Television viewers watched Iain Armitage grow up before their eyes over the course of seven seasons of “Young Sheldon.”
Now that the beloved “Big Bang Theory” prequel has run its course, Armitage has been taking some time before jumping into another all-consuming acting role.
In the meantime, July 15, 2026 was a special day, marking his 18th birthday. However, his celebration was unusual in that he managed to avoid that date altogether.
Crossing the Meridian
As he explained in a photo he posted to Instagram, he was on a flight that, due to its nature, would prevent him from experiencing July 15.
“I’m on a flight that’s gonna cross the Prime Meridian, so I’m not actually gonna get to experience July 15th lol,” he wrote in the caption for the photo, in which he and his mother — both wearing party hats — are in a jet airliner.
“But still celebrating,” he added, “also apparently I just reached 1,000,000 miles?!”
A High-Flying Hobby
What most viewers of “Young Sheldon” didn’t realize was that Armitage is an amateur pilot. In his off time, he’d been taking flying lessons throughout his teenage years.
During an event event honoring “Young Sheldon” creator Chuck Lorre in October 2024, Armitage shared some big news with People.
“I just got my pilot’s license, or my student pilot’s license,” he said. “I hopefully will get my private [pilot’s license] when I’m 17. And I’ve been having a bunch of fun flying while I’m here in L.A.”
First Solo Flight
Prior to that, Armitage shared another milestone on Instagram when he revealed he’d just flown his very first solo flight.
“I’m grateful to everyone who helped me make this a possibility,” he wrote in the caption. “This was one of the very best days of my life!!” he added.
Not His First Birthday in the Air
Celebrating a birthday while flying in an airplane is nothing new for Armitage.
That, in fact, was also how he celebrated his 16th, piloting an airplane with grandmother as his passenger.
“It was an honor to fly her, and I loved being in the air again,” he wrote.
What’s Next for Iain Armitage?
Armitage has a couple of acting projects in the works.
For one, he’ll be reprising his breakthrough role of Ziggy Chapman in the upcoming season of “Big Little Lies,” reuniting with co-stars Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and his TV mom Shailene Woodley.
He’ll also be heard — but not viewed — as the voice of cartoon sleuth Shaggy in an upcoming animated “Scooby-Doo” feature, “Scoob! Holiday Haunt.”
Beyond that, his future plans remain to be seen.
Back in 2024, when discussing impending end of “Young Sheldon,” Armitage admitted he was going to miss working on the show where, at that point, he’d spent nearly half his life.
“It was harder than I thought it was going to be,” he admitted in an interview with “CBS Mornings.” “But also, sort of in a weird way, kind of just nice.”
As for what his future plans would be, he was uncertain. “I have no idea what’s next,” he admitted, adding, “and that’s kind of the most exciting thing about it.”
