Teen becomes youngest African American female to complete flight across U.S.
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 today, becoming the youngest African American female pilot to fly solo across 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, an after-school program that offers aviation lessons to at-risk youth and economically disadvantaged students. The organization owns the small plane.
She loved the feeling of streaking across the sky. She told her mom that it was like a wild ride at Magic Mountain.
Always up for a challenge, she came up with the idea to fly across the country a few months after learning to fly. Robin Petgrave, the aeronautical museum’s founder, warned that it would take a lot of preparation. “I told her it was going to be a daunting task,” he said, “but she just said, ‘Put it on. I got big shoulders.’ ”
Anyadike said she didn’t want to make the trip to set a record or become some kind of celebrity. “I wanted to inspire other kids to really believe in themselves,” she said. She also wanted to honor the Tuskegee Airmen, the U.S. Army Air Corps’ all-black combat unit who served during World War II.
“They left such a great legacy. I had big shoes to fill,” she said. “All they wanted to do was to be patriots for this country. They were told no, that they were stupid, that they didn’t have cognitive development to fly planes. They didn’t listen. They just did what they wanted to do.”
Anyadike’s Cessna and the other planes at Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum are painted with red tails, similar to the Tuskegee Airmen planes.
During her cross-country trip, Anyadike met about 50 Tuskegee Airmen who autographed the Cessna. “That way they can fly with us forever,” Petgrave said.
How will the young pilot celebrate? “By sleeping,” she said with a giggle.
-- My-Thuan Tran
Photo: Kimberly Anyadike, 15, is greeted after landing Saturday at Compton's Woodley Airport. Credit: Tony Marshall
Photo: The Cessna aircraft piloted by 15-year-old Kimberly Anyadike arrives in Compton. Credit: Tony Marshall
Photo: Retired Major Levi Thornhill, 86, a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, greets Kimberly Anyadike after arriving in Compton. Credit: Fontaine J. Marsi.
Thanks for the article!
You can meet Kimberly and her sister Kelly, tons of Tuskegee Airmen and NASA's first black female astronaut Mae Jemison at our semi-annual "Legacy- A Tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen" fundraising dinner and auction in L.A. on July 25th. Up for bids is a ride in the “General Lee” with original Bo Duke John Schneider and private lunch with BerNadatte Stanis who played Thelma on "Good Times". If you can't make the dinner, please consider buying a ticket or a table to donate to one of the kids in the program, as everyone has to pay to get in- even the boss! You can also join our Aviation Angels program here www.tamuseum.org to help other great kids like Kimberly dream big and achieve big!
Posted by: Fontaine | July 11, 2009 at 02:57 PM
Why no photos or video about this local human interest story?
Was this not newsworthy enough for LA Times to send a photographer to the scene?
Or are more senseless Michael Jackson stories more important?
Chris Johnson
Posted by: chris johnson | July 11, 2009 at 06:09 PM
As a an african american Blackhawk Pilot, and former Apache Pilot with the National Guard. I am extremely proud and in awe of your recent accomplishment. You are definitely an inspiration, and I am confident that you will inspire thousands, if not millions of other young people in tough circumstances.
What's even more special, you had the historical honor of flying your first VIP, Major Thornhill. I had the great opportunity of meeting him in the early 90's when I attended flight school in Alabama, and that was such an inspiration to me and my classmates.
Keep up the hard work, stay in the books, and the sky's the limit.
Posted by: CWO Emmitt Williams | July 11, 2009 at 10:40 PM
Good job! Sounds like we have a future pilot!
Posted by: Ryan | July 12, 2009 at 08:37 AM
So freakin what!
Posted by: KPD | July 15, 2009 at 04:16 AM
Is anyone else getting tired of this "First African-American" nonsense?
I mean no disrespect toward the girl, but this all ties into the myth of "white racism" and how it's white people's fault when blacks don't measure-up.
And yet, somehow. blacks are SUPERIOR when they outperform whites at things like sports and rap music...?
Blacks; persecuted, yet actually superior!
Tired of this racial insanity?
AConversationAboutRacedotcom
Posted by: seejay | July 15, 2009 at 05:08 AM
I'm 1/4 Welsh, 1/4 German, 1/4 Irish, and 1/4 Scottish and 50 years old. Anyone know the age of the youngest Welsh/German/Irish/Scottish person to fly across the country? I think I have a shot at the title.
I am completely confused at what her race has to do with her accomplishment. Or do we set the bar lower for black pilots for some reason?
Posted by: John Davies | July 15, 2009 at 05:40 AM
Are you a pilot, Mr. Davies? Are you familiar with the Tuskegee Airmen? A couple of years ago I resumed flying after many years on the ground. I can assure you that picking up my new (to me) airplane in California and flying it back to Oklahoma was a BIG DEAL (and a heck of a lot of fun). And I've got a lot more hours in the air than Ms. Anyadike. You may be 1/4 whatever, but you are 100% jerk.
Congratulations, Kimberly, on your wonderful achievement. And I take it the red tail on your aircraft is no accident.
Posted by: Jack Okie | July 15, 2009 at 09:19 AM
This is a great story and a heck of an accomplishment. Congratulations Kimberly. I am hoping that the future of civil aviation will be as bright as yours. Unfortunately, I believe that civil aviation will be limited to the wealthy due to the ever increasing price of fuel and the soon to be implemented fee for services at most airports. I have not been in the air since the last spikes in fuel costs and with CAP AND TRADE looming in the future, flying will be too expensive for me.
Posted by: GBS | July 15, 2009 at 10:13 AM
Good for her, but honestly, who keeps track of such statistics?
Posted by: Rockeye13 | July 15, 2009 at 10:16 AM
If anybody is still reading this story then know that this whole thing was ILLEGAL. 49 USC 44724. The "safety pilot" should lose his certificate.
Posted by: A320 | July 16, 2009 at 12:57 PM
Congratulations to the Nigerian-American, especially being able at that age to surmount fear and pilot a plane coast to coast in the US is commendable. However, i am quite surprised that America is still racially divided and biased.
Keep it up gal, the sky is actually not your limit
Posted by: Tolu Solana | July 22, 2009 at 09:33 AM
i just want you tell you keep up the good work and dont let people tell you cant do anything but i dont think i have to worry cause you did this trip this summer.but i know how hard it can be to want to be a female pilot and then being black on top of that. i know that because that is what i am working towards. so God bless you and remeber always keep him first.
Posted by: joni | October 10, 2009 at 06:10 AM