On April 2, McAllen resident Dick Smith, a World War II U.S. Navy pilot, turned 100 years old and celebrated his birthday by flying an airplane from McCreery Aviation.
“It was a very big surprise and a wonderful, wonderful experience,” Smith said about his birthday. “So many people were so interested. I got probably over a hundred cards from people and calls from all over the United States. [It was] very uplifting to experience, to imagine, so many people who are interested.”
Bob McCreery, president of McCreery Aviation, said the milestone flight was planned several years ago.
“I told Dick, ‘If you make it to 100 years old, we’ll take you flying,” McCreery said. “We’ll get you one of our airplanes with one of our chief flight instructors.’”
McCreery has known Smith as a friend and customer of McCreery Aviation for over 30 years.
“He is a highly respected local within our community and a longtime personal friend,” he said. “It was a real pleasure to host his memorable milestone flight on his 100th birthday.”
McCreery said Smith has been a pilot since the 1940s, who flew with the Navy and in World War II, and became an aircraft owner.
“Most recently, he built his own airplane … and he flew it himself,” he said. “He was still flying his own little airplane until about two years ago.”
Smith stopped flying airplanes for about a year until his birthday.
“I was really happy,” he said. “That was quite a flight. … I hadn’t been in an airplane for a year. I was just really thrilled to have McCreery arrange that.”
He said he has been a pilot since he was 18 years old.
“We had one of our instructors with him, but Mr. Smith did all the flying,” McCreery said. “The instructor pretty much sat there and watched him. … [Mr. Smith] did everything. He took off and flew around and landed, and he’s still driving too, by the way. So, he drove out to the airport. … He’s in good shape for a 100-year-old guy.”
Smith flew for about 50 minutes.
The pilot described the flight as having “high winds, but dusty as all heck.”
“We were bouncing all over the sky, about 75 miles an hour. … I couldn’t see from Edinburg to McAllen in the air. … It was a rough, rough, rough flying day,” he said.
For his flight, Smith took off from McAllen, flew around north of Edinburg and then came back.
Smith said to never give up on a desire.
“That’s No. 1,” he said. “You can have anything that you want if you work hard enough for it. I had my first flight since I was 18, and I’ve been flying ever since and life has been a great, great experience.”
