“I wasn’t really thinking about making history, I was just thinking about flying and doing what I like to do every day,” Carothers told Live5News.
Carothers, who grew up in Albuquerque, has truly been passionate about flying since he was a kid. He said, “My father had a family friend who had an airplane that used to fly us. So, he thought it’d definitely be interesting to take me and my brother up for a flight when we were 5 and 6 years old.”
His father Alex Carothers, who is a retired U.S. Air Force pilot, has also been a great inspiration and support to him.
At the age of 8, Carothers’ passion grew even more when he was given the opportunity to take on the controls of an airplane in flight for the first time during an ‘Experimental Aircraft Association Young Eagles’ event at the Moriarty Airport in New Mexico.
When he was 14 years old, he already built his own flight simulator. He made his own research and learned everything from designing to programming it.
Last August 2022, Carothers completed his private pilot check ride just 10 days after he turned 17 years old, making her the youngest pilot in the entire state of New Mexico.
Carothers is currently a member of General Lloyd “Fig” Newton local chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, where he helps teach the youth and adults the basics of flight at STEM events.
“Leaving a trail behind and leaving a path for other kids to follow really lightens up my heart, and to make sure that they have a future no matter what they do,” he said.
Source: 17-Year-Old Makes History, Becomes Youngest Black Pilot in His State
