Columbus Senior becomes one of the youngest pilots in the nation at 17
Jabari Leake is a 17-year-old guitar player at Rainey McCullers School of Arts, but learning the guitar is not the hardest thing he’s ever done.
In the second trimester of Tosha Leake, Jabari’s Mother was told her son would be born with a short right femur. Jabari was born with LLD- Limb Lengthening Discrepancy and has had several surgeries during his life.
Jabari says as a child he would go to school and every two to three years go down to West Palm Beach Florida for his surgeries.
At the age of two, Jabari had his first surgery. This would be a Super Hip/knee surgery in 2008. By the age of three Jabari had his first limb lengthening surgery with an external metal fixator. This surgery was done in 2009.
In total, Jabari has had four limb lengthening surgeries and over a dozen in total.
In light of all the surgeries, Jabari told WRBL that he was still an active child.
He says, “I was in swimming lessons for a little bit. I indulged in mixed martial arts- went up to a yellow belt or something. I did bowling a lot and some adaptive sports in a wheelchair in Muscogee. I did football, basketball and handball.”
As Jabari is set to graduate from Rainey McCullers School of the Arts this spring, he will have what he hopes to be his last surgery in Florida.
Jabari is part of the first class to attend Rainey McCullers School of the Arts where he plays the classical guitar. Jabari told WRBL that he became interested in the guitar because he grew up watching his father play the instrument.
Along with playing the guitar, Jabari also participates in the theater program at the art school where he works in production assisting in the running of lights and sound.
However, Jabari is more than just an arts student.
“I am one of the youngest African American Pilots in the nation.”
Jabari Leake, Rainey McCullers Senior
Jabari began taking flight lessons at Flightways at the Columbus airport in November of 2023. According to the Federal Aviation Regulations, to receive a pilot’s license one must complete 40 hours of flight time and at least 10 solar hours. Jabari received his private pilot’s license back in April of 2024 with 70 hours logged.
Jabari told WRBL what it was like to fly for the first time.
“It felt amazing. It was definitely difficult throughout the way I know I had a lot of things to do as far as studying, as far as practices, flight maneuvers and whatnot. But it was an amazing experience. Definitely going up for the first time. I was definitely nervous, but eventually you get more focused into flying the plane than actually getting scared. You don’t have time to get scared. So, it was definitely an amazing experience.”
Jabari Leake, 17-year-old pilot
Jabari says that freshman year he googled which career makes the most money and pilots came up. However, through research and classes, he grew a passion for it.
He says, “I just have a passion for it. So, I was going out of my way to go to YouTube videos for it. I was going out of my way to crack open a book for it.”
In Jabari’s journey, he says that through it all he has learned the importance of discipline and is ready to take off into his next chapter- College.
In the fall, Jabari will be attending Middle Georgia State University where he will major in Aviation Management, but music is still a passion of his.
I still want to play the guitar. It would be fun. I do hope to maybe save up a little bit of money to buy maybe a classical guitar when I go to the campus. Like a Spanish Kind of vibe to it. That’ll be different.
Jabari Leake, pilot and Middle Georgia State incoming freshman.
Jabari also gave some words of encouragement to others whose path is different
“Each of us are special. No matter what your condition is, how critical you’re in any way, shape, or form, physically, spiritually, mentally, whatever it is, you are meant for greatness. You can do a lot more than what you think you could. Don’t let anyone else say that you can’t a go a different path”
Jabari Leake, one of the youngest African American pilots in the nation
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