17-year-old Christopher Ballinger has made history as one of the youngest black pilots in the United States Of America.

Christopher Ballinger is a student from Washington, DC who has made history as one of the youngest Black pilots in the United States after recently earning his pilot’s license. He told ABC7 that he has always loved flying and going to different new places.

 Share

He mentioned that when an opportunity to join the Air Force Junior ROTC Flight Academy Program came, he took it even though it was challenging. Christopher was selected as one of the hundreds out of the thousands to be to able participate in the 8-week program.

During the program, he had to wake up at around 5 a.m. every day and take written and flying tests. Overall, he flew for a total of 55 hours. Christopher completed his ride exactly on the day he turned 17 years old, which is the minimum age to earn a private pilot license.

“I have had this interest for a while. This was something that was calling for me. I feel relieved that I actually did it,” he said.

Now that he is a licensed pilot, Christopher, who is currently a senior student at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC, said he aims to eventually join the Air Force Academy. He added that he dreams of flying military planes someday.

Christopher also stated that he hopes he can inspire young ones like him to achieve their goals even though it gets hard sometimes.

Never miss a Scholarship Opportunity. Set a Reminder now to receive Alerts of Open ScholarshipsEmail * First name *

“Look for any and all opportunities if one shows up take it because I promise you it will be worth it. Even if it doesn’t feel like it in the long run or maybe right after, you will see some results,” he said.