In honor of Black History Month, KOAT shines a light on those who have helped paved the way in New Mexico from the arts to culture, food and history. Next up: Gabriel CarothersGabriel Carothers, 17, is the youngest pilot in New Mexico after completing his Private Pilot check ride on August 8, 2022. He is the youngest African American in New Mexico history to ever do so. “I wasn't thinking about making history. I was thinking about flying and doing what I like to do every day. Making history was just a side effect of it —something that happened along the way,” Carothers said. “I don't even recognize it, but then it's days like this that really makes me feel it and reflect on it. The past 4 to 5 years of me training and doing ground school of me waking up in the morning knowing I get to look forward to something like my check ride.”Gabriel’s interest in aviation began at 5-years-old in the back seat of a family friend’s Cessna 182. According to his father, Alex, Gabriel’s interest grew to an obsession at age 8 when he took on 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. “My father had a family friend who had an airplane that used to fly, so he thought it'd be interesting to take me and my brother up for a flight when we were five and six years old — just to get a feel for it. ‘It might be interesting. Catch your attention,’ and for me, it did. So, that was my first experience around an airplane,” Carothers said. “I had what we call ‘bitten by the bug.’ So, it took off for me. I found that this was an interesting career path for me, and I can have fun and make money doing it, but it's more fun.”“There's no better feeling for it. I get to wake up at 5:00 in the morning— sometimes 2:00 in the morning, and come out here where it's peace and quiet,” he continues. “I get to hop in the plane and go fly. It's a feeling of freedom and joy.”At age 14, Carothers built and designed his own flight simulator. Definition: “A flight simulator is a machine designed to resemble the cockpit of an aircraft, with computer-generated images that mimic the pilot's view, typically with mechanisms that move the entire structure in imitation of an aircraft's motion, used for training pilots.”“The flight simulator was just a home-built computer. So, I had to do research on what went into a computer, then what all parts and components are needed to make sure it works,” he said. “Then I'm learning all the intricate pieces of it. The programing of it in the simulator itself was another thing.”Carothers passion for aviation reaches far and beyond his road to wings. As a member of the Gen. Lloyd "Fig” Newton Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc., he teaches youth and adults the basics of flight at STEM events—serving as an inspiration to those along the way. “It makes me feel satisfied, like I've done something extra, but, here in New Mexico, we don't have a lot of people that look up to the sky and say, ‘I want to do that for a living, or that's a possibility for me.’ They're just looking at getting out of the state or finishing school or just keeping their head down enough to survive,” he said. “So, leaving a trail behind, leaving a path for other kids to follow really lightens up my heart and to make sure they have a future no matter what they do. They can do something like this at my age and for practically no money—just come to school and learn.”“The Tuskegee Airmen have always been in my life. My father was a part of it. We help with events with for them. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here where I am today,” he continued. “They paved the path for me to be able to fly the same way I'm doing for other people.”However, this is just the beginning for Carothers, as he prepares to graduate from SAMS (Southwest Aeronautics, Mathematics and Science) Academy in May 2023.“There are a few plans that I'm currently on track for. One that's on the top of my list is what we call a ‘LIFT (Leadership in Flight Training) Academy.’ It's a flight school on the East Coast, where in about a year I can get all my licenses and ratings to be able to fly for the airlines,” Carothers said. “Then another option for me is Warbirds. So, World War Two aircraft that I can learn how to fly and take to air shows possibly. Then, the last aspect would be the military aviation part of it where I'm applying for the Air Force Academy to get in.""I'm already a pilot, but my goal is to continue to inspire people and getting to fly cool aircraft, whether that's in the military or out of the military," he continues. "Then just continuing to do what I like to do. "Fun Fact: In 2019, Gabriel's TAI (Tuskegee Airmen, Inc) Team won 1st place at the SeaPerch Southwest Challenge—a competition for underwater robotics. At age 13, Gabriel gained his Black Belt in Karate at Shotokan East Mountain Dojo in New Mexico. For more Black History Month stories, visit: New Mexico Black HistoryAbove: Visit Black owned businesses in New Mexico