'Lefty' gives it another go

Before the story was published he had changed his mind and decided additional flights would be necessary before he could call it quits. He was 93. In early August he proved the decision was still open with yet another last flight in that same Quicksilver—at age 99. Afterward he announced he would call it quits.

His flight took him, solo, to the former site of his grandmother’s farm where he played as a boy. He saw the tree where he sat as a boy, pretending it was an airplane. His very first airplane ride as a boy ended badly with a midair crash that killed Mildred Kauffman, who held the women’s record for loops.

Leftwich and the Quicksilver returned after 30 minutes, doing a fly-by of his son, Bill. Both his son and grandson make the final inspections for Gulfstream business jets. Bill helped Phil Lockwood design and manufacture the twin-engine AirCam for National Geographic.

Leftwich's Threshing Bee Airport at McLouth, Kansas, near Kansas City, named for a threshing bee once held on the fairgrounds near there, has been quiet between his yearly flights. After his last flight on Aug. 8, the day after his birthday, Leftwich taxied up to his son and said, “OK, that’s it, I’m done.” Here’s betting the grass runway airport will once again host the roar of Lefty’s engine on his 100th birthday.