Looking for ways to break free over spring break?

Flying may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but it’s perfect for anyone with the time and the desire for a unique type of freedom that can only be experienced high in the air.

If you’re interested in flying, it’s easy to get started. Most small and medium-sized airports have some kind of flight school connected to them. The Rocky Mountain Flight School offers introductory lessons for $120 for two hours of instruction.

Getting a private or recreational pilot’s license, required if you want to be able to fly solo whenever you wish, generally requires 40-60 hours of flight time and passing a written exam.

My opportunity came from the Rocky Mountain Flight School, based at the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield.

They’re one of many small flight schools in the area that can help give you your first taste of flight, which, I should stress, is dramatically different than being a passenger in a commercial aircraft.

For my first lesson, I was already expected to do most of the flying. This may seem a little scary, but with an instructor sitting on my right, ready to take the controls if necessary, it really wasn’t bad. In fact, the hardest part took place while we were still on the ground.

When we first entered the plane I was confronted with a dizzying array of controls: knobs, dials, switches – the works. My instructor, Annie Johnston, went over the few I actually needed to pay attention to as a student. Next were the pedals, which are used primarily for controlling the plane on the ground.

As we began to taxi forward, I quickly realized this was nothing like driving a car. My hands went automatically to the useless steering wheel, which controlled the ailerons (the flaps on the wings) and did nothing while we were on the ground.

I began to feel a bit apprehensive about the actual process of flying. If controlling the plane on the ground is this difficult, what would it actually be like in the air?

Luckily, believe it or not, planes are made to fly better than they drive. We aligned ourselves for take-off, and Annie instructed me to push the throttle all the way in. The engine began to roar and soon we were moving forward faster and faster. With Annie’s help, I was able to maintain a straight line and soon we were in the air.

Without the power of the jet engines found on commercial airplanes, the actual feeling of leaving the ground was significantly less dramatic.

Soon enough, the steering wheel became relevant and Annie let me take over completely. The ground quickly fell away as we gained altitude.

With the Rockies, an impressive barrier on our left, and the snow-covered plains to our right, we began to make our way north. It was only a matter of minutes before Annie commented we had passed Boulder.

Once in the air, I relied almost entirely on the steering wheel, which could also be pushed in or out to adjust the pitch of the airplane. Annie kept watch on the dials, explaining the numbers I hadn’t yet learned to interpret. She also kept a sharp eye out for other aircraft and pointed out landmarks by which we could navigate.

The actual act of flying a plane really isn’t that difficult. Annie was doing a lot of the necessary monitoring, but controlling the plane was almost second-nature. I did a few turns and circles with ease.

When we had reached the Carter Lake Reservoir, Annie instructed me to turn around and head back to the airport.

Time passes incredibly quickly while flying. It seemed only a matter of minutes before the Rocky Mountain Airport was in sight. Annie instructed me on how to line up with the runway, though she took the controls for the actual landing.

As we sunk down, I braced myself for impact with the ground. However, Annie easily maneuvered the plane onto the runway, and we landed just as smoothly as we had taken off.

I took over again for the taxiing, which was just as difficult as before, and soon the plane was parked outside of the flight school. Annie informed me that we had been flying for an hour, though it had hardly seemed as long.

Though just an introductory lesson, I had been able to do much more than I expected. It was an experience I am grateful to have had, and I look forward to beginning the process of getting my pilot’s license this summer.

Of course, if you’re simply looking for a new experience, or if you want to cross something off your 2012 Bucket-list, I can think of no better activity then piloting.

Less than one percent of the U.S. population has a pilot’s license, and only very few more have ever flown a plane at all.

While going through the whole process of licensing can be quite costly, a single flight, in my opinion, is well worth the expense.