This 16-year-old student pilot is flying medical supplies to rural hospitals during the pandemic

On a crisp spring day, the Cessna touches down near a rural hospital in Virginia with a slightly awkward bounce. On board, desperately-needed medical supplies for a community hard-hit by the coronavirus. The plane didn't stay down very long. The pilot had to get home and finish his schoolwork.

At an age when most teens are pursuing a driver's license, TJ Kim is working towards a student pilot's certificate, and making a difference along the way.


Kim is a sophomore at the Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland. The pandemic forced his campus to close for the year. It ended his lacrosse season and put a crimp in his studies. But the school still expects students to do academic work at home, and also to do good works for others.

"At Landon School, community service is really emphasized," the soft-spoken 16-year-old said. "And so I wanted to find a way to serve."

With help from his family, he found out about seven critical small, rural hospitals low on supplies to treat coronavirus patients.

"They kind of conveyed to me that they were really forgotten about. Everyone was wanting to send donations to big city hospitals," Kim told the AP.

By road, the hospitals are far away from any large cities.

But Kim had a plan

"In my flight training, we're in a stage that's called cross-country flights, which means flights that are more than 50 miles."

A Cessna doesn't require a particularly long landing strip, and despite his relative inexperience in the cockpit, Kim (along with his instructor) started making deliveries from an airport in Maryland.

"We hop in the plane and we go. Flying is the easy part. Collecting supplies is what makes the process a week long."

Operation SOS
Kim calls his project "Operation SOS." It stands for "supplies over skies." Throughout the week, he stays in touch with the hospitals to see what they need. His father coordinates the donation of supplies: gloves, masks, gowns and other essential equipment like shoe covers and protective eyewear.

On delivery day, Kim loads up the plane and goes over his flight plan.

"My flight instructor makes me chart things the old school way. We have to set benchmarks, set course headings, calculate adjustments for winds."

Kim is, after all, still a student. He was a mild-mannered, all-American boy before he got bit by the aviation bug. Now he's a young man with a high purpose.

Some superheroes really do fly through the air

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/04/19/us/iyw-teen-pilot-coronavirus-hospital-supplies-trnd/index.html?__twitter_impression=true

I too can fly a plane if I have access to one. No big deal. Just to fly a plane

Ok

Weldone TJ Kim

If he was in Nigeria, he will still be thinking of Waec and, jamb, Pume...and then comes the incessant ASUU strikes, then the wait for mobilisation, before Nysc, finally no job!
Nigerian educational system forces their youths to graduate at a close to retirement age.

Niyeal:
I too can fly a plane if I have access to one. No big deal. Just to fly a plane

I doubt, with the rate at which babes do bath outside some houses you will end up crash-landing in someone's backyard, bad guy

Kudos to him.

He looks more mature than his age.

Niyeal:
I too can fly a plane if I have access to one. No big deal. Just to fly a plane

yes oh nothing special

Niyeal:
I too can fly a plane if I have access to one. No big deal. Just to fly a plane

It's as if you don't know the difference between a plane and car crash

I trust some Nigerians them go turn aam into business sharply Nigeria wey corruption don sink

Im mate for here they play virtual or drag ftc for nairaland.

Ok

Wow. Thats crazy....I mean in a good way.

Check my signature

At 16 i couldnt even motor sef

Commonsense99:

If he was in Nigeria, he will still be thinking of Waec and, jamb, Pume...and then comes the incessant ASUU strikes, then the wait for mobilisation, before Nysc, finally no job!
Nigerian educational system forces their youths to graduate at a close to retirement age.

Really?

I thought is an exception though.

I never knew all American pilots start flying at i6.

Wow, Nice one!
More grease to his elbow

Niyeal:
I too can fly a plane if I have access to one. No big deal. Just to fly a plane

Egungun na express you dey go

This is a promising young guy. Kudos to you. Your mates are here doing 1 million gang. Shame to them

Just imagine.
Great one kiddo...

I'm just thinking what a Nigeria 16 year old will be doing at this age?

Ok

Nice

@ 16, that's Cokanstic

Op this person wey go don born 2 pikin na him you dey call 16yrs?

Op u don become lie Mohammad ooo

Werin cum apen?

Niyeal:
I too can fly a plane if I have access to one. No big deal. Just to fly a plane

We know you are lying

Niyeal:
I too can fly a plane if I have access to one. No big deal. Just to fly a plane

Hell, anybody can fly a plane and bring it down.

Coming down in one piece... that takes skill

But seriously, see what America's youth are capable of. Was it not 3 months ago we saw a video of South African students assembling and flying a kit airplane? Here in Nigeria, our youths are denied every single opportunity to improve themselves.

chinko