A South Thomaston man set three world aviation records earlier this year as part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of powered flight, according to the National Aeronautic Association.

Ed Sleeper, 67, set records in July for city-to-city routes in a category called “speed over recognized courses” and his efforts involved two classes of airplanes, said Art Greenfield, a spokesman for the aeronautic association.

Sleeper, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and pilot, “established” the records, Greenfield said. Of the many city-to-city flight paths that are recognized courses, Sleeper was the first to fly from Hagerstown, Md., to Borger, Texas; Borger to Santa Rosa, Calif.; and Rockland, Maine, to Elmira, N.Y.

“It’s just kind of a personal achievement thing,” Sleeper said Tuesday. “It was kind of fun, a chance to get my place in the record book.”

Sleeper is also president of the Knox County Flying Club, a first selectman and a former Knox County commissioner.

On July 6, the Maryland-to-Texas flight was completed in 9 hours, 26 minutes and 54 seconds in a Cessna 208B, which computes to an average speed of 139.58 mph. The plane, known as a Caravan, has a 675-horsepower engine and carries 10 people, Sleeper said.

The Borger-to-Santa Rosa trip on July 7, also in the Caravan, took nine hours, 36 minutes and 4 seconds, or 124.29 mph.

Jim Nolan of Hope joined Sleeper for the July 19 flight from Rockland to New York state, which was completed in 3 hours, 9 minutes and 14 seconds in Sleeper’s personal Cessna 172K. The average speed for the trip was 131.33 mph.

“He shared the record with me,” Sleeper said.

The certification process takes time, Sleeper said, explaining the timing of the NAA’s announcement earlier this month. The Federation Aeronautique Internationale, which is the international organization, must also certify a record, he said.

“Sleeper completed the flights while successfully undergoing treatment for prostate cancer this year,” the U.S. association noted in its news release.

On Tuesday, Sleeper said none of his cancer treatments interfered with his flying status.

“It was a piece of cake,” Sleeper said of his treatments. “I want men my age to know.”

In the United States, NAA serves exclusively as the national authority in overseeing and certifying aviation records, according to its Web site.

It is a nonprofit membership organization devoted to opportunities for people to participate fully in aviation and to promoting public understanding of the importance of aviation and space flight to the United States.