MIAMI — The “World Flight Adventure Gala”, in celebration of Barrington Irving’s historic round the world flight, will be held at the Florida Memorial University, 15800 NW 42nd Avenue, Miami Gardens, Florida on Saturday, September 22, 2007 beginning at 7:00 pm.
More than 400 guests including Government officials, business and civic leaders, representatives of the Aviation/Aerospace industries, and friends and supporters will attend.
The event is a fundraiser for Experience Aviation Inc., a non-profit organization established by Barrington in 2005 to encourage students to pursue careers in aviation and aerospace.
The evening’s activities include dinner, a silent auction, recognition awards and a special video review of Barrington’s global flight adventure as he stopped in countries spanning the globe including Spain, Greece, Egypt, India, Thailand and Japan. The video also depicts him on the challenging flights across the North Atlantic and North Pacific.
A 23-year-old senior at Florida Memorial University, Barrington flew his single-engine Columbia 400 aircraft named “Inspiration” more than 26,000 miles around the globe. When he returned to Opa-Locka Airport on June 27th, 2007 after his 97-day journey, he became the youngest pilot and the first black pilot to accomplish this amazing feat of endurance and vision.
At the landing celebration, Barrington spoke to a cheering crowd:
“They told me I was too young,
they told me there was no way I could do it,
they told me I don’t have the experience,
I don’t have the knowledge,
I don’t have the wisdom …
they told me I would never come back home,
but guess what?
I’m home.”
Barrington Irving Sr. and Captain Barrington Irving at Opa Locka Airport on
June 27 after his 97 day journey
(Photo by: Infinite Markets)
