*For Malik Sinegal, dreams do come true. The 23-year-old recently became the youngest African American ever to be certified as a Boeing 777 pilot.
The Boeing 777 is the world’s largest twinjet plane, and it is typically not piloted by beginners. Yet, Sinegal flip the script – midair!
“The Triple 7 is one of the airplanes that people usually don’t touch until they’re around their forties or fifties or they have been at the airlines for a very long time,” said Sinegal, a Biloxi, Mississippi native.
Sinegal’s dreams of flying the big and power aircraft began in 2004, when he was on the jumbo plane when it flew to Anchorage, Alaska, which he calls his favorite place in the world. In 2018, he entered Delta State University’s aviation program as an ambassador for Republic Airlines. Through this educational experience, he was able to travel around the world.
INTERESTING STORY: Willis Ward and the Football Game that Should Never Have Been Played
African American pilots of any age are a small population. In 2019, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that just 3% of the pilots of U.S. commercial airlines were Black. Sinegal credits his flying prowess to his college flight instructors.
“They have blessed me,” Sinegal said in a Delta State University press release. “We have the best teachers and instructors, to include Dr. Speakes, Sam Washington, Chip Cooper, Rogel Campbell, and Brett Oleis.”
Sinegal is currently working in-flight instruction at the New Height’s Flight Training Aviation in Batesville, Mississippi.
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
