A US-based Liberian pilot, Abner Yonly, is due to arrive back in the country of his birth after becoming the first black person to complete a solo transatlantic flight in a single-engine aircraft, a 1976 Beechcraft Sundowner.
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Mr Yonly embarked on his journey from Maryland in the US, and then crossed the North Atlantic from Canada to Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, the UK, France and Spain.
He reached the African continent in Morocco and has now safely landed in Dakar, Senegal. Mr Yonly is expected to touch down in Liberia’s Roberts International Airport at 16:00 GMT on Wednesday, according to his flight schedule.
In a motivational statement, Mr Yonly said he dreamt not only of being a pilot but a source of inspiration.
“While training, it occurred to me that instead of just learning how to fly, I could be a pacesetter and a source of inspiration for my generation – the millennials – to do something extraordinary,” he said.
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Mr Yonly wants to leave a mark on Liberians, especially “my peers born after 1980 who have not seen a Liberian-born pilot flying a plane”.
“Our parents told us about Air Liberia flown by Liberian pilots. We never saw it. This is an eye-opener for them to know that dreams can be a reality if you set your sights on a goal and a dogged determination to achieve it,” he added.
