Ecologist and third-year Law student Basha Hicks, who passed the Ground School test after taking the course with the Harvard Flying Club says, "The problem with joining the Flying Club is that soon you start buying "Flying" magazine, and then you write to the companies and send for brochures, and you dream of buying a plane."

Although Hicks has not yet logged enough flying hours to get her license--a novice needs 20 hours with an instructor and 20 hours solo--she says that she has co-piloted many small planes while doing consulting work in South America. "I learned just by doing it from the seat of my pants--just the way children learn to drive cars."

Although a new, single-engine, two-seater, six-gear aircraft costs around $30,000 to $40,000, Hicks is not the only club member who dreams of owning an airplane. Arango says that he hopes to pursue a career that will allow him to fly himself places for business reasons.

Arango, whose uncle owns airplanes and was the first Mexican to fly around the world in a twin-engine airplane, explains that he started flying planes in Mexico City with his father when he was eight years old. He says, "Now that I teach, I think it's definitely an advantage to learn young. When you're young, you tend not to take things so seriously. I don't want to say you don't get scared, but it's a different perspective."

Russell says that he also plans to continue flying planes--his immediate plans include joining a two-year training program to be a pilot in the air force reserve. This type of training for combat flying entails mastering aerobatics and low level flying. He explains that the the challenge of becoming a fighter flyer is "learning to do loops and spins and turns at 50 feet off the ground at 600 miles per hour."

Like his flying partner Arango, Russell also learned his skills at a young age--from his father, a commerical pilot, and his mother, a flight attendant. He recalls. "Most kids would go fishing, but my dad and I would talk airplanes. We'd go down to the airport and he'd show me the control rooms and weather maps."

Russell says that, while pilots can get a license as early as age 18, it takes many hours of practice to become proficient in the air. He adds, "You either do it right or you don't ever do it again."

"The problem with joining the flying club is that you soon start buying "Flying" magazine, and then you write to the companies and send for brochures, and you dream of buying a plane." Ecologist and third-year law student Basha Hicks, who passed the ground school test after taking a course with the Harvard Flying Club