Opa-Locka, Fla. ? Barrington Irving kept his fans in suspense as he circled the skies in his plane Inspiration – now marked with flag stickers of the countries he has visited on a worldwide adventure.

After a journey that lasted more than three months, the 23-year-old landed his single-engine Lancair Columbia 400 Wednesday to a hero’s welcome at the Opa-Locka Executive Airport.

Irving, a Florida Memorial University aerospace student, craved rest.

“I think my body just physically gave up,” said Irving with a laugh of his journey that began March 23.

Hundreds of people gathered at the airport hangar to welcome Irving and celebrate his record feat as the youngest pilot and the first black person to fly solo around world. People wore buttons and cooled off with fans bearing Irving’s image. A banner in the hangar read, “Live, Dream, Fly!”

Beneath cloudy skies, the Jamaican-born Irving circled the airport a few times before touching down on the runway about 10:30 a.m. EDT. He immediately reunited with family and close friends. Dressed in a brown jumpsuit and black boots, Irving gave a short speech to the crowd. Many were of Jamaican descent and waved the country’s flag.

“They told me I was too young. They told me I didn’t have enough money … They told me it’s going to take me forever. They told me I’d never come back home. Well guess what?” Irving said as he grinned at the crowd.