Out and About

BY KELLY MICHAUD, EDITOR

Tell us your favorite places to escape, or that special discovery you’ve recently made. E-mail Steppin’ Out at: kelly@steppinoutmaine.com Until next week, have fun in whatever you do while you’re steppin’ out in Midcoast Maine.

Come fly with me ...

     Last week, I learned how Snoopy felt, navigating through the air in his Red Baron flyer, ears flapping in the wind.

     Except the only thing flapping on me were my lips as I screamed and held on for dear life.

     Just kidding -- but it was pretty exhilarating.

     Imagine taking off and flying above the coastline, hundreds of feet in the air and peering down from the seat of a two-seater airplane.

     What a rush.

     Pilot Brad Carter of the Owls Head Transportation Museum took me up to take some aerial photos of the 57th Maine Lobster Festival on Wednesday. But the photo assignment turned into a quite the treat.

     Windows down and door open, the only thing that stood between me and the ground was my harness. We took off from a field (because the runway was being paved) and climbed up, the ground disappearing and the coastline and islands coming into view. We turned toward Rockland Harbor, flying over the city and looking down as I tried to identify the tiny sights beneath me.

     It’s one of those experiences that can make your stomach queasy but overwhelm you with awe at the same time.

     If you’d like to take flight with the museum, there are a few opportunities to get yourself in the air -- and in an antique flyer.

     During special events, (the next one is the 27th Annual New England Auto Auction on Aug. 21), if you become a new museum member or renew your membership, your name is put in a hat. A name is drawn every hour for someone to win a ride in a 1941 Stearman Biplane. You can fly that day or during another special event. Winners get a 20-minute flight up along the coast and cover about a 10 or 15 mile radius

     But if you don’t want to have to win a ride, there are other scenic flights offered along the coast.

     Maine Atlantic Aviation, formerly Telford Aviation, offers scenic flights in Midcoast Maine. The charter service is based out of Knox County Regional Airport in Owls Head.

     Passengers fly in a Cessna 206 -- which can seat three adults comfortably, including the pilot, plus room for a small child.

     The cost is $65 for every 15 minutes and the flights can be tailored depending on what you would like to see -- lighthouses, your home, lobster and sail boats under way, and more.

     Call 596-7100 to arrange a flight.

The views from a scenic flight can be quite breathtaking. Pictured is Rockland Harbor. KELLY MICHAUD PHOTO

     In the Down East region, contact Island Soaring of Trenton for a variety of flight opportunities, including scenic flights and glider rides.

     Island Soaring offers two basic flights. The first flight is about 22 minutes and flies from the Bar Harbor Airport, to the coast of Bar Harbor along the eastern shore of Acadia National Park, passing the Otter Cliffs, Thunder Hole, Sand Beach and continues to the Cranberry Isles. The flight then turns toward Northeast Harbor and over Somes Sound before returning to the airport.

     There is also a 45-minute lighthouse flight, which flies over six Down East lighthouses -- Winter Harbor Light, Egg Rock Light, Baker Island Light, Bear Island Light, Bass Harbor Head Light, Burnt Cove Lighthouse on Swan’s Island and Blue Hill Bay Lighthouse. The trip also offers views of Acadia, islands and the rocky coastline.

     “It’s just incredible,” said owner Mac Noyes, “It’s better than what everyone expects them to be. It’s a fantastic place to fly.”

     Customized flights are also available, Noyes said.

     The cost is $45 a person for 25-minute flights and $75 a person for 45-minute flights.

     Or, how about gliding through the air?

     The glider tours give visitors a half-mile descent back to earth in an engineless glider. Island Soaring uses Schweizer SGS 2-32 sailplanes, which are towed up behind a Cessna 182 plane and released into the air to fly on thermals -- currents of rising warm air. The gliders are then piloted by a member of the staff back to the runway, often covering anywhere from 16 or 17, to 35 miles, depending on time constraints and weather conditions.

     The scenery depends on wind direction but often trips offer views of Mount Desert Island and on a clear day, Mount Katahdin.

     “It’s an exhilarating ride,” Noyes said. “If you want to see people with smiles on their faces, see them when they get off of the gliders.”

     Rides start at $119 for two people.

     Island Soaring is located on Route 3 and is open daily, weather permitting, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Call 667-SOAR (7627) to arrange a flight.

     If you want to feel like Magnum P.I., arrange for a flight with Coastal Helicopters Inc. in Belfast. Owner and pilot Ben Magro or another pilot can take you up in a Bell 47G, float equipped helicopter, which looks like a bubble and can hold three people.

     Traveling at between 70 and 100 miles per hour, passengers have nearly a 300 degree unobstructed view when they are flying. You can look left, right, up and down and see everything around you. You may get to hover near sailboats, zoom over islands, and see the coast up close.

     Trips for up to two passengers are $400 per hour. Call 338-3755 for more.