Arleen Koors, 83, got her birthday wish Saturday when she took flight at the Warsaw Airport.
Koors' birthday was Saturday, and her eyes simply lit up when she talked of her desire to sit behind the controls of a plane one more time, said Derry Dillon, Koors' hairdresser and close friend.
"She's such a sweet woman and when she told us her wish ... I thought, we can make this happen," Dillon said. Dillon and Heather Lackey, also of D.C. Haircrafters, helped set up the event.
Ron Truex, general manager of Creighton Brothers, Warsaw, lent his plane and, as the pilot, was the only person accompanying Koors for the 35- to 40-minute flight.
Dillon said Truex was amazed at how much Koors knew about planes.
That's because Koors is no beginner when it comes to flying. She served in the Medical Corps of the U.S. Navy during WWII, and received her pilot's license in 1951 under the G.I. Bill of Rights.
Koors moved to Warsaw in late 1951, and in 1957 she passed the Civil Service Test. She was given a GS-4 secretarial rating and worked at the Air Force Liaison Office, where she prepared and kept records for the Air Force. She also coordinated matters between the Air Force and Civil Patrol.
Koors' son, Korky Koors, said his mom wanted just one more chance to sit in a cockpit.
"She damn near jumped in that plane when she got there," Dillon said.
