At almost 101, one of the only surviving pilots of the WWII Beaufort bomber has been waiting patiently for a special restoration project that's been 40 years in the making to finish.
"I'd like to fly it. If it flies, I'll fly it," 100-year-old Wally Dalitz told A Current Affair.
"I haven't forgotten how."
The former instructor for several RAAF aircraft, including the Wirraway military plane, saw the end of the war in Papua New Guinea and he's such a fan of the Beaufort bomber, in particular, that he still has images of the aircraft he flew combat missions in, plastered across his bedroom.
"They were a very nice airplane too. I liked the Beaufort," Dalitz said.
The Beaufort bomber was proudly Australian made by a 30,000-strong workforce - a third of which were women - and served an important role in the country's defence.
Although 700 Beauforts were built in Australia, none of them have remained operational.
But that could all change when restorer Ralph Cusack and his team of volunteers complete their mission to get the aircraft back in the air.
They've been working hard inside a hangar at Caboolture in Brisbane's north to try and get it to take off once more.
"I thought it was gonna be easy but I soon learned it's not," Cusack said.
Once complete, it will be the only operational Beaufort bomber anywhere in the world.
The labour of love is slowly inching closer to a finish date but the team of volunteers said they still need some help and they're hoping they can raise just under $1 million to complete the aircraft.
While the finished bomber has taken a long time to work on, Cusack said it's "pride" that keeps him motivated to keep going after four decades.
"It's pride in what you do, it's pride in what's been done for us. It's just an inner feeling you get," he said.
Dalitz, who turns 101 in two weeks, hopes it won't take too much longer to complete and he said he'll keep postponing his "demise" just to see the Beaufort bomber fly again if he can.
"He should be about 103 if we can get the necessaries," Cusack said.
