Aerobatic ace: young pilot flies plane that's smaller than a car! - teen passions - Jamail Larkins

Black Enterprise, Sept, 2003 by Raelyn C. Johnson

Imagine yourself flying your own plane, owning a successful business, and being a national spokesman. Nineteen-year-old Jamail Larkins didn't just dream about accomplishing all of these things. He took his head out of the clouds and did them.

"When I was 12, my parents told me they would pay for two flying lessons a month, but that wasn't enough for me," says Jamail, who took his first flight with the EAA Young Eagles Program in Augusta, Georgia, seven years ago. But to afford the expensive lessons, where he learned take-offs, landings, turns, and how to fly defensively, he needed some serious cash. "I thought about getting the typical teenage job, [like] a paper route or cutting grass, but they wouldn't give me enough return to justify the amount of time I [would have to put into them]." So, an ingenious idea was born.

Larkins Enterprises Inc., Jamail's aviation and advertising company, has gone from selling $8 flight-training books, which he buys wholesale and sells at resale value, to selling $4,000 satellite navigation systems. Today, he can afford flying lessons, and he has even purchased his own plane, the Christian Eagle II. The two-seat aerobatic biplane is no bigger than a compact car. It sure beats asking mom for a ride!

He flies his plane to speaking engagements and air shows, where he advertises for Delta, AeroShell, the avionics division of Shell, and Power Serve International, an Internet Website developer. One way he advertises is by selling space on his plane. The space sells for $1,000 to $10,000 and the company's logos are seen when Jamail performs in front of crowds ranging from 5,000 to 50,000.

Since aerobatic flying is an extreme sport involving loops, tumbles, rolls, and spins, the young pilot keeps fit by practicing Tae Kwon Do and daily strength training. A sophomore at Embry-Riddle University in Dayton Beach, Florida, where he is studying aviation business administration, Jamail has a soaring future ahead of him.

If you're interested in flying, Jamail recommends going to local airports and asking pilots if you can accompany them when they have an empty seat. Additionally, he suggests attending space camp or taking the more traditional route, flying lessons, which typically cost $75 per hour. And don't forget to contact the EAA Young Eagles and Careers in Aviation, an organization that helps young pilots get in the air.

For more information, log on to www.jamaillarkins.com, www.eaa.org, and www.careersinaviation.org.