Fort Wayne, Ind. (WANE) - Fort Wayne resident Patrick Borton considers himself an ordinary guy with a not so ordinary hobby.
In 2011, he traded his motorcycle to pay for flight lessons. "I've had motorcycles and I decided I was so sick of traffic and drivers that don't pay attention. I wanted to get away from that traffic, " said Borton.
So he cashed in his wheels to spread his wings to begin his learning to fly adventure.
Borton flies a Cessna 152 that he calls his Little Buddy. He said it got him through his flight training.
Borton is among 14 people who became private pilots last year at Sweet Aviation at Smith Field Airport.
There are a handful of flight schools in northeast Indiana. Sweet Aviation is the only one in Fort Wayne. Borton took lessons here in the summer of 2011, six months and almost $10,000 dollars later, he earned his private pilot's certificate.
"Every phase from takeoff to landing was just incredible because I'd never done it before," said Borton.
Borton doesn't own the plane he flies, but he can rent it whenever it's available. "You can take it up as long as you want as long as you have it signed out, " said Borton. "The cost is 90 to 100 dollars and that includes fuel. It's a tradeoff but it is saving you time."
The time saving factor is one of the reasons flight instructors say people pay to be their own pilot. Instructor Joel Pierce said. "it's great to be able to fly to Indianapolis in 30 minutes. it's a time saver it's also a lot of fun."
Pierce said in the last few years, he's seen more people signing up for lessons and the biggest concern isn't money. "Safety is a concern," said Pierce "If we do our job and stay proficient and we police ourselves then we're fine."
Before a plane is cleared for takeoff, it must pass a checklist. After Borton goes over the list and everything checks out, he's ready to spread his wings.
Source: http://www.wane.com
So he cashed in his wheels to spread his wings to begin his learning to fly adventure.
Borton flies a Cessna 152 that he calls his Little Buddy. He said it got him through his flight training.
Borton is among 14 people who became private pilots last year at Sweet Aviation at Smith Field Airport.
There are a handful of flight schools in northeast Indiana. Sweet Aviation is the only one in Fort Wayne. Borton took lessons here in the summer of 2011, six months and almost $10,000 dollars later, he earned his private pilot's certificate.
"Every phase from takeoff to landing was just incredible because I'd never done it before," said Borton.
Borton doesn't own the plane he flies, but he can rent it whenever it's available. "You can take it up as long as you want as long as you have it signed out, " said Borton. "The cost is 90 to 100 dollars and that includes fuel. It's a tradeoff but it is saving you time."
The time saving factor is one of the reasons flight instructors say people pay to be their own pilot. Instructor Joel Pierce said. "it's great to be able to fly to Indianapolis in 30 minutes. it's a time saver it's also a lot of fun."
Pierce said in the last few years, he's seen more people signing up for lessons and the biggest concern isn't money. "Safety is a concern," said Pierce "If we do our job and stay proficient and we police ourselves then we're fine."
Before a plane is cleared for takeoff, it must pass a checklist. After Borton goes over the list and everything checks out, he's ready to spread his wings.
Source: http://www.wane.com
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