[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 189 (Tuesday, December 11, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H15257-H15259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF BARRINGTON ANTONIO IRVING

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 661) honoring the accomplishments of Barrington 
Antonio Irving, the youngest pilot and first person of African descent 
ever to fly solo around the world, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 661

       Whereas Barrington Irving was born in 1983 in Kingston, 
     Jamaica, and raised in inner-city Miami, Florida;
       Whereas Irving discovered his passion for aviation at the 
     age of 15 when Captain Gary Robinson, a Jamaican airline 
     pilot who has since served as his mentor, took him to tour 
     the cockpit of a Boeing 777;
       Whereas Irving overcame financial hardship to pursue his 
     dream to become a pilot by working miscellaneous jobs and 
     working for private aircraft owners in exchange for flying 
     lessons;
       Whereas Irving was the recipient of a joint Air Force/
     Florida Memorial University Flight Awareness Scholarship to 
     cover college tuition and flying lessons for his tireless 
     volunteer efforts and commitment to community service;
       Whereas in 2003, Irving contacted companies including 
     aircraft manufacturer Columbia, which agreed to provide him 
     with a plane to fly around the world if he could secure 
     donations and components;
       Whereas over several years, Irving visited aviation trade 
     shows throughout the country and secured more than $300,000 
     of cash and donated components including the engine, tires, 
     cockpit systems, and seats for a Columbia 400, one of the 
     world's fastest single-engine piston airplanes;
       Whereas in the process of pursuing his dream of an around 
     the world flight, Irving founded a nonprofit organization in 
     2005 to address the significant shortage of youth pursuing 
     careers in aviation and aerospace;
       Whereas Irving's efforts have garnered widespread community 
     support and sponsorship as an effective model to expose young 
     people and underrepresented groups to opportunities in 
     aviation;
       Whereas on March 23, 2007, Irving embarked from Miami, 
     Florida, on a 24,600-mile flight around the world in an 
     airplane named ``Inspiration'' at 23-years of age while still 
     a senior majoring in aerospace at Florida Memorial 
     University;
       Whereas on June 27, 2007, Irving concluded his flight in 
     Miami, Florida, after stopping in 27 cities throughout the 
     world; and
       Whereas Irving continues to inspire youth and adults alike 
     with his achievements and

[[Page H15258]]

     work to increase the accessibility of opportunities in 
     aviation and aerospace: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) honors the accomplishments of Barrington Irving, the 
     youngest pilot and first person of African descent ever to 
     fly solo around the world and founder of a nonprofit 
     organization that inspires youth to pursue careers in 
     aviation and aerospace;
       (2) encourages young people and minorities to pursue 
     educational opportunities in preparation for careers in 
     aviation and related industries; and
       (3) encourages museums throughout the Nation related to 
     aviation to commemorate the historic achievements of Captain 
     Barrington Irving.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Minnesota.


                             General Leave

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H. Res. 661.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Minnesota?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, Barrington Antonio Irving was the youngest person and 
the first person of African descent to undertake a 24,600-mile solo 
flight around the world. His extraordinary accomplishment was brought 
to the attention of the committee by the passionate appeal for 
recognition in the form of this resolution by the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Hastings), to whom I now yield such time as he may 
consume.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great 
pleasure to commemorate the achievements of Captain Antonio Barrington 
Irving, the youngest pilot and first person of African descent to fly 
solo around the world.
  I thank Chairmen Oberstar and Costellos and Ranking Member Petri and 
the distinguished staff for their support and willingness to expedite 
the consideration of this resolution.
  Since we introduced H. Res. 661, my good friend, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Meek) and I have been joined by a bipartisan coalition of 
43 cosponsors who also share our desire to encourage youth to pursue 
careers in aviation. It is our hope that recognizing Barrington 
Irving's achievement will encourage many more youth to reach for the 
same skies in which he made history.
  Barrington Irving was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1983, and soon 
after moved to Miami, Florida. When he was 15 years old, he met Captain 
Gary Robinson, a Jamaican airline pilot who became a lifelong mentor, 
inspiring him to fly one day himself.
  Enduring the challenges of growing up in inner-city Miami, Irving 
never let his dreams of becoming a pilot be stifled. He worked 
miscellaneous jobs to save for lessons, and eventually earned a joint 
Air Force-Florida Memorial University flight awareness scholarship to 
study aviation and take professional flying lessons.
  Barrington took tremendous steps to pursue his dream in aviation 
while still a student at Florida Memorial University.
  Mr. Oberstar, I am sure that a colleague of yours and a mentor of 
mine when I first came to Congress would be very proud of this young 
man, William Lehman, who at one time was in the same position as 
yourself as Chair of Transportation, developed the program at Florida 
Memorial University which allowed for a significant number of 
youngsters to achieve status as captains in aviation, many of whom have 
gone on to become commercial airline pilots and military pilots, and I 
am sure that Alabama Bill, as some of us know him, would be proud 
today.
  The reason I mention it is this program, when Carrie Meek came to 
Congress, Kendrick's mother, she continued the efforts on this program, 
as did Kendrick and others. I guess it comes under the heading 
``earmark,'' perhaps. And if that is the case, then I continuously urge 
my colleagues to review the status of things when responsible acts are 
taking place and they are being made to sound irresponsible because 
they are identified as earmarks. We need to be very cautious in this 
institution in that regard because we ignore a lot of time 
opportunities like in this particular case.
  This young man contacted many companies and convinced the aircraft 
manufacturer Columbia to provide him with a plane to fly around the 
world if he could secure donations and the components.

