It was the first time in about 30 years the Mayville woman — who turned 100 years old last week — believes she had been inside such a small plane. But you wouldn’t know it speaking to her after a 20-minute flight that included a trip around a golf course that Amelia Earhart once famously landed on in 1929.

“I’m comfortable in the air because I like to identify places that I know,” said Weitz, who first took pilot lessons in the early ’60s with her husband. “I like to be able to identify what I can see. I’m not ill at ease in a small plane.”

About a year ago, Weitz was asked by Doug Marshall — both members of the Chautauqua Township Historical Society — if she’d be up for taking a plane ride on her 100th birthday. The Holland, New York, native and former school teacher was on board with the idea.

After some planning the last few months, the trip went off without a hitch Monday morning with the help of Randy Nalbone of Majestic Aviation at the Jamestown airport, and Charley Kight, the pilot for the quick excursion.

Weitz is pictured inside the Cessna shortly before takeoff with Kight at the controls.

In addition to seeing the Chautauqua Golf Club where Earhart landed on the 14th fairway more than 90 years ago, Monday’s flight took the pair over Weitz’s home next to the Dart Airport near Mayville. Marshall tagged along for the ride.

Once back on the ground, Weitz called the flight “the thrill of a lifetime.”

She added, “It was just such a wonderful time. I was able to see what I wanted to see and that’s important. … I got to see my house and the Dart Air Field, as well as everything around Chautauqua Lake.”

Kight, who is also a flight instructor, said it was a pleasure to fly with Weitz.

“I think she’s an inspiration for a lot of girls like me and other pilots like me,” she said. “It’s really inspiring to see that she just turned 100 and she still has a passion for it. It’s something that just doesn’t leave you.”

The Cessna is pictured after takeoff Monday from the Chautauqua County-Jamestown Airport on Monday. P-J photo by Eric Tichy

Marshall thanked Majestic Aviation for donating the plane and fuel to make the trip possible along with Kight for piloting the aircraft. “It was an excellent day,” he said. “We were fortunate the weather was clear, and Charley did an excellent job — it made Janice feel more at ease.”

Born Aug. 13, 1921, Weitz attended Holland Central School and later received her teaching degree from Houghton College in 1942. She taught English in Arcade and then was a media specialist at Ellicottville.

She was a student pilot at the Perry Warsaw Airport in the 1960s. “My husband was an airplane buff, my father was, and so I guess I kind of caught on to it,” she said. “My husband decided he wanted to learn how to fly, and I encouraged him, and I also took lessons.”

Weitz retired from teaching in 1976 and worked for the IRS until 1986. She spends time in both Mayville and Port Orange, Fla.

Around planes for much of her life, Weitz said she’s never feared getting into the air.

“I’ve flown with people in commercial flights who are so terrified — they have no idea what’s going on,” she said. “You try to talk them through, ‘This is the sound of the landing gear — this is what they’re doing, this is what’s happening.’ They’re terrified, and I never had that.”

Her best advice to overcome a fear of flying? “Do it more often,” she said. “It’s like with anything else, you’re scared when you first start to rollerskate, but you learn how.”

Among notable moments of her life she likes to recount: Getting to sit inside the Spirit of St. Louis, the plane flown by Charles Lindbergh who in May 1927 made the first solo, nonstop transatlantic flight from New York to France. “It was comforting to see that it wasn’t much different than any plane I had been in,” Weitz said.

Another highlight: Taking a trip in 1970 — at a cost of $1,200 — that brought her all the way around the world. Seeing the Taj Mahal was the most memorable part of the journey.

Weitz said she’s been asked often recently how she stays so young. Easy, she responds. “I keep busy, I keep doing things. I belong to a lot of organizations that are very active.”