Alabama Champion: 90-year-old pilot not slowing down, inspiring others to chase their dreams
Edwin Banks is almost 91 years old and has not given up on his love of flying. We choose him as our Alabama Champion for inspiring us that it is never too late to pursue your dreams.
Banks still instructs student pilots at Sanders Aviation in Jasper. He has been flying planes since 1966 but now, there are still some precautions he takes like not flying without someone else who can land the plane.
He flew and instructed pilots at NASA, The Drummond Company and many other companies. But now his favorite part aviation is passing on the knowledge and love for flying to the next generation.
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Banks said he loves the feeling when his students take their first solo flight. He says there’s nothing like it.
And even when he is on the ground, his head is in the clouds in a sense. He is currently building his fourth airplane.
He credits his longevity to doing what he loves and his wife’s good cooking. He still mows his yard and tends a garden.