Abner Yonly, a pilot from Liberia, has accomplished a historic first for the African aviation sector by flying a single-engine aircraft solo from Maryland, USA, back to his home country of Liberia.
Yonly was born and reared in Liberia; during the dark days of that country’s civil upheaval, he fled to camps for refugees in the Ivory Coast and then relocated to Ghana. He did, however, relocate to the United States of America to continue his aviation education.
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Yonly left Maryland, USA, to start his quest. Later, he arrived in Canada after making an incredible voyage that saw him pass via Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, the United Kingdom, France, and finally land in Spain.
His first destination on the African continent was Morocco. Prior to landing at Roberts International Airport, he made stops in Mauritania, Senegal, and Sierra Leone after landing in Morocco.
Before leaving for James Springs Field in Monrovia, Yonly finished some papers at the Roberts International Airport. He was greeted as a hero at James Springs Field by several Liberians, including government representatives, and his family.
Speaking to the media, Yonly said that he visited Liberia in the early months of 2023. Yonly claimed that during his brief visit, he went to James Springs Field and noticed that not many Liberian pilots were using the airport.
“Coming to the airport, I noticed that you don’t get to see many Liberian pilots. It just hits me in the sense that I’m in the US and my wife and I fly everywhere, and so I want to inspire young children in Liberia,” Yonly noted.
He continued, “I said to myself, how can I inspire a young child in Liberia? Seeing is believing. And so, if a child walks to the airport and does not see someone who looks like him or her, it will seem impossible. But if the child sees someone who looks like him or her, and speaks like him or her, the child will say if he (Yonly) can do it, I can do it as well. That was what motivated me to make this journey.”
He further noted, “It is not a cheap trip to do. Anyone who follows me on Facebook will know that I love my sports car because I am a sports guy, but I had to sell my car to make this trip, an inspirational journey to inspire the children in Liberia and Africa as a whole.”
According to Yonly, launching a project of this nature brings attention to Liberia and the African continent.
He stated, “Landing in Scotland, there is a wall where everyone who has done this trip, they got the wall of fame, and you do not get to see someone who looks like us there. This trip is historical because it is not just about me. I am not trying to do this to be famous; I did it to represent Liberia.”
After much planning, the trip was successful, according to Yonly. Yonly stated that he was required to schedule his flights, noting that the majority of African nations lack phone numbers at which he might inquire about buying gasoline for his single-engine aircraft.
“So, I encountered a company in Dubai, and they were the ones doing all my handling because I do not have contact to get fuel. Due to the weather, I spent a couple of weeks in Canada. I’m a professional; I don’t do this for a living. I have made less than 600 hours flying,” he noted.
Yonly stated, “It is a Beachcraft Sunliner 1976, 1080 horsepower jet. The highest I was able to fly was 14,000 feet. Hopefully, my goal is to bring aviation back to Liberia. Growing up, we heard about Air Liberia. We had multiple captains flying in almost every county. We want to see that in Liberia again because it is so great, and we can bring back a flight school in the country.”