                              {time}  1530

  After successfully securing donations, Barrington embarked on a 
24,600-mile flight around the world from Opa Locka, Florida on March 
23, 2007. Only 23 years of age, he was still a senior, majoring in 
aerospace, that program that I talked about that Bill Lehman helped to 
develop at Florida Memorial University, and he was a senior at the time 
he began this flight.
  He traveled the world as an ambassador of aviation, teaching young 
people in 27 cities around the world about opportunities in aviation 
and the importance of academics. He returned from his journey on June 
27, 2007, concluding his flight at the same small airport from where he 
began in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
  Mr. Speaker and Mr. Chairman, this young man embodied the 
perseverance and dedication necessary to truly pursue one's dreams.
  Barrington Irving deserves praise not only for his achievement, but 
for the continued community contributions of Experience Aviation, Inc., 
a nonprofit organization he founded to address the shortage of youth 
pursuing careers in aviation.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. I thank you, Mr. 
Chairman, Mr. Petri and the staff as we work on many initiatives to 
come that will reprioritize opportunities in aviation for our youth and 
promote achievement in all fields of human endeavor.
  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  This resolution honors the heroic achievements of Captain Barrington 
Antonio Irving, the youngest pilot and first person of African American 
descent to fly solo around the world.
  Captain Barrington Irving was born in Jamaica, as was pointed out, in 
1983 and raised in Miami, Florida. His lifelong dream was to become a 
pilot, and this exceptional young man overcame great obstacles to make 
his dream a reality.
  On March 23, 2007, after nearly 4 years of acquiring sufficient funds 
for his journey, Irving embarked from Miami, Florida, on a 24,600-mile 
flight around the world in an airplane rightly named Inspiration. At 
the age of 23, Irving became the youngest person, as well as the first 
African American pilot, to fly around the world when he returned to 
Miami on June 27, 2007.
  During his 3-month journey, Irving visited with young people in 27 
cities around the world encouraging them to enter aviation and 
stressing the importance of academics.
  Captain Barrington Irving is an inspiration and an example that, 
through perseverance and dedication, anyone can overcome even the 
greatest obstacles and can achieve their goals.
  I am proud to support this legislation. I urge my colleagues to join 
me in honoring this exceptional young man and commemorating his 
historic achievement.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. I yield myself such time as I may consume to express my 
great appreciation to the gentleman from Wisconsin and the gentleman 
from Florida (Mr. Mica). Mr. Petri has been wonderful to work with on 
this issue and to acknowledge an extraordinary achievement that the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings) has spelled out in such graphic 
detail, and well said.
  Barrington Irving did something truly extraordinary in flying around 
the world. But more important than the flight was the inspiration he 
has served and has become for young people, young people younger than 
him, or his age, who are fascinated with aviation and with aerospace 
itself.
  Mr. Irving established a nonprofit educational organization, created 
a travel blog for the purpose of empowering young people and 
encouraging minorities, in particular, to pursue careers in aviation. 
His around-the-world trip earned widespread community support and 
sponsorship, but more importantly as an inspiration for young people to 
aspire to something greater than themselves for the future.

[[Page H15259]]

  The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings) cited the initial 
investment in the college program that stimulated young Barrington's 
interest and facilitated his skill in aviation, and appropriately 
mentioned our former colleague, Bill Lehman, who served as Chair of the 
Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, and that brought a very 
touching memory back to me as I worked with then-Chairman Lehman in my 
capacity as Chair of the Aviation Subcommittee to resolve a number of 
complex issues in aviation. He was always gracious and caring and 
helpful and astute. I appreciate the gentleman's reference.
  And let us move quickly to enact this legislation to acknowledge 
Barrington Antonio Irving's contribution to aviation, an inspiration to 
young people.
  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 661 is a resolution honoring the 
accomplishments of Barrington Antonio Irving, the youngest pilot and 
first person of African descent ever to fly solo around the world.
  I want to thank our colleague, Mr. Hastings of Florida, for 
introducing this important legislation.
  On June 27, 2007, Barrington Irving flew solo around the world to 
inspire youth, in particular inner-city youth and minority youth, 
throughout the Nation to consider pursuing careers in aviation and 
aerospace. In doing so, he became the first African American and 
youngest pilot to make such an extraordinary trip.
  In order to make his dream a reality, he received donations from 
airplane manufacturers and others, which he used to assemble the plane 
that carried him around the world. He named his plane ``Inspiration'' 
in hopes that his flight would inspire others to reach for their 
dreams.
  In addition to such an amazing accomplishment, Barrington continues 
to work tirelessly to provide additional resources for young people 
pursuing careers in the field of aviation.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Irving is a remarkable man, which should serve as a 
motivation to us all that dreams can come true if you put your mind and 
heart into a project. That is why I support H. Res. 661 and urge my 
colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 661, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________