Less than 1% of Black women pilots and just 2.6% of Black pilots in the United States are Black.
Leona Serao, 23, plans to create history this summer by being the first Black woman to fly across the globe by herself. She told Yahoo News, “The fact that I’ll be the first means I’ll be able to inspire other Black and other African people who want to join the aviation field.”
Beginning in early August, Serao intends to go on a three-month trip across the world that will take her to 33 nations on four continents before she returns home. Earthrounders, a website that keeps track of the accomplishment, reports that there have been 142 solo flights around the globe to date. There were just 11 female pilots, and none of them were black.
The Bureau of Labour Statistics estimates that there are little over 158 000 licensed pilots in the United States. Only 4,100, or 2.6% of those pilots, are Black, and only 150, or less than 1%, are Black women.
“Stand up for it”
Only three women hold commercial pilot licenses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the second-largest country in Africa and the country where Serao was born and nurtured. Serao hopes that by sharing her story, other young girls will be motivated.
It Is difficult because men predominate in the field and historically women weren’t given many opportunities to become pilots, she said. Before the 20th century, we were unable to even drive. And it remained that way in the aviation sector.
According to Serao, it has been difficult just to get here. She struggled to fit into American culture after returning to the country seven years prior to starting college. She spent about $70,000 on flight school and six months of intense study before receiving her pilot’s license at the end of 2020. Since then, she has started an internet campaign to raise money for her round-the-world trip’s expenses for food, fuel, and lodging. No matter what, she advised, “when you have a goal, you have to fight for it.”
The first Black person to do a world tour
American pilot Barrington Irving, who was born in Jamaica, made aviation history in 2007 when he flew solo around the globe. He was the same age as Serao at the time of his flight: 23.
In an interview with Yahoo News, Irving recalled leaving Miami 16 years ago with just $30 in his pocket. Despite the fact that he couldn’t swim at the time or afford a life jacket or survival gear, he was adamant about succeeding.
He recalled, “I’ll never forget major media outlets interviewing me, a few thousand people yelling, “Go Barrington, go!” at the airport, and I only had three $10 bills.” “But people were so motivated. Before crowdsourcing became popular, this occurred. To explore how far it could go, I simply told myself, “I need to get from point A to point B.
Given the few resources he had at the time, he admits that he has no idea what he was thinking, but ultimately, after people were inspired by his story, money began to pour in. The Miami Dolphins NFL football team’s players later contributed to the first gift, which was made by Florida Representative Fredericka Wilson and was for $5,000.
Despite spending a lot of time alone, Irving claimed that the flight itself may have been the easiest aspect of the journey. He just got in touch with Serao to talk about his experiences and give suggestions. Irving established a school to train the following generation of aviators after his flight more than ten years ago. He also knows the influence setting a good example can have because he has mentored at least six young individuals who have successfully flown alone around the globe. Thus, Serao’s endeavour will have long-lasting significance.
“There is 100% a void of young women seeing other young women who look like them in the field of aviation that they can aspire to,” Irving claimed. She will be the focus of so many women, not just Black girls, and she will be an inspiration to them. Additionally, nothing compares to being the first.
Serao’s father, a veteran pilot who passed away a year before she received her high school diploma, served as her inspiration for wanting to fly. “I suggested that you try flying. I finally recognize my actual interest.
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