U.S. pilot looks to become first Black woman to fly solo around the world

by Marquise Francis ·National Reporter

Just 2.6% of pilots in the U.S. are Black and less than one percent are Black women

This summer, Leona Serao, 23, is looking to make history by becoming the first Black woman to fly solo around the world.

“The fact that I’m going to be the first one, means I’m going to be able to inspire other Black and other African people who want to join the aviation field,” she told Yahoo News.

Serao plans to begin her 3-month round-the-globe journey from New York City in early August, and, before returning home, it will take her to 33 countries across four continents. To date, there have been 142 solo flights around the world, according to Earthrounders, a site that tracks the feat. Just 11 of the pilots have been women and none of those have been Black.

There are just over 158,000 licensed pilots in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of that number, just 2.6% of pilots, or about 4,100, are Black and…

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