Dexter man earns his pilot’s license in his 70s

Larry Thompson

DEXTER, Mo. —“For as long as I can remember,” says 73-year-old Larry Thompson, “I have been fascinated by airplanes. Of course, as a kid growing up in Caruthersville there were no opportunities for children to experience aviation as there are today. My first, and primary, exposure to planes was standing in the yard, looking up at the sky.”

It would be many years before Thompson’s dream of flying through the skies himself, became a reality.

“I never lost my love of airplanes; however, life got in the way and flying was a luxury that remained out of my reach,” he said.

After graduating from high school in 1963, Thompson enrolled at the College of the Ozarks. Unfortunately, he says, his head was in the clouds and he was not very disciplined in his studies. After a short time, he was asked to leave. Out of school and needing to work, he found a job as a lineman for the telephone company. He continued to work as a lineman until he was accepted into the Missouri State Highway Patrol in 1966.

Completing his training a year later, Thompson was assigned first to Poplar Bluff, then to Dexter where he remained until he left the patrol. It was during his stint in Poplar Bluff that he met his future wife, Marty. A Poplar Bluff native, she was teaching at Miss Hutchison’s School for Girls in Memphis, but was home for the weekend. The couple celebrated 51 years of marriage this month.

While working for the patrol, Thompson was chosen to attend a traffic institute held on the campus of Central Missouri State University. When he arrived at the college, the young patrolman decided to redeem himself.

“I could receive college credit for those courses, and you better believe I had learned my lesson about studying,” said Thompson. “I never worked so hard as I did during those classes, and it paid off because I was number two in the class.”

It was during his patrol years in the early 1970s that Thompson decided he could finally pursue his dream of flying.

“I was making $3,200 a year, and it cost $17 a session for the pilot instructor, gas and plane rental. I did it for nearly a year, but then we decided to start a family, and I felt like I needed to give it up,” he said.

Thompson says that in the following years he made it a point to stay away from planes and all things plane-related because he loved it so much.

“It was almost an addiction,” he says laughingly, “I was just eaten up with flying, and it was painful to be around where that was going on.”

After nine years with the highway patrol, Thompson says he was ready for a career change.

“I had always wanted to teach, so I enrolled at Southeast Missouri State and earned a degree in law enforcement,” he said.

He was employed by the state fire marshall as an investigator, and at night taught law enforcement classes at Three Rivers Community College.

“After seven or eight years, there was enough interest in that field of study, that it was added to their full-time curriculum, and so I became a full-time TRCC instructor. I retired from there in 2004,” he said.

Thompson proudly lists the accomplishments of some of his students.

“I have former students who work for the FBI, DEA, Secret Service, highway patrol, sheriffs’ departments and police departments. One student works for the Ontario Provincial Police,” he said.

Even after retirement, flying did not become a priority.

“The love and desire were there, but it always seemed that other things came first,” he said.

Fast forward 12 years to 2016. After a life-threatening health battle, Thompson decided it was now or never as far as his dream of flying was concerned.

“I had been sick, I had a new appreciation for the gift of life, and I simply decided I was going to try it again,” he said.

So, at the age of 71, he took to the skies.

“I had lessons for about a year at Skybound Aviation in Cape Girardeau. I tried to do it every week, but with weather and scheduling, that didn’t always work out,” he said.

Because of his age and health, Thompson opted to be licensed as a sport pilot. This license comes with some restrictions, but he is happy to finally have fulfilled the fantasy that began 70 years ago. Since obtaining his license, Thompson has purchased his own Sport aircraft, which he houses at the Dexter Municipal Airport. Now he flies whenever and wherever he wants.

Unlike his youth, children and young adults today have many opportunities to pursue their interest in flying.

“Aviation is one of the most popular professions,” says Thompson. “Many airlines offer college incentives to students who will sign with their companies, and some parts of the country have aviation-interest clubs for younger children.”

Even though his lifelong dream was many years in being realized, Thompson does not begrudge the wait.

“There is something about being in the air and being in control -- especially since I have been given a second chance. Flying through the sky is almost a spiritual experience,” Thompson said.