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Howard Botts and Lucille Botts wave as they prepare for takeoff in a 1943 PT-19 Fairchild Aug. 15.

Lucille in the sky
By Taylor Messick
Last Updated: August 31, 2017

Pilot takes 96-year-old mother on a rare flight

Aug. 15 was a day Lucille Botts had been looking forward to for several years.

Lucille is 96 years old, but on her 90th birthday, her son, Howard Botts, gave her a certificate that promised her a ride in an airplane. This wouldn't just be a ride in any old plane — it was in a rebuilt trainer plane from the 1940s with an open cockpit, one that Howard and a few other Valley Center airplane buffs completely restored.  

“It was just a certificate promising her a ride in this plane, because we hadn't even gotten it built yet," Howard said. “She's been waiting a long time to take a ride. My dad flew a Stearman off and on; she wanted to go for a ride in an open cockpit so she went for a ride with one of his friends, but that had to be back in the ‘40s."

She was only in her 20s when she first rode in an open cockpit — but hadn't had a chance to experience the thrill of flying through open air since. Howard has been flying since the late 1960s, and Lucille has taken a few rides with him.

Howard said he has always been interested in planes and enjoyed a career in avionics working for B&D Instruments for many years. He has also made a number of friends who love working on planes over the years. Together, they took a plane that seemed like a lost cause and turned it into something more than air worthy.

“This plane was built in 1942, sold to the military in 1943 and they put their livery on it," said Howard. “And I was born in 1943 so I think we match. It's a PT-19 Fairchild (originally a PT-23) and this was a Nixon trainer the Army built to train people for P-51 fighters. The pilot sits in the front, and the one training sits in the back."

When the plane was purchased in 2006, it was in poor shape. All of the original wooden parts had rotted and only the loose, metal pieces of the plane were still useful. After a nine-year process, the plane was up and running. Howard said he is grateful for the help he received from friends like Wayne Bormann, Dick Curtis and Charlie Criswell. He said 16,000 hours went into the project as the team worked every Tuesday and Thursday.

They thought the plane was finished in 2014 but ran into more issues. The engine was using too much oil and had to be torn down and rebuilt; then the cylinders needed to be replaced. Then Howard ran into medical issues and had to get a new license before flying again. All of this kept Lucille on the ground until Aug. 15.

Howard and Lucille took the plane up for a good half-hour and flew southeast from their Valley Center airfield. Howard said he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to convince Lucille that it was time to land. She wanted to keep going.

“It was just wonderful," said Lucille. “I've been waiting for this for 10 years since we first talked about it; today was finally the day. I would certainly do it again. I wanted to go to El Dorado but he thought that was too far. Maybe next time."





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