john ricklets not only witnessed aviation history but he lived it. today people gathered to celebrate his 100th birthday and the life of a fighter pilot. >> if i would have known i was going to live this long i would have taken better care of myself. >> reporter: he was born just 11 years after the wright brother's historic flight. and he started his own history. in a plane without a break. >> i made my first airplane solo. at an airport that south of the stadium. and right on el camino. >> with an aeronautical debris he moved to helicopters. and eventually started rick helicopters which was once the largest helicopter company in the world. those aircrafts too have changed. >> they got more complicated. and i don't know that i can fly a modern helicopter. >> reporter: but perhaps his greatest aviation love is this fair child 24 the pegasus. it was given to him as a wedding gift by his father-in- law. he says that each plane has a story and this plane is known as the honey moon plane. it cost $7,800 in its time. today's pilots are sometimes seen as bu