Since the age of 10, Mary Moe has had a dream. She wanted to fly airplanes. She was too young to join the Women Air Force Pilots during their short stint and she was too short to become what she referred to as an airhostess. Like so many women, Moe was married, had children and put her dream on hold.
Moe had other obstacles along the way. In 1957, at the age of 34, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. This was long before the age of pink ribbons, but through her positive attitude and a radical mastectomy, Moe beat the cancer and, with a determination to see her young children grow up and raise their own families, she vowed to become a flying grandmother. It wasn’t until she turned 91 that her dream turned into reality.
Moe found a flyer from an organization called Wish of a Lifetime, which fulfills dreams of senior citizens. Mary filled out a request form and through a donation from a local move-management company called TAD Relocation she got her wish. Moe received certificates for four flight lessons at the Washington International Flight Academy, located at the Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Through the years, Moe has done quite a bit of flying as an airline passenger, but this was a different experience for her. “To be actually doing it is a wonderful thing,” she said. “It was really invigorating and the instructor was very calm and collected.”
Rather than attaining her dream of becoming a flying grandmother, Moe became a flying great grandmother. Her daughter, granddaughter and two great-granddaughters cheered her on during her special flight. “I wish I could have done this 50, 60, 70 years ago,” Moe said.
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