Barrington Irving
Pilot and Innovative Educator
Barrington Irving is very good at rising above obstacles. Raised in Miami's inner city, surrounded by crime, poverty, and failing schools, he beat the odds to become the youngest person and only African-American ever to fly solo around the world. He built a plane himself, made his historic flight, graduated magna cum laude from an aeronautical science program, and founded a dynamic educational nonprofit before age 28. His message for kids: "The only thing that separates you from CEOs in corner offices or scientists in labs is determination, hard work, and a passion for what you want to achieve. Even if no one believes in your dream, you have to pursue it." Irving's nonprofit, Experience Aviation, aims to boost the numbers of youth in aviation and other science and math related careers. Middle and high school students attend summer and after-school programs tackling hands-on robotics projects, flight simulator challenges, and field trips to major industries and corporations.
Captain Barrington Irving has traveled to 50 countries, conducted over 30 STEM expeditions, successfully challenged middle school students to build a car faster than a Ferrari 430, and had high schoolers build a plane he flew on its test flight. In 2007, he set two world records—at age 23—as the youngest person and first black pilot to fly solo around the world. He has a passion to explore, inspire, and educate others. Now 35, Barrington is transforming the way students learn STEM by engaging them in problem-solving activities that enable them to overcome new challenges.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica and brought up in inner-city Miami, Barrington was inspired to pursue aviation at age 15, when a Jamaican airline pilot offered to mentor him. He rejected college football scholarships to pursue a career in STEM and never looked back.
Barrington believes that students learn the most from powerful experiences they can relate to the real world. In 2014, he launched the Flying Classroom Curriculum for elementary and middle school students to help them answer the question, “When will I ever use what I learned in school in my real life?” The Flying Classroom conducts expeditions each year that allow students to “virtually” follow and learn about STEM, with the goal of giving them a meaningful experience.
How do you teach students about the digestive system? Barrington swallows the innovative camera pill that takes students on a virtual tour through the system that science had no access to before. How can you teach the topic of regenerative medicine? The Flying Classroom assists teachers by partnering with Dr. Anthony Atala, the man who discovered how to 3-D print a kidney and a liver. And how do you show students how to balance an ecosystem? Barrington and his Flying Classroom traveled to Darwin, Australia to discover, and share, how the deadly Cane Toad population can be controlled. These hands-on experiences make it easy to learn, explore, and innovate.
Before founding the Flying Classroom, Barrington created a nonprofit, Experience Aviation, which continues to offer hands-on, STEM-based programs and career guidance to middle and high school students in Florida, Texas, Georgia and throughout the country.
A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Florida Memorial University, Barrington was the recipient of a Congressional Resolution acknowledging his pioneering work in aviation education. He received the Guinness World Record as the youngest person to fly solo around the world and was named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer in 2012.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica and brought up in inner-city Miami, Barrington was inspired to pursue aviation at age 15, when a Jamaican airline pilot offered to mentor him. He rejected college football scholarships to pursue a career in STEM and never looked back.
Barrington believes that students learn the most from powerful experiences they can relate to the real world. In 2014, he launched the Flying Classroom Curriculum for elementary and middle school students to help them answer the question, “When will I ever use what I learned in school in my real life?” The Flying Classroom conducts expeditions each year that allow students to “virtually” follow and learn about STEM, with the goal of giving them a meaningful experience.
How do you teach students about the digestive system? Barrington swallows the innovative camera pill that takes students on a virtual tour through the system that science had no access to before. How can you teach the topic of regenerative medicine? The Flying Classroom assists teachers by partnering with Dr. Anthony Atala, the man who discovered how to 3-D print a kidney and a liver. And how do you show students how to balance an ecosystem? Barrington and his Flying Classroom traveled to Darwin, Australia to discover, and share, how the deadly Cane Toad population can be controlled. These hands-on experiences make it easy to learn, explore, and innovate.
Before founding the Flying Classroom, Barrington created a nonprofit, Experience Aviation, which continues to offer hands-on, STEM-based programs and career guidance to middle and high school students in Florida, Texas, Georgia and throughout the country.
A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Florida Memorial University, Barrington was the recipient of a Congressional Resolution acknowledging his pioneering work in aviation education. He received the Guinness World Record as the youngest person to fly solo around the world and was named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer in 2012.
Topics:
- Touch the Sky: Inspiring Youth to Dream and Soar
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