A Cumnock man has realised his lifelong dream of becoming a pilot by flying in a true warplane at the age of 90.

At a young age, Richard Gilmour tried to enlist, but his father wouldn’t sign the papers, so he resigned himself to working on a farm in his hometown of Cumnock before emigrating to Canada at the age of 19.

Even though he set up a new life for himself in Hamilton, Ontario, Richard always stayed true to his Scottish heritage, becoming a member of the Veterans Service League club and working as a bartender for the local British Imperial veteran’s club even after retiring.

Cumnock Chronicle: Richard ready for take off.Richard ready for take off.

In recent years, Richard has faced numerous hardships, namely the death of his beloved wife of 65 years, Beverley, and the onset of a global pandemic.

With the man due to turn 90 on October 9, his family knew they had to do something unforgettable to mark such a significant milestone.

With this in mind, Richard and his family, including granddaughter Allyson Gilmour, headed to the Canadian Warplane Heritage museum in Hamilton, which features dozens of Canadian military planes as well as exhibits.

There, Allyson saw her grandfather’s face light up, setting the plan in motion for his upcoming flight.

Allyson explained: “To this day, he has told us how he wishes he had been able to be a pilot and fly on a warplane. He did a lot of travelling with his friends and family but nothing compared to his dream of flying a true warplane.

“The last few years have been very tough for my grandfather. He lost his wife last year in their 65th year of marriage. He also had now lived his 90th year in lockdown due to a global pandemic. We had planned to throw him a party with his friend and family but with the restrictions, we were not able to do this.

Cumnock Chronicle: Richard set to fly the North American Harvard.Richard set to fly the North American Harvard.

“My dad came up with the idea of looking into him flying a warplane. He contacted the museum and was able to get my grandfather a flight on the North American Harvard.

“We told him at dinner on the night of his actual birthday and he started to cry. There was nothing more we could have given him then to let him live out his dream.”

As luck would have it, on the date Richard was due to take off, high winds meant that the flight had to be cancelled.

However it was soon rescheduled for October 16 – and this time it went off without a hitch.

Allyson said: “The minute we woke up that morning, we knew it was going to be a good day. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the weather was beautiful. We made it to the museum and his flight was a go.

“I watched the whole process of my grandfather getting to live out his dream and I’ve never been so happy. The smile on his face after the flight was worth everything.

“His first words after getting off were, “when can I go again?”

She added: “My family and I are so truly lucky to be able to have spent all these years with my grandfather and that day was a very special day.

“I hope that I can live my life even half the way my grandfather did as he is truly an inspiration to me.”