Plane Facts: Oldest Aviators
An assortment of facts and quotes about old, bold pilots
The act of piloting an aircraft is one that takes great skill, both physically and mentally. That said, with rare exceptions, like aerobatics or flying aerodynamically challenging planes, the physical demands on the pilot are modest. But the mental acuity required to fly a plane is great regardless of what make and model you might choose. And it's a sad fact of nature that as we age, we tend to lose some of that sharpness, though how much and and what age this happens varies widely. There are 80-something pilots who are still razor sharp, and there are 60-year-olds who, well, just aren't. So, these very noteworthy aviators who flew well into their golden years are exceptional by any measure, and us mere mortals can only look at what they've accomplished and marvel at their feats.
Oldest competing aerobatic pilot: Ian Metcher
Age at record (2001): 86
Last age inverted: 95
Quote from wife: "I just worry when he drives."
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World's oldest fighter pilot: Phil Frawley
Country: Australia
Age at retirement: 66
Years married: 45
Grandkids: 4
Fighter pilots trained: 499
Last flew: Hawk 127
Favorite fighter: MiG-21 supersonic jet
MiG-21s produced in world: 11,496
Record holder for oldest active pilot: Ernest Eli Smith
Age at time of record (2016): 98
Born: 1917
Also born in 1917: John F. Kennedy
Job at retirement: Beer truck driver
Age FAA grounded: 99
Reason: Health issues
Quote: "Flying doesn't take special skills."
Previous record holder: Pete Weber Jr.
Age at record (2015): 95 years, 4 months and 23 days
Years as pilot: 72
Models of aircraft flown: 37
Military branch: U.S. Army Air Corps (later the Air Force)
Service in WWII: P-38 fighter pilot
In-flight emergencies: 1
Occurred on: His wedding day
Landing site: Cornfield
Hours late for nuptial bliss: 4
Oldest active pilot ever recorded: Cole Kugel
Age at record (2007): 105
Born: 1902, one year before Wright Brothers' historic flight
Year licensed: 1945
First plane: Piper Super Cruiser
Distance to ferry plane home: 1,250 miles
Technology used: Compass, road maps
Lifetime in-flight emergencies: 0
Quote: "I had a good life."
Oldest active commercial pilot: Jun Takahashi
Born: 1922
Career at time of record (2014): Instructing, towing gliders
Total flight time: >25,000 hours
25,000 hours in years: 3
Quote: "The concept of retirement has never entered my mind."
Previous career: Japanese Naval Air Force bomber pilot
Notable mission: Battle of Okinawa, WWII
Japanese planes that survived mission: 1
Flown by: Takahashi
Survival reason: Flew solo bomber runs instead of with group formation
Oldest to obtain FAA private pilot certificate: James Collins Warren
Year: 2010
Age: 87
Arrests: 2
Offense #1: Entered white-only officers club on military base with other black officers
Offense #2: Refused order to sign base regulation 85-2, an agreement of racial segregation
Black officers arrested in the Freeman Field mutiny: 161
Segregation ended in armed forces: 1948
Warren retired: 1978
Years of service: 35
Life's mantra: "Let no one tell you that you can't do it."
Oldest pilot to solo helicopter: David Marks
Age: 87
Flight distance: 38.2 nm
Helicopter: Enstrom F28
Oldest person known to take first flight lesson: Virginia Mills
Place of residence: Vista Veranda Assisted Living Facility
Date of lesson: May 19, 2019
Date of birth: May 19, 1914
U.S. president in 1914: Woodrow Wilson
Shirt worn during lesson: "It took me 105 years to look this good."
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