Kamora Freeland, a 17-year-old, has acquired her private pilot’s certificate, marking a significant milestone in her quest of becoming a pilot.
The Staten Island adolescent told ABC7, “I have a passion for it [flying], and I love it.”
Freeland, a senior at Kingsborough Early College High School, just passed a check ride for her private pilot’s license.
She had previously flown solo and cross-country, and had visited Martha’s Vineyard with her mother the summer before.
The happy mother reflected on the event, stating, “She flew me, and I enjoyed it, and she really did it, and I couldn’t believe she was the pilot of the plane that I was sitting in the back of.”
Her family’s support was clear on test day, with close relatives from afar joining her.
Freeland flew for nearly an hour with a designated examiner to earn the license, and when she landed, she was informed she passed.
“She’s focused, but she’s still a kid,” said her flight instructor, who began instructing and flying with Freeland when she was 15 years old.
Her mother acknowledged her excitement, stating, “I didn’t see this a year and a half ago, so to be here and see it with my own two eyes, I’m grateful.”
The young pacesetter received numerous congratulations. Her father hugged her, and so did a Tuskegee airman.
“It’s really great. “I’m a part of the much-needed change, and I want other little Black girls to follow suit,” Freeland said.
She hopes to enroll at Spellman College in the fall and obtain a commercial pilot’s license.