17-Year-Old From North Carolina Becomes One Of The Youngest Pilots In The U.S.

Ryan Garner made history by becoming one of the youngest pilots in the country. The 17-year-old from Indian Trail, N.C. recently obtained his private pilot license. Garner is also the first Black pilot to receive the distinction at Goose Creek Airport.

Garner was recognized for his achievement last week, when Mayor Dusch of the City of Concord presented him with an official proclamation, according to WSOC-TV .

He says he has harbored a love for aviation since he was a young child.

“I have always loved it since I was a kid,” Garner told WCNC . “It’s a little adrenaline rush coming into the plane.”

Garner added that he did not originally plan to take this career path but changed his mind after an encounter with a Delta Airlines pilot.

“I actually never wanted to be a pilot at first,” he told WSOC-TV. “I wanted to be a grounds crew member that would bring in the planes or marshal them in. I got to talking with a Delta pilot about flight school, and that’s how I got into it.”

Garner is a senior at West Cabarrus High School, which specializes in aviation and aerospace engineering.

“He’s the footprint … he is actually the footprint to future generations to come and say it’s possible,” his mother Melissa Dixon told WCNC.

“I trust his ability,” she added. “I trust what he’s capable actually of doing. So yes, I am willing to go up and get that experience and actually just see life on a different level.”

This is only one of the first steps in Garner accomplishing his career aspirations.

“I want to take it to the majors and go to the airlines,” he said.