Checking in with Jamail Larkins

The brilliantly charismatic teenager wanted to buck the system and solo before he was 16. He embarked on a letter-writing campaign to get permission to solo an airplane at 14 in Canada. The FAA balked but several industry leaders such as Cirrus and Shell Aviation helped him get to Canada and solo. He then soloed at 16 in a Cirrus SR20 for his U.S. solo. All along with this activity came a byproduct of Larkins’ enthusiasm—a media frenzy. He became a personality found at every airshow and aviation event.

He enrolled in Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida; started the Dream Launch Tour where he traveled around the country visiting middle and high schools; became the FAA’s first ambassador for aviation and space education; and even appeared on the David Letterman show.

Now 40, the enthusiastic young man with a 1,000-watt smile is still an ambassador for aviation. He created Aviation Start in 2024.

“The idea was to be able to connect people with scholarships they are specifically eligible for,” he said. “Our industry needs everybody you could possibly imagine to get involved in aviation. We’re not only helping pilots, we’re helping mechanics, airport operations, and even ATC.”

Aviation Start uses artificial intelligence (AI) to match available scholarships to students based on their interests, their home state, career goals, and other metrics. The Aviation Start scholarship database has some 1,500 scholarships totaling about $20 million for all types of different aviation careers, he said.

Aviation Start also assists in mentorship. “It’s great to get the cash to get your career off the ground, but without the proper guidance, it is still difficult. With Aviation Start we want to not only connect people with financial resources, but to help get them mentorship and guidance to get their careers off the ground.”

Since 2005 Larkins has been active in the Dream Launch Tour and visited more than 1,000 schools and airports across the country. “My favorite part of flying is the community. The opportunity to meet people and get engaged in the aviation industry is my favorite. And my second favorite is the experience of being up there [in the sky].”

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aviationstart.org