Springfield Masonic Community resident and World War II veteran Donald Muncy had the honor of being the 6,000th veteran to fly in a World War II-era Stearman bi-plane.

The Springfield native flew with Dream Flights founder Darryl Fisher during the milestone flight at Grimes Field in Urbana on Tuesday.

Muncy, representing all veterans who have flown before him, took the 15-minute flight two days after the Dayton Air Show where Dream Flights served as a static display and flew other veterans at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Following Tuesday’s flight, Muncy said: “It was a lot of fun. It was great to be chosen as the 6,000th flier. It was a privilege to represent my fellow veterans.”

Fisher noted “how cool it is to have Don as our 6,000th ride.”

Muncy’s ride comes 12 years after the Dream Flights founder’s first Dream flight in March of 2011.

Since that time, Dream Flights has flown veterans in 49 states as a nonprofit dedicated to giving back to veterans.

Muncy served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean conflict and later spent more than 20 years working for the Federal Aviation Administration. He retired as the FAA administrator for the San Francisco northern west coast area.

He has been a resident of the Springfield Masonic Community for 15 years. The Masonic Community’s annual outing with Dream Flights has also occurred at Grimes Field in past years.

Muncy was recently honored as a recipient of the Ford Oval of Honor class of 2023 at ceremonies held at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.