A 17-year-old student from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Gabriel Carothers, made history as the youngest pilot in the state after completing his private pilot check ride.
“I wasn’t really thinking about making history; I was just thinking about flying and doing what I like to do every day,” Carothers told Live5News.
Carothers, who grew up in Albuquerque, has truly been passionate about flying since he was a kid. He said, “My father had a family friend who had an aeroplane that used to fly us. So, he thought it’d definitely be interesting to take me and my brother up for a flight when we were 5 and 6 years old.”
His father, Alex Carothers, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot, has also inspired and supported him greatly.
At 8, Carothers’ passion grew even more when he was allowed to take the controls of an airplane in flight for the first time during an “Experimental Aircraft Association Young Eagles” event at the Moriarty Airport in New Mexico.
When he was 14 years old, he had already built his own flight simulator. He did his own research and learned everything, from designing it to programming it.
In August 2022, Carothers completed his private pilot check ride just 10 days after he turned 17, making him the youngest pilot in New Mexico.
Carothers is currently a member of General Lloyd “Fig” Newton’s local chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, where he helps teach youth and adults the basics of flight at STEM events.
“Leaving a trail behind and leaving a path for other kids to follow really lightens up my heart, and I want to make sure that they have a future no matter what they do,” he said.
Moreover, Carothers aims to soar even higher, as he wants to learn to fly vintage aircraft, participate in airshows, and follow in his father’s footsteps by joining the Air Force.
