Leona Serao is a 23-year-old commercial pilot who has high hopes of becoming the first Black woman to fly around the world solo.
Summer 2023 marks the beginning of her international trip beginning in New York. She then plans to fly across thiry three countries and four continents.
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The US-born pilot was raised in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, the daughter of an aviator, from whom her passion for flying comes. She is one of only three women pilots registered by the country.
In the US there are only about 150 black female commercial pilots.
On her website, she writes, “With my flight around the world, I want to pave the way for future generations, especially women and black women, to pursue their dreams without fear of failure and show them that anything is possible and address diversity and inclusion in aviation.”
She aims to inspire other Congolese women to consider working in aviation, a male-dominated industry both in Africa and around the world, and address diversity and inclusion in aviation.
She listed these as her accomplishments once she is done:
- The first Pilot to fly solo with the Ground Data Black Box ® Tempeus®,
- (the third black box of an aircraft) around the world
- The first Black Woman to fly solo around the world
- The first African Woman to fly solo around the world
- The youngest African to fly solo around the world
- The first Congolese to fly solo around the world
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