If you’ve driven down Navy Boulevard anytime since the end of World War II, you’ve probably seen the Flight Deck, a cozy little dive bar in Warrington older than the regulars who frequent it. And we’re not talking 20-somethings, we’re talking seniors well into their 60s who still are younger than the establishment they love.
Yes, it might have a reputation as a locals’ bar, where familiar faces flock to share a drink and some time together. But that doesn’t mean the Flight Deck doesn’t want more regulars, more visitors to become part of what the patrons call “a family.” And though the crowd is usually older during the day, younger folks join the Flight Deck party on evenings.
“You might be a stranger when you come in,” said Bonnie Overman. “But you won’t be by the time you leave.”
Overman and her husband Jerry Overman have owned the Flight Deck since 1988, purchasing the club from previous, but not original owners, Stafford and Katie Pulford. Stafford (Staff) Pulford was a decorated U.S. Navy fighter pilot who died in 2009. The Flight Deck opened in 1948, just a few years after the end of World War II, attracting folks from Warrington and war-weary sailors looking for a friendly drinking hole.