At only 15-years-old, Kimberly Anyadike flew an inspiring cross-country trip from Compton, California to Newport News, Virginia becoming the youngest African-American female pilot to fly solo across the country.

Her journey, sponsored in part by Kata, Litepanels and Manfrotto Distribution (then Bogen Imaging), began to take shape when she took a 20-minute demo flight at Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum (TAM). TAM, located in Compton, CA, is a flight school and youth mentoring center offering aviation lessons to at-risk youth and economically disadvantaged students. Kimberly, a Los Angeles native, worked at TAM earning “museum dollars” doing chores like washing airplanes, which she could spend at the museum on flight lessons.

During her record setting flight, Kimberly was accompanied in the single-engine Cessna by an adult safety pilot, Levi Thornhill, who served with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen was an all African American combat unit in the military that defied the preconceived notion that black men could not fly planes. Kimberly said she was inspired by their drive to serve their country during a time when many people thought that black men did not have the abilities needed to do so. Throughout the course of her flight, Kimberly met about 50 Tuskegee Airmen, who each autographed the Cessna.

Kimberly’s goal in flying cross country was “to inspire other kids to really believe in themselves.”

Find out more about Kimberly's journey:
Kimberly’s Facebook Page
Tomorrow’s Aeronautical Museum
Kimberly on YouTube