Jamail Larkins

Jamail Larkins took his first flight through the EAA Young Eagles Program—and never stopped flying.

Determined to pursue aviation at any cost, Jamail petitioned the FAA to allow him to fly solo at age 13. When U.S. regulations prevented it, he traveled to Canada, where the minimum age was 14. There, he became the youngest American to solo a powered aircraft.

At just 16 years old, Jamail was named National Spokesman for the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Vision of Eagles Program, a national youth-education initiative that included the Young Eagles Program. In that role, he helped EAA reach its milestone of introducing one million young people to aviation—while still in high school. His leadership and visibility also led to a historic aviation milestone: Jamail became the first student pilot ever to solo the Cirrus SR20, a groundbreaking aircraft featuring a built-in ballistic parachute.

Before graduating high school, Jamail purchased his first airplane and soon began flying aerobatics, becoming one of the youngest airshow aerobatic performers in the United States. He performed for audiences large enough to fill baseball stadiums and became one of the few airshow pilots ever featured on prime-time television, including The Late Show with David Letterman.

Recognizing early that aviation required financial independence, Jamail founded Larkins Enterprises, Inc. at age 15—an aviation sales and advertising company that grew into multiple ventures including aircraft sales, leasing, and consulting.

In 2004, Jamail’s leadership drew the attention of the Federal Aviation Administration, and FAA Administrator Marion Blakey appointed him the first official FAA Ambassador for Aviation and Space Education. Following his appointment, Jamail created the DreamLaunch Tour, which has since anchored more than 1,000 events, reached over 60,000 students, and taken thousands of people on their first flight. Today, DreamLaunch is one of the aviation industry’s largest and longest-running workforce-development initiatives.

Jamail has shared stages with aviation legends including Chuck Yeager, the first person to fly faster than sound; Gene Cernan, the last human to walk on the Moon; and world-renowned aerobatic pilot Patty Wagstaff. His leadership has been recognized by the World Economic Forum (Young Global Leader), MSNBC (“History Maker in the Making”), Forbes (30 Under 30), and Goldman Sachs (Top 100 Most Innovative Entrepreneurs). His story has been featured by NBC Nightly News, Fox News, USA Today, BET, and The Late Show w/ David Letterman.

Beyond entrepreneurship and speaking, Jamail has worked closely with organizations including the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), Build-A-Plane, and the National Black Coalition of Federal Aviation Employees to broaden access to aviation careers. He also supports the Corporate Angel Network (CAN), the nation’s largest organization providing free corporate-aircraft transportation to cancer patients for life-saving treatment. CAN has now flown more than 70,000 patients nationwide.

Jamail currently leads AviationStart.org, the aviation industry’s largest and most comprehensive career and scholarship platform, which has helped more than 12,000 aspiring aviation professionals identify training pathways and access over $20 million annually in scholarships and grants across pilot, maintenance, air traffic control, airport operations, and aerospace careers.

Recognized as an aviation industry authority, Jamail has testified before the U.S. House Transportation Committee, flown with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, and been featured in aviation exhibits at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum (Be-A-Pilot Program), Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, and the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia.

He is a proud graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he earned a degree in Business Administration.