Youngest Glider Pilot In America Hails From Prince George's, Earns Special Helicopter Ride

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — A color guardsman at Charles Flowers High School originally thought Air Force District of Washington Maj. Gen. Joel Jackson was at his school, Charles Flowers High School, simply to speak about the Air Force.

But partway through the presentation, Jackson asked, "Caleb Smith, are you here?"

Smith, a sophomore, was stunned.

No one saw it coming — least of all, Prince George's County, Maryland, student Caleb Smith.

"I really had no idea until I got pulled up there and I was just baffled. I had no idea what to say. Even right now I have no idea what to say. I'm just kind of in shock right now," Smith told 4 Washington.

Smith, 16, is the youngest pilot in America to earn a private glider pilot license. Jackson asked the high schooler if he'd like to go for a helicopter ride. The bird was waiting right outside the school on the football field.

His grandmother Francene Foote shared that she was in civil patrol while in high school and loved flying. Smith plans to join the military and become a commercial pilot.

"Just being in the air is just natural for me. I absolutely love it. … Being that low to the ground was so cool," Smith said after the trip.

Read more at 4 Washington.