Pilot Barrington Irving climbs out of his plane after touching down in Houston, Texas on Saturday. The Jamaican-born aviator is on his second to last leg of a round-the-world journey. - AP

HOUSTON (AP):

TWO STOPS before completing his record-setting, around-the-world flight, Barrington Irving glided into Houston on Saturday with a message for the dozens of students on hand to cheer his arrival.

"I think this shows it doesn't matter where you come from, what you have or what you don't have," Irving said, a few minutes after exiting his single-engine Columbia 400.

The 23-year-old aerospace student, who built his plane from more than US$300,000 in donated parts, took off from Miami on March 23 hoping to become the youngest person and first black pilot to fly solo around the globe. He had planned to fly last year, but a lack of funding delayed his US$1 million project. He has since received support from a variety of corporate and other sponsors.

Alabama destination

Irving, who was born in Jamaica and grew up in Miami, plans to arrive back at Opa-locka Executive Airport in Florida on Wednesday after a final stop in Alabama. His journey in recent days has taken him from Juneau, Alaska, to Seattle to Denver, from where he departed Saturday morning.

His plane is dotted with small stickers with the flags of several of the countries he visited, including Spain, Italy, Greece and Japan. His 21,000-mile trip included stops in Cleveland and New York before passing into Canada, then crossing the Atlantic, through Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Weather woes

He said the most difficult part of the trip was the weather, which delayed some legs, and keeping his mind occupied during the long flights. Landing small planes in some foreign countries, he said, can be a challenge, but he managed with the help of a savvy ground crew.

"There were some very tough times due to weather," Irving said. "There were times I was very frustrated."

Irving said he was inspired to fly after meeting a Jamaican-American pilot at his parents' Christian bookstore.

Irving is now studying at Florida Memorial University; he has private and commercial pilot licences. He also founded Experience Aviation, a Miami-based organisation that encourages minority youths to pursue aviation careers.