Historic: Black Teen Becomes Youngest Glider Pilot in United States at 16
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Historic: Black Teen Becomes Youngest Glider Pilot in United States at 16

  • Black teenager, Caleb Smith, has inked his name in the history book as the youngest Glider pilot in the United States
  • He achieved the goal at the age of 16 after remaining dedicated to a childhood passion he developed at the age of 10
  • In May 2021, Smith got a scholarship for gliding school and achieved his first solo after 33 flights

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At 16, Caleb Smith from P.G. County, Maryland, was thrust into the limelight after he got his name into the history books as the youngest Glider pilot in the United States.

He was a 10th grader at Charles H. Flowers High School in Springdale when he attained the feat.

As a child, Smith had a dream to carve a niche in the aviation industry, pursuing this goal at the age of 10 during a discovery flight at Bowie Freeway Airport. The experience sparked his interest in aviation, said Phattaitam Online.

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Caleb Smith
Photo of Caleb Smith. Source: Phattaitam
Source: UGC

Attaining the feat

In May 2021, Smith got a scholarship to gliding school, and went on to achieve his first solo after 33 flights and has now flown 12 solos.

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In addition, he has passed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) written exam and his check-ride, which allows him to obtain his Glider Pilot's license.

Smith's goal is to become a commercial airline pilot.

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But that didn't deter him from pursuing his goal to start a high-quality delivery and pickup system, which became known as LocQar.

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Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Nathaniel Crabbe avatar

Nathaniel Crabbe (Human-Interest editor) Nathaniel Crabbe is a journalist and editor with a degree in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism, where he graduated in 2015. He earned his master's from UPSA in December 2023. Before becoming an editor/writer of political/entertainment and human interest stories at Asaase Radio, Crabbe was a news reporter at TV3 Ghana. With experience spanning over ten years, he now works at YEN.com.gh as a human interest editor. You can reach him via nathaniel.crabbe@yen.com.gh.

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