WISCASSET (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- What if, on a whim, you could pack up and go anywhere in the world? That's a perk of being a pilot.
For a group of women in Maine, learning to fly is also empowering. There's a group of women who hang out at hangers, like one at the Wiscasset Airport.
Lisa Reece is a pilot. She's been flying since 1991.
"I didn't think it was attainable," says Reece, President of the Maine Aeronautics Association. "I thought....if you were going to fly, you had to be in the military, you had to be rich, you had to be a man."
It wasn't until she met her husband, a pilot, that her dream of becoming one herself, took off. Reece is a member of the Katahdin Wings. A group of women who live in Maine and love to fly. Their mission: to spark interest in the next generation.
"Getting up in the air the first time in this little Citabria it was like unbelievable."
Lindsey Gordon is a senior at Wiscasset Middle high school. She's also a member of an ROTC program in Lewiston. Although she's learning the ropes, her ambition is sky high.
"I really want to serve my country and be able to do to that while flying," says Gordon. "I'm going to take the military route so they pay for my dental school because I also want to be an orthodontist, so I think it's like the best of both worlds. I'm able to fly, and be able to be an orthodontist, so, I'm so excited to do that."
Jenny Jorgensen has been a pilot for decades. For many years she worked as a teacher.
"Leaving school, knowing that I was coming to the airport and just get in my plane and fly up in the air is just this invigorating freedom kind of feeling."
Jorgensen's grandmother was a pilot, and she wants to continue her legacy.
Recreation aside, flying can also be a career and these women want to get the word out. They say only 5% of all pilots are women. They also say learning to fly is a challenge with a great reward, and these hangers are a little slice of heaven.
Also, the Katahdin Wings is the Maine Chapter of an International group, the Ninety-Nines. It was created in 1929 by 99 women, hence the name. The group's first president? Amelia Earheart.