L.A. teenager who flew single-engine plane across the country lands in Compton

Los Angeles Times / latimes.com ^ | July 12, 2009 | My-Thuan Tran

[thecodont]

A 15-year-old Los Angeles girl who navigated a single-engine Cessna through thunderstorms in Texas and took in breathtaking aerial views of Arizona's sunsets landed her plane to cheering crowds at Compton Woodley Airport on Saturday. She is believed to be the youngest African American female pilot to fly solo across the country.

Kimberly Anyadike took off from Compton 13 days ago with an adult safety pilot and Levi Thornhill, an 87-year-old who served with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. They flew to Newport News, Va., making about a dozen stops along the way.

Anyadike learned to fly a plane and helicopter when she was 12 with the Compton-based Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum, which offers aviation lessons to at-risk youth and economically disadvantaged students through an after-school program. The organization owns the small plane Anyadike flew.

Anyadike said she loved the feeling of streaking across the sky. She told her mother that it was like a wild ride at Magic Mountain.

[Niteflyr]

Uh. It's not "solo" if you have a safety pilot.

yep but who cares about the facts...:o)

[Niteflyr]

This IS NO DIFFERENT than some guy flying cross-country and taking his 15-yr old son along and then claiming 'well, my son did all the flying,"

That is exactly all it is...but if it's a minority they can lie their asses off and get away with it....

[Larry Lucido]

A war hero mentoring a 15 year old with ambitions. God bless them both.

[Niteflyr]

You think if a 15 year old white male did this you think it’d make the headlines? I think not....

[VeniVidiVici]

Why? Because he was white and not black. Apparently that term is reserved only for blacks, and no one else has the authority to use it.

White guy I once knew came here from South Africa. Told me he applied to a predominately Black college and put on his application that he was African-American.

He said they "were not amused."

[Niteflyr]

A war hero mentoring a 15 year old with ambitions. God bless them both.

I have no problem with mentoring...but "solo" means all by your lonesome...not with a war vet safety pilot....

[Niteflyr]

White guy I once knew came here from South Africa. Told me he applied to a predominately Black college and put on his application that he was African-American. He said they "were not amused."

Hey at least he was telling the truth!

[stickandrudder]

Quote “To: US_MilitaryRules

Ok, license yes. I realize my mistake. However I believe you can fly with a pilot at age 12. Correct or not? :)

25 posted on Sunday, July 12, 2009 1:47:13 PM by calex59”

Haven’t read all the rules in awhile. Used to be:
Take lessons and “LOG” hours at 14, you can take lessons earlier, they just didn’t count toward your license
Solo at 16 (then you can go any where your instructor signs off on)
Private license at 17
Commercial at 18

[ml/nj]

I think the "war-vet" was along for the ride. He was not the "safety pilot," which means pilot-in-command.

ML/NJ

[Niteflyr]

I think the "war-vet" was along for the ride. He was not the "safety pilot," which means pilot-in-command.

Sorry...the article states he WAS the safety pilot...

[Bernard Marx]

That’s just one of the many evil absurdities of dividing Americans along racial lines. According to that flawed reasoning, naturalized white and non-Black South Africans, Egyptians, Morrocoans, Libyans, Algerians, Tunisians, etc. should all be called “African-Americans.” There has always been a very serious and subversive racial-political agenda behind the multi-culti nonsense.

[Niteflyr]

The safety pilot was the only legal pilot in the airplane so she did not “solo”anything and cannot legally be pilot in command. All she can do is log instruction from a CFI (certified flight instructor)

[3niner]

That’s not really true. A pilot may not fly solo until they are 16 years of age. The thing that many non-pilots fail to understand is that almost all aircraft have two sets of controls. A young pilot may actually do all of the flying, but the safety pilot is prepared to take control at any moment.

[Concho]

Does that make this an Affirmative Action flight?

[Vision]

She told her mother that it was like a wild ride at Magic Mountain.

I bet the underprivileged in Appalachia have no idea what wild rides are like at Disney World.

[3niner]

Didn’t a young gal try this a few years ago and died in a plane crash doing it.

Yes, but the hazard was not the young flyer. The instructor who flew with her had complete control at all times, but was well known as one who took unreasonable risks. They died, shortly after take-off, in a situation with multiple risk factors. This was entirely the fault of the instructor / safety pilot.

[ml/nj]

Sorry...the article states he WAS the safety pilot...

Either you, or the reporter, or both would seem to have difficulty with the English language:

Kimberly Anyadike took off from Compton 13 days ago with an adult safety pilot and Levi Thornhill, an 87-year-old who served with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. They flew to Newport News, Va., making about a dozen stops along the way.

It doesn't say, "with an adult safety pilot, Levi Thornhill, an 87-year-old."

ML/NJ

[Niteflyr]

There is no minimum age requirement for flight training. In order to earn a pilot certificate, your training program will require you to operate solo (fly by yourself). The minimum age requirement for solo is 16 years. The minimum age requirement to earn a Private Pilot Certificate is 17. The minimum age to earn a Commercial Pilot Certificate is 18.

Actually you are correct...missed the "and"...but that is irrelevant ...the question was whether she soloed or was pilot in command...or do you have a problem understanding the discussion?

[Niteflyr]

There is no minimum age requirement for flight training. In order to earn a pilot certificate, your training program will require you to operate solo (fly by yourself). The minimum age requirement for solo is 16 years. The minimum age requirement to earn a Private Pilot Certificate is 17. The minimum age to earn a Commercial Pilot Certificate is 18.

[3niner]

I think the "war-vet" was along for the ride. He was not the "safety pilot," which means pilot-in-command.

Then there must have been a third pilot not mentioned in the story, because an underage pilot must be accompanied by a qualified safety pilot, who has ultimate control of the aircraft at all times.