YGBSM: Around the World in Columbia 400

[Metro752]

Someone is giving this clown a Columbia 400 to crash in a God foresaken place.

http://www.eaglesoftdg.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=837

I bet he earned those stripes too!

http://www.experienceaviation.org/

He will be the First African American to fly around the world! No one else anywhere has ever done it, being an African American! It is a HISTORIC mission!

Here is a quote from another website

Recently some irrational folks have alleged that Barrington Irving, Experience Aviation and even Eaglesoft Development Group are misleading the general public in regards to the World Tour 2006.

We are pleased to present an answer to such irrational allegations.

Any reasonable person should have taken the time to perform due diligence and basic research prior to making ill-formed and potentially libelous statements:

http://www.southfloridacaribbeannews.com/story.asp?ID=968

The article begins:

"Miami - When 22 year-old Barrington Irving embarks on his solo world tour in September of this year, he would have been the youngest aviator and first African American to accomplish this task.

Irving, a Jamaican national, is presently an aeronautical science major at Florida Memorial College, Miami, with a 3.7 cumulative grade point average. He is a recipient of the Florida Memorial/US Air Force Flight Awareness Scholarship and the Florida Bright Future Bright Scholarship. He has postponed summer graduation to pursue detailed planning for the historic venture through his organization “Experience Aviation” and website at www.experienceaviation.org.

Irving has already raised nearly 60% of his expected $1 million budget which included acquiring the aircraft for the historic mission.

The aircraft, a Lancair Columbia 400, was donated by Seamech International Incorporated of Bellaire, Texas, and was especially configured in Oregon. The single engine aircraft is likened to the ‘Ferrari of small aircrafts’ because of its very sophisticated features, including a state-of-the-art traffic data programming and electronic charts replacing the traditional cockpits."

Now, I am reasonably certain that Seamech International Inc. of Bellaire, Texas would not have donated such an expensive aircraft to a "scam-artist," nor would any of the following organizations have allowed themselves to be flim-flammed:

"So far, supporters included several aviation-related industry partners, the title sponsor being the Miami Executive Aviation at Opa Locka Airport who offered Irving office space and directions in marketing, basically setting the stage for his approach to begin formulating his plan in an effort to successfully and safely accomplish his mission. Others were Avidyne Corporation, Teledyne Continental Motors, S-Tec Corporation, Oregon Aero Incorporated, Precise Flight, Inc., Kelly Aerospace Thermal Systems, Goodyear Aviation and LightSPEED Aviation, Chevron and ExxonMobil, Artisan Aircraft, Hartzell Propeller, Aerographics, Scheme Designers - all providing additional equipment for the aircraft.

Monetary contributions have so far come from the Miami Dade Board of Commissioners, Miami Dade Aviation Department, Community Bank, the local chapter of National Black Coalition of Federal Aviation Employees, Tuskegee Airmen and individual contributors. Flightline and Perrone companies donated the flight gears.

With enthusiasm, Irving fervently continues to reach his goal by seeking other interested sponsors for the $350,000 needed to complete his goal."

I'm also reasonably certain that Experience Aviation would not have been the lead-in at the "Thunder Over Louville" airshow this past weekend, were this a mere act of chicanery...

Here are some other links for more REAL information:

http://www.wadbuyersguide.com/shownews/05nbaa/intell_2_50.htm
http://www.earthrounders.com/webs.html
http://obapseast.com/photos/miami_membership_2004/miami_mainframe.htm
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006604220339
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache..."Barrington+Irving"&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=26

There are many, many more resources that anyone with integrity and honesty may easily find by some simple google.com research!

 

[wrxpilot]

Huh? Good for him! I'd attempt it in a heartbeat if I had the backing. I don't think I'd "crash", nor do I see any reason from you why this guy would either.

 

[AirBadger]

I'm tryin to find out what the problem is. This guy wants to fly around the world? Whats the problem with that?

 

[capt_zman]

What does he need a million bucks for (especially since the plane is donated)?

 

[Metro752]

Yeah, I would do it to, but I wouldn't claim that it was for youth exsposure like he is. He says his goul is to reach 5% of Americas youth. He's got a couple articles in little south florida newspapers.

Anyways, the reason why I got pumped up about it, is because ...........

He cannot afford to have a chase plane follow him the entire way, along with a mechanic....... So he is setting it off until at least September. I read somewhere, he needs another $360,000.00 for his chase plane.

Besides the fact he is pushing his affirmitive action-esque crap on his entire website, and news articles, its so wrong, he claims it is to make aviation available to inner city kids, soo all these companies throw money at him.

I do not know anyone who has ever heard of this guy, and I can't get over his dorky uniforms he wears in his pictures.

His claim of making a historic flight is also lame, he isn't doing it solo, or with his own money.

 

[Van Hooydonk]

Anyways, the reason why I got pumped up about it, is because ...........

He cannot afford to have a chase plane follow him the entire way, along with a mechanic....... So he is setting it off until at least September. I read somewhere, he needs another $360,000.00 for his chase plane.

Besides the fact he is pushing his affirmitive action-esque crap on his entire website, and news articles, its so wrong, he claims it is to make aviation available to inner city kids, soo all these companies throw money at him.

I do not know anyone who has ever heard of this guy, and I can't get over his dorky uniforms he wears in his pictures.

His claim of making a historic flight is also lame, he isn't doing it solo, or with his own money.

OK help me out here. You are "Pumped" because he has to delay his flight until September so the chase plane can follow him? What if he could leave on Friday, then you would be non-pumped? What about late July?

Why is it that his raising money by promoting the fact he is a minority, peeves you? Obvioulsly he has found this to be a good angle to raise funds. According to one those links you were so kind to provide, he started his own non-profit organization to raise money [at the age of 21] for the flight. If I could figure out some angle at the age of 32 to raise $$ for a round the world flight, by making aviation available to balding 30 year old white guys, who were raised in states with four vowels, and were disadvantaged, in that they could only afford to drink domestic beers, I would be incorporating my own little non-profit ASAP.

I have to admit you have a point on the solo thing. [Oh yeah, and the dorky uniform.] I can understand that the sponsors would want PR people to be placed along his route, and to have a camera there to document it, but having a chase plane follow the guy [if that is the case] is lame, and defeats the entire purpose of the flight in my view as well.

Lastly, I can not agree with your complaint about his not paying for the flight. Did John Glenn pay his own expenses to orbit the earth? Did Christopher Columbus pay for his ship and expenses to the new world? Did Sir Edmund Hillary pay the cost of his expedition to Everest? I realize I'm over the top on these comparisons [this guy's adventure is about 1/1000 of the risk embraced by the people I just mentioned], but outside financing is almost always the way to go.

 

[Metro752]

you said it better than me.

 

[AC560]

He is a Jamaican citizen (it states in the article he is a Jamaican national which implies citizenship) equal an African American? Shouldn't he be a African Jamaican?

 

[positiveg]

He is a Jamaican citizen (it states in the article he is a Jamaican national which implies citizenship) equal an African American? Shouldn't he be a African Jamaican?

Maybe he's an American now?

 

[User546]

What's the big flippin deal about this guy being the FIRST African American to fly around the world?

I thought we were all equal now, why should the fact that his skin is darker then mine make him special for doing something that white men have been doing since the 1930's??