A TOP-FLIGHT TEEN
Gal, 17, NY’s youngest pilot
Kamora Freeland never had the desire to touch the sky.
The Staten Islander dreamed of exploring the ocean as a marine biologist as a little kid. But as fate — disguised as her mother, Lakema — would have it, the 17year-old is now cruising the clouds at over 5,500 feet.
“I earned my pilot license before I got a driver’s license,” Kamora told The Post with a laugh.
The Gen Zer became the youngest pilot in New York state, and one of the youngest licensed aviators in US history on Feb. 26, allowing her to helm a single-engine plane with up to 12 passengers. She received her credentials the next day.
For her feat in flying, Kamora was granted a Proclamation of Achievement by Assemblyman Charles Fall and state Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton at the Capitol in Albany on Monday.
The teen trailblazer told The Post she’s humbled by the honor.
“It’s amazing,” said Kamora, a graduating senior at Kingsborough Early College Secondary School in Bensonhurst. “I never wanted to be a pilot, but after my first flight, I was like, ‘Wow! I could do this for a living.’ ”
Lakema, a 47-year-old mother of four, became the wind beneath her youngest daughter’s wings after discovering the United Youth Aviators in August 2019.
The program, launched that year by NYPD Officers Milton Davis and Clet Titus, teaches 13- to 18-year-olds the rules of the sky while under the tutelage of FAAcertified flight instructors.
Kamora had never expressed interest in becoming a pilot, but that didn’t stop Lakema from secretly enrolling her then-12-year-old for lessons. Even when her tween was waitlisted, the mom called organizers every three months to campaign for the girl’s enrollment.
“What I like about [Kamora] is that she learns from her mistakes and quickly corrects herself in the cockpit,” Titus told The Post.
During her 18-month training at Long Island’s Republic Airport in Farmingdale, the rookie hotshot was taught the fundamentals of flight, how aircraft function and the importance of understanding weather trends and calculations.
Above and beyond
Taking the wheel of a Cessna 172 G1000 or a Piper plane has become second nature to Kamora.
“She takes flying seriously,” said Davis. “Her intelligence, dedication and maturity is light-years ahead of her age, making her a phenomenal pilot.”
Most teens don’t attempt to reach such heights.
A recent report by the Pilot Institute
found that less than 4% of licensed pilots are between the ages of 16 and 19.
According to FAA regulations, the age of eligibility to obtain a student pilot certificate is 16, while youngsters wanting to helm gliders or hot-air balloons can score a permit as young as 14.
Mack Rutherford answered the call in 2020. At 15, the BelgianBritish dual national became the youngest pilot in the world. He was later crowned the youngest airman to fly solo across the world at 17 in August 2022.
Kamora, who recently completed a nearly two-hour “cross country solo flight” — meaning she took off and landed at three airports in one trip — is poised to follow Rutherford’s path.
And as one of the few African American female pilots in the US, where only 5% of flight captains are women and less than 1% of those pilots are black, she hopes her stratospheric accomplishments will inspire change in the industry.
“I’m grateful to have this title,” said the jet-setter.
In the fall, the aeronaut is set to start studying economics at Spellman University in Atlanta, where she’s earned a full presidential scholarship.
“I want people my age and in my community to know that nothing is impossible,” said Kamora. “You can literally break through any barrier.”