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NEWS RELEASE
Phone: 201-843-5600
Successful DreamLaunch Tour Begins Fall Schedule
In 1926, not long after the Wright brothers’ first flight, John Paul Riddle, one of the school’s founders, was giving aerial joyrides in Jennys and Wacos to drum up business for his fledgling flying business in Cincinnati, Ohio. In January 2004, Jamail Larkins, a 20-year-old aviation business student at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach, Fla., campus, updated that tradition with an 18-city national tour piloting a new Cirrus SR20 aircraft. His mission: get youngsters in middle schools and high schools along the way thinking about careers in aviation. The successful spring tour gained Larkins a television appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman” on May 20, and he’ll be featured in the Oct. 31 issue of Parade magazine. The Fall 2004 DreamLaunch Tour began Sept. 10, with Larkins planning to visit 15 to 20 major U.S. cities. So far this fall, he has made presentations in Winston/Salem, N.C., Minneapolis, Minn., Prescott, Ariz., and Seattle, Wash. Upcoming stops on Larkins’ national tour of middle schools and high schools include:
Embry-Riddle’s partner in the tour is Careers in Aviation, an organization that seeks to raise young people’s awareness about opportunities in aviation. Sponsors are Aeroshell, AirShares Elite, Cirrus, Cox Communications, Lift, and Michelin. “We’re very happy to join with Embry-Riddle in bringing this educational opportunity to young people across America,” said Shawn Raker, president of Careers in Aviation. “It’s a perfect way to spread the news about the many exciting careers in aviation and that the industry needs talented young people.” Every Thursday, Larkins flies the Cirrus plane to a different city, where he visits schools, makes presentations, and discusses aviation with students. Students in some schools included on Larkins’ tour are invited beforehand to write an essay answering the question, “How do you envision the next century of flight?” Judging takes place before each school visit. Winning essayists are given the opportunity to fly with Larkins in the Cirrus the following Saturday. More information on the essay contest can be found online at www.erau.edu/dreamlaunch. Also at the DreamLaunch website, students ages 13-20 can enter the Ride of a Lifetime contest. With parental consent, the winner will be awarded two round-trip tickets from anywhere in the United States to Daytona Beach, hotel accommodations, two tickets to the 2005 Embry-Riddle Air Show, and a flight with Larkins in his aerobatic plane. Larkins, who is the national spokesperson for Careers in Aviation, puts students who want to learn more about aviation in touch with a Careers in Aviation representative or an EAA Young Eagles coordinator in their area.
For details about Larkins’ fall tour, call (386) 226-6182 or go to www.erau.edu/dreamlaunch. Careers in Aviation Inc. is an initiative that inspires American youth to achieve their dreams in the aviation industry by offering performances by a multijet demonstration team around the nation, a high-energy educational video about aviation careers, and scholarships for aviation-related education and training. More information can be found online at www.careersinaviation.org. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs through its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering and meets the needs of students and industry through educational, training, research, and consulting activities. Embry-Riddle educates more than 28,000 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through its Extended Campus at more than 130 centers in the United States and Europe, and worldwide through distance learning. Jamail Larkins BiographyJamail Larkins started flying at age 12. His first flight was with the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Young Eagles Program. Shortly thereafter, he became one of the youngest American pilots after soloing a powered aircraft in Canada in July 1998 at age 14.On Jan. 17, 2000, Jamail became the national spokesman for the EAA Vision of Eagles Program, a youth education initiative founded by the EAA Aviation Foundation. All EAA education programs, including Young Eagles, EAA Air Academy, and the Science-Math-Technology Program, are included in the Foundation’s mission. As the national spokesman, Jamail represented EAA and the Vision of Eagles Program and promoted the possibilities available to aviation enthusiasts of all ages. In 2002, Jamail became the national spokesman for a second organization, Careers in Aviation. Careers in Aviation is a nonprofit organization based in Atlanta, Ga., that promotes and provides aviation opportunities to young people across the nation. Jamail soloed in the United States on Jan. 31, 2000, the day after his 16th birthday, in a Cirrus SR20, a newly developed single-engine airplane, becoming the first and youngest student pilot ever to solo in this revolutionary certified aircraft. He has accumulated more than 660 hours of total flight time in more than 36 types of aircraft and has flown to all parts of the United States and Canada. He has also trained in several types of airline simulators, including the Boeing 777, the Boeing 767, the Boeing 757, and the McDonnell Douglas Super MD-80. In 2003, Jamail performed his first airshow season. He is currently sponsored by several major companies and organizations in the aviation industry, including Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, AeroShell, Careers in Aviation, Delta Air Lines, Electronics International, Gulf Coast Avionics, and Powerserve International. Jamail makes frequent appearances at airshows, is a popular guest on broadcast programs originating from conventions and other events, and writes columns for numerous aviation publications. He has been the guest speaker for fundraising dinners alongside such notable figures as Chuck Yeager and Cliff Robertson. During high school, Jamail was an honor student at Evans High School in Augusta, Ga., where he was a member of the track team, the Aerospace Club, Future Business Leaders of America, the Student Council -- and, he earned a black belt in Taekwondo. Jamail received numerous awards for academic and overall achievement, including Outstanding Student and the Principal’s Award, and was recognized for his academic performance in math, science, and foreign language. In addition, he has been recognized as an Outstanding Young Eagle, an Outstanding Camper at Space Camp, and was the recipient of a Certificate of Appreciation from the U.S. Army Signal Center at Fort Gordon in 1996. Along with his participation in many aviation organizations, such as Careers in Aviation, the EAA Aviation Foundation, and the Experimental Aircraft Association, Jamail frequently gives motivational speeches before businesses, churches, and community and youth groups. He has spoken to the Timmins-Ontario Chamber of Commerce, NASA’s youth programs, the Tuskegee Airmen Reunion, and at several major aviation news conferences. He will be making appearances at more than 45 airshows, conventions, events, and, of course, the National DreamLaunch Tour stops, in 2004. At the same time, he will continue training in the Christen Eagle II aerobatic aircraft. Jamail currently resides in Daytona Beach, Fla., while attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. His parents, Sylvester and Renetha, live in Augusta, Ga.
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