90-year-old pilot completes 90 US-Canada crossings

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NIAGARA FALLS, New York: A 90-year-old U.S. pilot completed his birthday quest to fly 90 passes across the U.S.-Canadian border in his Cessna 172 on Tuesday. I'll be back in 10 years for my 100th, John Lawton said after parking his 1964 airplane on the U.S. side.

Lawton, with his daughter, Brenda Alberico, by his side keeping count, performed a series of figure eights over the border, detouring for a few laps around nearby Niagara Falls, which straddles the U.S. and Canada.

Lawton, who has been a pilot for 56 years, said the idea came to him about three years ago.

``I just had this idea, it might be a stunt, to fly 90 turns across the international border when I'm 90 years old,'' he said.

His birthday was Monday, but his flight plans were cut short by high winds. He and Alberico got 28 passes in before landing.

With better conditions Tuesday, Lawton did tight figure-eight patterns, completing 68 crossings in under an hour and a half.

I think I was the last of the seven children who said yes, to be honest, Alberico said when asked what made her want to go on the ride.

Lawton did not want his son, who is also a pilot, along so there would be no question that Lawton was at the controls. A few of his daughters get air sick, so they were ruled out. (GNN)