Several local flight schools, including SafeFlight International Fort Myers and Naples Air Center, participate in Be A Pilot, a national, Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting personal aviation. The program offers an introductory $49 flight lesson to anyone interested in learning to fly. After the initial instruction, students can opt to sign up for lessons at the school, which typically cost between $4,500 and $8,500 from start to finish.

Drew Steketee, president and CEO of Be A Pilot, explains that the initial lesson involves a lot more than the student riding shotgun. "When you take your lesson," says Steketee, "you'll sit in the left-hand pilot seat and taxi the plane to the runway." He says this is difficult at first, since you're steering with your feet. "Once you line the plane up on the runway," he says, "under the guidance of the instructor, you'll advance the throttle to full power, and when the air speed indicator reaches 60-70 mph, you'll pull back on the control wheel and lift the plane off the runway." Once you've reached altitude, the instructor will show you how to use the controls to make left and right turns, and probably take you by to see your house. When you approach the airport, the instructor will take over to make the landing, since landing the plane is more difficult than taking off, Steketee explains.

"Most of the time flying is like sitting in a comfortable chair in your living room," says Steketee. "It's so relaxing and there's so much to look at; it's a total contrast to the tension of driving."

Web site: www.beapilot.com.

Toll-free phone: 888-BEAPILOT (232-7456).