Flying a plane is kind of like playing a video game — just a few thousand feet in the air.

But there is nothing in the video game world that can compare with the views of the San Juan Islands from the sky. Our little group of islands is spectacular. Patches of lush greenery dotted with tiny buildings and magnificently blue lakes all in a great expanse of ocean.

I recently had the chance to see our island home from the sky during my first flying lesson with the Airline Training Academy of Puget Sound based at the Anacortes airport.

I’d only been in a small plane once, and taking control of a 2,500-pound aircraft was a little intimidating.

But once I was in the air, soaring through the brilliant blue sky, I couldn’t imagine not doing it again.

“It’s a bug that bites you. It may bite you today, Kimberly, or it may not,” owner Mike Freeman told me before my — forgive the term — crash course in aviation.

I think I’ve been bit.

Flying is a family affair at the academy.

Mike Freeman learned to fly at 14. After being a Navy pilot for seven years, including time in Vietnam, Freeman became an airline pilot. He retired from Delta and opened the training school in late 2005. His wife, Leslie, now works as a real estate agent, but the couple met while she was working as a flight attendant.

Their oldest son, Ryan, is in the Air Force, son Matt flies commuter jets for ExpressJet and is the academy’s director of operations, son Josh is attending the Air Force Academy and youngest son Jordan is a senior at Anacortes High School. Jordan plans to get his license this summer.
Jon Hartsock, the company’s chief flight instructor, was a chief pilot for the Kansas City Aviation Center. There are also several part-time instructors.

Lessons start with ground school.

“It’s everything about the airplane before you get in it,” Freeman said.

Students learn how a plane flies, what to check before taking to the skies and rules and regulations.

The school prepares pilots for a written test and fly-along required to get a private license. Private pilots must have 40 flight hours and meet a long list of other requirements.

“A flight school is a benefit to young people here,” Freeman said. “These kids are video game conversant and they pick it up like drinking milk.”

Before takeoff, students and instructors do a pre-flight check, making sure everything from the tires and wings to the fuel and paperwork are ready for flight.

“It’s not like when you walk up to your car and don’t see a flat tire so you get in and drive,” Freeman said.

Before my flight, Hartsock went through a rigorous check of the plane — a Diamond Aircraft D40. Built in Canada, it is composite plane made of fiberglass and carbon with no rivets.

He made sure the fuel was the right color, the control stick was working and the rudder turned when it was supposed to.

“I like to go up and wiggle things — make sure they’re attached and not loose,” Hartsock said. “You’d hate to get up in the air and realize your rudder doesn’t work.”

Planes are also inspected after every 50 hours of flight time and have the equivalent of an annual inspection after every 100 hours where all systems are checked and parts are changed.

“It makes a Porsche or BMW oil change look cheap,” Freeman said.

After the check, Hartsock pulled the plane out of the hangar and it was time to get in.

Being in the cockpit feels almost like being in a car — with wings. There are pedals on the floor to help with steering and a control stick, which does resemble a joystick for video games.

Monitors showing everything from elevation and fuel amount to where the islands are and speed allow pilots to fly without actually being able to see if necessary.

Steering on the ground was more challenging than I expected. I had to remind my feet that the left pedal wasn’t the brake and the right wasn’t the gas.

I’ve taken many trips in commercial jets, so those takeoffs feel rather humdrum. But in a small plane, where you can see the nose climbing, the takeoff is spectacular. I can’t even imagine what airline pilots see when they coax their jets into the air.

Once we were airborne, the plane was mine.

Hartsock guided me over the San Juan Islands as I maneuvered the plane.

On ferries it’s easy to get lost in the islands. They all look rather the same. From the air they’re unmistakable. Orcas Island really looks like a misshapen horseshoe and it’s easy to pick out Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.

I spent more than an hour in the air, but time flew by. I can understand the attraction — it’s peaceful and exhilarating at the same time.

With 40,000-plus pilots scheduled to retire from the military and airline industry, Freeman said there is nowhere to go but up.

“There’s nothing but growth in aviation,” he said.

The company has 34 active students, including several high schoolers who decided to make flying their culminating project.

They attract a variety of people who want to get their private pilot’s license, including military personnel, retirees and a lot of people interested in using planes to expand their business.

“We get everyone from newbies to midlife crisis,” son Matt said.

And with airlines hiring fewer pilots with a military background, many are now learning to fly at places like the training academy, Freeman said.
“Our vision here is to teach a pilot from his very first lesson to be a professional pilot,” he said.

As for the future, Freeman plans to start Anacortes Air Links. The new business would fly people on one-day trips, like to a business conference in Spokane.

He would also like to see more people visiting the airport just for kicks.

“We want to involve the community in the airport,” he said. “People just love hanging out at the airport.”

I guided the plane around Mount Erie as we were coming in to land. The view of Campbell Lake from the mountain is incredible, but it’s a completely different perspective from the air.

As we got closer to the airport I was able to spot my street and even my house. From the air, Skyline looks like a sprawling village and Lovric’s boats look like children’s toys.

Hartsock took over the controls to land the plane and proved he was a professional pilot with his soft touch-down.

The first things I thought as we taxied back to the hangar: Wow and when can I do this again?



Check out airline academy
The Airline Training Academy of Puget Sound will host the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, June 19 at 4010 Airport Road, Hangar 1. RSVP to the chamber at 293-7911.

The training academy is a comprehensive aviation training center operated by experienced professional pilots. They offer flight training and systems and ground instruction for all levels of experience. They also provide maintenance, aircraft sales, hangar development and construction. Visit http://www.ataofpugetsoundmation.

How to take your own flight
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to sit in the pilot’s seat, take the controls and fly a plane — here’s your chance. ProjectPilot.org, the learn-to-fly outreach initiative sponsored by the nonprofit Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, can help you set up a flight lesson.

The Web site includes AOPA’s database of flight schools across the country, many of which offer steeply discounted introductory flights ranging from $59-$89.

Founded in 1939, AOPA is the world’s largest aviation membership organization. Its mission is threefold: advocacy, education and Information.