KILL DEVIL HILLS, N.C. — In 1991, history was made near the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills.
13News Now was there as Daniel Shanklin became the youngest person to pilot a flight across the country. He was just seven years old at the time.
Today, 31 years later, we showed Shanklin our story for the first time.
“I haven’t seen this,” said Shanklin. “I wasn’t local. I’m sure there were stories I missed.”
To this day, he’s still the youngest pilot ever to fly coast to coast. It took the San Antonio native nine days to accomplish the feat.
Flying was a hobby inspired by his late grandparents.
“It’s an expensive hobby,” said Shanklin.
Shanklin’s jet-setting days are behind him today. He is a software developer, and a devoted husband and father, living in Sugar Mountain, North Carolina.
But he hasn’t forgotten how important it is to set big goals.
“I try to copy a part of this for my own kids,” said Shanklin. “I took them on a 50-state journey in 2018, they were five and seven. While they weren’t steering the car or flying the plane, it was something important I could do for them in their childhood.”
Now 11 and eight, his children Wyatt and Colleen ski competitively, and they’re well aware of dad’s big accomplishment way back when.
Even if you know a child who wanted to break Daniel's record, they no longer have the option.
The Child Pilot Safety Act went into effect in 1996, which essentially prevents young kids from setting flight records.