James Dunn Mathis at age 16 was the youngest pilot to fly solo across the United States. He was formerly the Republican candidate for the United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

 in Maryland's 2nd congressional district

Maryland's 2nd congressional district

Maryland's 2nd congressional district elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives every two years. The district comprises parts of Harford, Baltimore, and Anne Arundel Counties, as well as small portions of the City of Baltimore...

.

Early life, career, and family

Mathis was born in Baltimore, Maryland. At the age of sixteen, Jimmy piloted a single engine Cessna 172 SOLO from Ocean City, Maryland

Ocean City, Maryland

Ocean City, sometimes known as OC, or OCMD, is an Atlantic Ocean resort town in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. Ocean City is widely known in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is a frequent destination for vacationers in that area...

 to Long Beach, California

Long Beach, California

Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

, becoming the youngest solo aviator

Aviator

An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...

 ever to fly cross country. Although there had been previous claims by younger "pilots" that they were the youngest pilot to fly coast-to-coast, they were accompanied by licensed pilots/instructors because they were not legally old enough to fly an airplane solo and as "pilot in command

Pilot in command

The pilot in command of an aircraft is the person aboard the aircraft who is ultimately responsible for its operation and safety during flight. This would be the "captain" in a typical two- or three-pilot flight crew, or "pilot" if there is only one certified and qualified pilot at the controls of...

". Jimmy Mathis made the flight, after over 100 hours of training, and with a Student Pilot Certificate in his pocket. Jimmy planned and coordinated his trip with his instructors, Harry Kraemer and David Moeslein.

He had no blanket, no pillow. Overnight stays were with aviation businesses and Aviation Safety Counselor Associates. However, when he arrived in Cahokia, Illinois things didn't work out so well so he called his dad who said he could stay wherever he wanted. He crossed the Mississippi River and stayed at Adam's Mark hotel in St. Louis MO over a rainy 4 July weekend.

Marriage and family

Currently Mathis lives in Baltimore County with his wife Christin Bethany Jones, social services counselor.

Professional life

After graduating from Towson Catholic High School, Mathis completed a 2 year intern program with Sinclair Broadcasting's

Sinclair Broadcast Group

The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of...

 FOX 45 Television in Baltimore working in all facets of television news & sports.

Subsequently he was hired by WBAL-TV

WBAL-TV

WBAL-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station in Baltimore, Maryland. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 11. It is one of the flagship stations of Hearst Television, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation, which also owns sister radio stations WBAL and...

 - the NBC affiliate in Baltimore before moving to WTTG-TV - FOX 5 in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, where he covered news stories at the White House

White House

The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...

 and the United States Congress.

In 2002 Mathis founded, Mathis Productions, Inc. and has produced a variety of programs ranging from reality, comedy and human interest

Over the years he has won numerous awards for photography and editing including two local Emmy Awards (one for photography and one for editing) at age 20. His resume now includes three local Emmys and five more nominations.