Captain Barrington Irving to Speak to Students on Friday

Feb 18th, 2009

More than a year of planning by the Mobile International Festival’s 25th Anniversary Committee will come to fruition with the appearance of Captain Barrington Irving at Davidson High School on Friday, February 20 at 9 a.m. Captain Irving was originally scheduled to speak to selected students on in September, but was unable to travel to Mobile due to Hurricane Gustav. The rescheduled date will celebrate both MIF’s Anniversary and Black History Month.

Who is Barrington Irving?

On June 27th, 2007, 23 year-old Captain Barrington Irving secured his place in history as the first black pilot and youngest person ever to fly solo around the globe. When he took off from Miami on March 23rd in a single-engine aircraft, thousands of students and well-wishers cheered him on. Over the next three months, he flew 30,000 miles, traversing four continents and encountering thunderstorms, snow storms, icing, sand storms and monsoons along the way.

In December 2007, the US Congress passed a Resolution honoring Barrington and his achievement and acknowledging his pioneering work in the field of aviation education for young people. On February 12, 2008, members of Congress presented him with the Resolution at a ceremony on Capitol Hill. In April 2008, he was honored by the Florida State Senate with their highest honor, the Medallion of Excellence.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Barrington moved to South Florida at the age of six and spent his youth in inner-city Miami. He did well in high school but saw a football scholarship as the only route to college. At 15, his life changed when he met United Airlines Captain Gary Robinson, who took an interest in the young man’s future. Captain Robinson’s mentoring and encouragement helped motivate Barrington to earn his pilot’s and flight instructor’s licenses as he worked toward a college degree.

In 2003, Barrington founded the non-profit organization, Experience Aviation, Inc., to introduce other young people to the fields of aviation and aerospace. In November 2006, with the help of local and federal grants, he opened the first EA Learning Center in Miami. The center offers hands-on-education programs, career guidance and mentoring support to middle and high school students.

Barrington’s goal in making the historic world flight was to inspire these students, and thousands of others throughout the world, to set and pursue their own goals. He named his plane “Inspiration,” he said, “… because that’s what I wanted my historic venture to be for young people. They can look at me and realize that if I can achieve my dream, they can, too.”

MIF invited Captain Barrington to speak to students from public, private and parochial schools at no cost to them because he will inspire students with his dream and adventures. With Mobile playing an important role in the aerospace industry, it is fitting that this is a major highlight of the 25th anniversary celebration. It is our gift to the students from schools that have supported the festival. These students represent TOMORROW!

Sponsors of this event are City of Mobile, Teledyne Continental Motors, Inc., Community Foundation of South Alabama, University of South Alabama, Evonik Industries, Mobile County Public Schools, Alabama Power Company and Mobile International Festival.

WHO: Captain Barrington Irving
WHEN: Friday, February 20 at 9:00 a.m.
WHERE: Davidson High School Auditorium

For more info about Barrington and Experience Aviation, visit www.experienceaviation.org. For more information about Mobile International Festival, visit www.mobileinternationalfestival.org.