Larkins will undertake this 20-city tour in a new Cirrus SR20 aircraft provided by Cirrus Aircraft Design especially for this event. Sponsored jointly by Embry-Riddle and Careers in Aviation Inc., the tour will bring Larkins to middle schools and high schools where his goal is to raise awareness among students about career opportunities in the aviation industries. Traveling from his home base in Ormond Beach, Florida, each week Larkins will pilot his Cirrus SR20 to a different city, where he will conduct three days of informational and educational events. On Thursday he will be available for media interviews; Friday will be spent conducting programs and speaking at local schools; and on Saturday he will provide flights for "first-time flyer" students at a local airport. The first-flights event is part of the EAA's Young Eagles Program, for which Jamail is national youth spokesman. "As a representative of the Young Eagles, I've had the privilege of giving a lot of young people the thrill of their first flying experience, and exposing them to the aviation industry," Larkins says. "Now, on this national tour, I have the opportunity to reach an even greater number of potential pilots, aviation engineers and mechanics." Larkins is an extraordinarily accomplished young flyer, who had his own first flight as part of the Young Eagles Program at the age of 12. He earned his first pilot certification in Canada at 14; two years later he was certified for solo flight in the US, where the age requirement is 16. Today he is the youngest of about 500 pilots permitted to fly in low-altitude aerobatics performances, and he recently had the honor of being named national spokesman for Careers in Aviation, a co-sponsor of this tour. Jerry Toenjes, Shell Aviation Marketing Manager, says, "We've been working alongside Jamail since he was a Young Eagles first-flyer. We're inspired to see how he's progressed, and how he's carving out such a unique and successful career in this industry. Now, through Eastern Aviation Fuels, we're proud to be fueling the new Cirrus that will be taking him around the country and opening up those opportunities for other students." Scheduled stops on Larkins' national tour include middle schools and high schools in the following cities, with additional stops announced as they are scheduled. Atlanta GA Brooklyn NY Chicago IL Cincinnati OH Cleveland OH Dallas TX Dare Country NC Denver CO Fairfax County VA Greenville SC Houston TX Los Angeles CA Minneapolis MN Montgomery County MD Orlando FL Philadelphia PA Phoenix AZ Eastern Aviation Fuels, located in New Bern, North Carolina, is the exclusive distributor of Shell-branded aviation fuel products in the United States, providing aviation products and services to a dealer network of over 285 FBOs as well as to many airlines, corporate flight departments, helicopter operators, and aerial applicators. "Shell Aviation" refers to the division of Equilon Enterprises LLC (dba Shell Oil Products US), that is involved in the aviation fuels business. For additional information: Shell Aviation Ltd: www.shell.com/aviation Contact: Tricia Singer (+713) 546-4833 Eastern Aviation Fuels: www.easternaviationfuels.com
Contact: Lynn Weyerhauser (+252) 633-0066
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