But Doug Gregory Says He Will Continue To Fly

When you think about activities for nonagenarians, aerobatic air show pilot is probably not something that comes immediately to mind. But up until recently, it was top of the list for 90-year-old Doug Gregory, who lives in the U.K. A former RAF pilot, Gregory said he will finally give up flying in air shows ... but not flying.

Gregory flew 67 missions into Germany during WWII, according to a report in the U.K. newspaper The Mail. He also suffered a brain hemorrhage in 1947, and was told he would never fly again. He told The Mail that it was "obvious I could never do commercial flying," but that didn't stop him from pursuing his passion.

That passion manifested itself in a replica WWI SE5a biplane that he built himself between 1983 and 1987 at a cost of 5,000 pounds. Gregory called the plane "brilliant ... for doing stunts and lovely at aerobatics."

But, he said, at 90, he's having difficulty getting into and out of the bipe, and is finding it "very hard" to start. As much as it pains him, he's put the SE5a replica up for sale.

But that won't keep him out of the air. "I plan to stop flying when I die," he told the paper. It is the place where I want to be ... up in the air. It is just wonderful."

(SE5a image in public domain)

FMI: Image of Doug Gregory with SE5a Replica