Youngest pilot is halfway around the world

Last week, Barrington Irving, the 23-year-old Miami-based pilot who is attempting to become the youngest person and first African-American to fly solo around the world, reached the halfway mark in his circumnavigation of the globe in terms of actual miles flown.
In one of the more challenging legs of his trip, Irving navigated across Saudi Arabia from Luxor, Egypt through mild sandstorms and reduced visibility to arrive in Dubai, one of the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), on Sunday, April 22. The U.A.E. was formed in late 1971 and early 1972 from the union of seven of the tribally organized Arabian Peninsula Sheikhdoms located along the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, according to the United States Department of State.
“This flight was definitely a challenge with weather, airspaces, and air traffic control communication,” he wrote. “Thanks to preparation and close logistical coordination … I flew through one of the most challenging regions in the world.”
Dubai greeted Irving with Miami-like weather as mercury levels rose to 97 degrees Fahrenheit. He also likened the emirate to an architect or engineer’s “dream come true.”
“I know some of you may be unfamiliar with Dubai but it is one of the world’s richest places. Words can’t explain the beauty of their landmarks or the financial value of this man-made, luxurious destination,” he wrote.
Before journeying to Dubai, sandstorms and strong winds in the Middle East had convinced the young aviator, who spoke recently at the Aviation Institute at York College, to take his time plotting a route from Athens, Greece to his intended destination of Luxor, Egypt. Rather than chance flying a longer distance, in the end Irving opted for a shorter flight and headed to the north of Egypt and the city of Cairo.
“The weather can change radically within a few hours, especially when it comes to sand storms. Now I am only two hours away from Luxor, with better control of the situation,” Irving wrote on his blog on Tuesday, April 17.
Cairo, which is both the capital of Egypt and the largest city on the African continent, made an impression on Irving for not only its cultural prizes such as their famed pyramids but for its lifestyle and customs. Irving remarked upon the wealth and poverty he saw there, as well as the intense security measures in place to thwart terrorism.
“On most street corners there were men with AK47 guns and checking into the hotel was like going through airport security with scanners,” he wrote.
Flying across the desert from Cairo, Irving arrived in the Nile River city of Luxor on Saturday, April 21. Because a sandstorm followed a few hundred miles behind him, his stay there was brief. Expected strong winds in Dubai meant that Irving needed to observe perfect aeronautic timing in order to evade the adverse weather conditions so he departed the next day.