A 15-year-old California teen made a brief stop in Austin Tuesday on her way into what she hopes is a place in the record books.

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KVUE's Clara Tuma reports

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Kimberly Anyadike (pronounced "on ya DEE kee") is hoping to become the youngest African-American female to fly a plane cross country.

But Anyadike says her flight on a Cessna 172 is less about personal glory than honoring a group of African-American men who flew years ago -- the Tuskegee Airmen.

"I love continuing the Tuskogee Airmen legacy because they did such a great thing," Anyadike said. "They did many great things, and I love flying, so..."

That's why she is accompanied not only by safety pilot Ronell Norman, but also by Tuskegee Airman Levi Thornhill, who spent 22 1/2 years in the U.S. Air Force.

The three left Compton, California, on Monday and hope to arrive in Newport News on Saturday, July 4th. They made an hour-long stop in Austin just after noon on Tuesday.

"It's really wonderful," Thornhill said. "It's a wonderful experience."

Though Thornhill rides in the cramped back seat of the four seater plane, he says he has no complaints.

"Oh no no no. I used to fly fighters, and you're like this in a fighter," he said as he scrunched his body into about half its normal size. "This is a piece of cake."

At age 86, he says he has no worries about being chauffeured by a 15-year-old.

"Hey, age has no bearing on it,' he said. "It's all about desire. If you like to do something, I think you're motivated to the point that you'll do whatever is necessary to be able to do it."

The trip is sponsored by the Compton-based Tomorrows Aeronautical Museum.

Anyadike says she's always been impressed and encouraged by the Tuskogee Airmen, the first African-American pilots to fly for the United States.

"I think what they've done is so amazing, because when you're constantly told that you can't do something, when you're constantly told you don't have the cognitive development to be able to fly, and you know in your heart that you can do this, you know it's something you can do. All they wanted to do was be called patriots, they wanted to defend their country, and they weren't even allowed to do that. They persisted to eventually get what they wanted to see done done."

She says having Thornhill as a passenger is an honor and an added pressure.

"It's so cool because I know I have to make the perfect landing," she said. "I know I have to make it super smooth to his liking. And whenever he says I make a good landing, I'm like, 'yes!'"

So far, Anyadike says her biggest surprise is seeing lightning as a pilot.

"I think it's so amazing because of all the stuff I'm experiencing, and lightning looks so much different in the sky than it does from the ground," she said.

Anyadike's older sister, Kelly, set a record last year by becoming the youngest African-American female to fly four different planes on the same day.

When Anyadike returns to California from her trip, she will begin her sophomore year in high school.