The Good Life – November-December 2015

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Mike Paulson • Flight School Manager, Fargo Jet Center • From Fargo, North Dakota • Gained interest in flying from playing with model planes as a child • Started flying in 1973, while still in high school • Earned his Private Pilot License and joined Air Force ROTC • Was a flight navigator in the Air Force • Left the Air Force and flew freight, life flights • In 1989 took over managing Valley Aviation, now Fargo Jet Center, in Fargo Steve Schlangen • Assistant Chief Flight Instructor, Fargo Jet Center • From La Crosse, Wisconsin • Gained interest in flying from exploring the technical challenge of flying • Graduated from the University of Minnesota with an Aerospace • Engineering degree in 1982 • Employed by the Navy as a Civilian Contractor in 1982 • Received his Private Pilot License in 1983 from a Navy flying club • Worked in Naval Engineering • Left the Navy and moved to Reno, Nevada to pursue advanced flight training • Moved to Fargo in 1996 and flew corporate flights • Joined the Fargo Jet Center as an instructor in 2012 Paulsen and Schlangen’s histories and reasons for teaching are varied, however their reasons stem from a love for flying and a passion for helping others learn the art. “I really enjoy the variety,” said Paulsen, “We train people in the areas of private aviation all the way up to commercial aviation. Every day is different. We may have up to five or six different training flights per day, of varying types.” For Schlangen, it was the love of flight that he sees in his students, “I’ve never been in a sector of work where students are so passionate about what they’re doing. People (here) are motivated, and its people that share the same passion for flying as I do.” What a lot of people don’t realize is that almost anyone can be a privately licensed pilot. While there are some physical limitations, most anyone with the time, resources, and desire to fly can become commercially licensed. Fargo Jet Center Flight School: What you need to know • There is no FAA minimum age limit to begin flying lessons; however you must be 16 years old to fly solo, and 17 years old to be certified as a pilot. • Fargo Jet Center has had students as young as 12 years old! • Flight school consists of classroom time, web-based and in-plane education • Flight school is flexible. Students learn and advance at their pace. • Students could graduate in as soon as 2-3 months, or take several years • Students are trained in airplanes as well as flight simulators • You don’t have to own a plane to be a pilot. Fargo Jet Center and other centers rent out planes, such as the Cessna 172, for hourly wet fees (fuel included) • While rather expensive to get, your private aviation license is life-long, as long as you keep it up to date 10
Cessna 172 Skyhawk 4-seater Very popular as a training aircraft because of its easiness to fly and durability Can fly up to 14,000 feet Ideal cruising altitude is 4,000 - 9,000 feet Top speed of 188 mph Life in the clouds is always a good time, according to Paulson and Schlangen, especially when it’s what you do for a living. They’ve been instructing for years and show no signs of stopping. When asked what living the good life meant to them, they looked at each other, smiled and said, “This!” Turning a childhood interest into a lifelong career of helping people make their dreams come true…not a bad way to make a paycheck. Need something to do for an anniversary or date night? Interested in taking flying lessons, but want to try it out first? Call Mike and Steve at the Fargo Jet Center and they’ll take you on a Discovery Flight. For $149.00, they’ll give you a tour of their flight facility, take you and one guest up on a flight, and show you what Fargo-Moorhead and the surrounding areas look like from a few thousand feet up! ■ 11
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The Good Life – November-December 2015

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