Adam Brown (freshman-geographical informational sciences) has wanted to pilot an airplane since he was 10 years old. He finally got the chance to do so last summer, when he signed up for flight classes at GPI Aviation, Inc., 2701 Fox Hill Road.

Now one solo flight away from obtaining his piloting license, Brown recalled his first flight: "Kind of exciting, but at the same time I didn't really know what to expect."

Brown is one of many Penn State students demonstrating there is more than one way to get high in State College -- or, rather, fly high.

For thrills, fun and an escape from the stresses of everyday life, some students are taking to the sky, flying airplanes, attending aviation classes and obtaining piloting licenses.

David Shelton, flight instructor and treasurer of the Penn State Soaring Club, is one of the students who has been flying model airplanes since he can remember.

"I've been flying model air crafts since I was a toddler," he said.

Finishing up work to obtain a private license to fly other airplanes, Shelton already has a license to fly glider airplanes -- air crafts without engines. In fact, the "excellent" gliding conditions in State College were the reason Shelton came to Penn State from Illinois.

"The region is phenomenal for the soaring conditions," he said. "You can get to Tennessee without an engine."

Shelton said he experiences numerous feelings when he is in the air. "There's so many," he said. "After you've been flying for a while, the plane just feels like an extension of your body. It's real neat to have that third dimension to play with. It's just real fluid."

Shelton said he is surprised more students aren't flying. "Young people tend to be real car impressed," he said. "I'm surprised more people aren't plane crazy."

One promotional campaign, "Be a Pilot," is trying to change that. Created by the aviation industry in 1997, the program was designed to encourage more people to learn how to fly after the number of registered pilots hit a 30-year low, said Gary Frisch, the program's account executive.

Frisch said students interested in flying can go to the program's Web site (www.beapilot.com) to register. Once they have registered, they can present certificates to a participating flight schools and receive a $49 introductory flying lesson.

Frisch said that during this lesson, students will be able to help fly the plane "under the watchful eye of the instructor."

Annette Grove, GPI Aviation Inc. spokeswoman, one of the participating flight schools located at the University Park Airport, said the typical first lesson lasts 30 to 45 minutes.

During this lesson, students "learn what the controls of the airplane do and how it affects you in flight, a little bit about the instruments, and how we navigate," Grove said.

Grove said most students are excited after their first flights. "Sometimes, they're overwhelmed with all that can go on, but mostly they have a good time."