When Cason Brinkley, 16, soloed for the first time, he made history, becoming the youngest African American to solo an airplane in Mississippi.
Cason, who plans to earn his private pilot ticket before graduating high school, soloed July 15, 2024, at Panola County Airport (KPMU) under the guidance of his CFI Ken Taylor, owner of New Heights Aviation. Taylor is a retired Army helicopter pilot and has two sons who are helicopter pilots in the Army stationed in California.
Taylor, who is also the president of the Arkansas Thunderbirds Chapter of the Black Pilots of America (BPA) and works as an air evac helicopter pilot covering Central and North Mississippi, took the lead over Cason’s flight training after the teen attended a trip with the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals to the Navy Flight Academy in Pensacola, Florida, and upon his return from the Black Pilots of America Summer Flight Academy in Houston, last summer.
According to Cason’s father, Carl, his son soloed with 15 hours of flight training.
Cason, a Cleveland Central High School 11th grader, also attended the Saint Louis University Aviation Summer Academy in June 2024, where students entering grades 11 and 12 were invited to learn more about different areas of study and career paths in aviation. The program selected 20 students out of more than 100 applicants for the six-day, five-night residential camp.
Next summer, Cason says he hopes to attend a new summer aviation camp and attend the Air Force Summer Seminar in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to explore the many aviation education and career paths available to him.
On Aug. 15, 2024, Cason was recognized by the Mississippi State Board of Education, at its monthly meeting for achieving his airplane solo goal.
Cason is the son of Carl Brinkley, a retired aviation and logistics instructor from Delta State University, and Markeita Brinkley, a special education director for Cleveland Public Schools. Cason’s goal is to become a commercial pilot one day.