person and the first black pilot to fly solo around the globe as he glided into Miami after a three-month journey he hopes will be an inspiration to inner-city kids.
A crowd of about 2,000 people erupted in cheers as Barrington Irving landed at Miami's Opa Locka airport after flying a few low passes over the tarmac.
"I'm home," a jubilant Irving said. "The flight was a long flight that challenged me mentally and physically," he said.
Irving had initially hoped to complete his voyage in about one month, but took three times as long as he braved sandstorms, snowstorms and a tropical storm.
He flew a single-engine Columbia 400, which he built with more than 300,000 dollars in donated components.
The Jamaican-born aerospace student hopes the trip will be an inspiration to children in poor, urban neighborhoods. "I want to show them they can do more with their lives than resort to violence," said Irving.
