She’s soaring to new heights – literally!
At just 17 years old, Kamora Freeland became the youngest licensed pilot in the state and one of the youngest in U.S. history. What makes her story even more incredible? She learned to fly a plane before she even had a driver’s license, The New York Post reports.
On February 26th, Kamora officially earned her private pilot license, allowing her to captain a single-engine aircraft with up to 12 passengers. Just a day later, she secured her driver’s license. Her groundbreaking achievement was recognized with a Proclamation of Achievement by Assemblyman Charles Fall and State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton at the Capitol in Albany.
Kamora, a graduating senior at Kingsborough Early College Secondary School in Bensonhurst, admits that aviation wasn’t initially part of her dreams.
“I never wanted to be a pilot, but after my first flight, I was like, ‘Wow! I could do this for a living,’” Kamora recalled.
Her journey to the cockpit began in 2019 when her mother, Lakema, discovered the United Youth Aviators (UYA) program. Launched by NYPD Officers Milton Davis and Clet Titus, the initiative trains young people between the ages of 13 and 18 in aviation under the guidance of FAA-certified instructors.
Although Kamora had never expressed an interest in flying, Lakema saw something in her daughter and secretly enrolled her in the program. Even when she was placed on a waitlist, Lakema persistently followed up every three months until Kamora was finally accepted in 2021 at the age of 15.
“What I like about [Kamora] is that she learns from her mistakes and quickly corrects herself in the cockpit,” said Titus.
Over 18 months of rigorous training at Long Island’s Republic Airport in Farmingdale, Kamora mastered the fundamentals of aviation, aircraft mechanics, and understanding meteorology. She quickly became comfortable piloting both a Cessna 172 G1000 and a low-wing Piper plane.
“She takes flying seriously,” Davis noted. “Her intelligence, dedication, and maturity are lightyears ahead of her age, making her a phenomenal pilot.”
Kamora’s feat is especially significant given the underrepresentation of young pilots in the field. A report from the Pilot Institute found that less than 4% of licensed pilots are between the ages of 16 and 19. Additionally, the aviation industry remains disproportionately male, with women making up only 5% of flight captains, and Black women comprising less than 1% of that figure.
Despite these statistics, Kamora remains undeterred. She recently completed a nearly two-hour “cross-country solo flight,” successfully taking off and landing at three different airports in a single trip. Her skills and ambition place her on the path to following in the footsteps of young aviation pioneers like Ryan Garner and Christopher Ballinger, who also made history as young Black pilots in their cities.
Kamora’s journey is just beginning. In the fall, she will attend Spelman College in Atlanta on a full presidential scholarship, where she plans to study economics. As she looks to the future, Kamora hopes her story will inspire other young Black women to break barriers in aviation and beyond.
“I want people my age and in my community to know that nothing is impossible,” she said. “You can literally break through any barrier.”
With the sky as her only limit, Kamora Freeland is proving that the future of aviation is bright!
Cover photo: 17-Year-Old Kamora Freeland Makes History as Youngest Licensed Woman Pilot in New York/Photo credit: Kamora Freeland/Spelman College/Instagram