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.