Jamail Larkins makes history as country's youngest airshow pilot

Jet, July 19, 2004 by Margena A. Christian

Jamail Larkins is making history and flying high at the same time. The Augusta, GA, native, at 20, is the youngest airshow pilot in the country.

"My ultimate goal is to make a positive impact on the aviation industry in some capacity," says Larkins. "I want to leave a positive mark."

His work is far from finished, but so far he's successfully reaching his goal. Of the 500 certified aerobatic pilots, less than a handful are Black.

"Larkins is one of the top names in our profession," John Cudahy, president of the International Council of Air Shows, tells JET. "He embodies the future of our business. He's a real role model for people his age and older."

At the age of 12 Larkins took his first flight through the Young Eagles, a program developed by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) to introduce children to the world of flight.

He has been making aviation history since the age of 14. After securing sponsorship, he went to Timmins-Ontario Canada to earn his student pilot's license because the Federal Aviation Administration minimum age to solo is 16. Larkins soloed a Cessna 172. At that time he became one of the youngest certified pilots living in the U.S.

By the time he turned 16, Larkins got his student's license in the U.S. He soloed the day after his 16th birthday, using the Cirrus SR20, a newly developed single-engine airplane. He became the first and youngest student pilot to ever solo the revolutionary certified aircraft.

A year later he earned a private license. And, at 18, he received both a commercial pilot's license and his airshow certification.

Stunt moves include loops, rolls and spins; the maneuvers are done 500 feet from the closest spectator. Larkins says when flying backwards he can go anywhere from 50 mph to 210 mph.

"When you go out to do an airshow it's very much like a choreography," he expiring. "It's like a dance, a dance in the sky. You have a sequence and you do that in the air. The thing is you have to adjust to all the weather conditions, particularly the wind. The wind is the biggest thing with air shows."

His instrument rating training is necessary. The instruction allows a pilot to fly in IMC (Instrument Meteorological Conditions), solely by reference to the instruments (fog, clouds, bad weather). He finished the training in only 19 days. This preparation typically takes the average person 4-6 months.

A trip to space camp at the age of 9 was a defining moment for Larkins. He returned home eager to learn more about aviation.

"His father bought him a flight simulator and that kind of sparked his real interest," recalls Renetha Larkins, Jamail's mother. "He would sit and fly it for six to eight hours at a time. He showed that he had a sincerity for it and picked up the ball and ran with it. He did his own research."

To help defray the cost of the expensive flight lessons, Larkins started his own company, Larkins Enterprises Inc., at age 15. The Augusta-based business, an aviation sales and advertising company, sells pilot supplies throughout the country while the aviation division handles all of his sponsorships.

By 18, Larkins was able to purchase his own plane, the Christen Eagle H. The two-seat, high performance aerobic biplane has a cabin no larger than a two-seat sports ear.

Family members are proud of Larkins and have even flown with him.

"After I saw he acquired all the necessary credentials, I felt very comfortable," says Sylvester Larkins, Jamail's father. "He was in some of the best hands of some of his constituents and evaluators. It was overwhelmingly joyful to see him develop such skills because there is no one else in our family who had entered the industry before."

The "rising junior" attends Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach (FL) Campus on a full scholarship. He maintains a 3.89 GPA while majoring in aviation business administration.

Larkins is the national spokesperson for Careers in Aviation and the EAA Vision of Eagles Program.

He just completed his five month, 20-city national tour, DreamLaunch, where he talked to middle school and high school students about achieving their dreams and careers in aviation.

"When I first started flying, the only thing I knew I could do was become a pilot," says Larkins. "I didn't know about all the other jobs that are out there in the aviation industry. If I had someone tell me about all the opportunities it would have been a lot easier than me having to figure it all out."

He travels to his Dream Launch Tour speaking engagements by piloting a four-seater Cirrus SR20 aircraft.

Larkins has flown 36 different aircraft types from a "lawnmower," ultralights that weigh 250 pounds, up to metrollners that carry 19 passengers and commercial airliners.

A few months ago, he demonstrated his aviation skills for the world to see during his first national TV appearance on the "Late Show With David Letterman."

Larkins acknowledges that it is extremely difficult to get a foot in the door in the airshow industry. He still hasn't gotten where he wants to be. So he's still reaching for the stars.