DAVID HARDEN/Arizona Daily Wildcat Business management senior and flying club president Scott Levit controls a Cessna at 6,500 feet over Tucson on Saturday. The club allows students to get hands-on experience flying small aircraft.

Fifteen UA students are part of a club founded on doing what many children dream of ÷ flying.

The Flying Club, in its second semester after a three-year disappearance, has the opportunity to see parts of Tucson and surrounding areas that can't be found from the ground.

"The members are amazed by the good scenery around Tucson," said club president Scott Lavitt. "It gives us a chance to see it all."

Not all of the members hold pilot's licenses ÷ the majority are just students interested in aviation. However, those who are certified pilots spent a lot of time and money getting their wings.

In general, student pilots fly two to three times a week for two months, and then pay $4,000 to $6,000 for their license.

"It's worth it," Lavitt said.

Many of the members fly only as a hobby and don't plan to make a career out of it. The Cessna 172, a single engine plane that licensed members fly, seats only four passengers but gives them a perspective on flying that they can't get from larger aircraft.

The plane allows for closer views of areas jets can't see, like the north side of the Rincon Mountains or large canyons in Oracle.

"I think that there is this misconception that flying is just something that people who want to be pilots do, or old people with a lot of money," Lavitt said.

However, it is a great place to network with people who have the same interests, said club vice president Brandon Hawley.

The Flying Club doesn't spend all its time in the air.

They have toured the control tower at Tucson International Airport and spent additional time in professional flight simulators.

Meetings are held bi-weekly and aren't simply technical, Hawley said.

A portion of each meeting is spent discussing club events and the remainder revolves around other aspects of aviation including physics, navigation, weather and career possibilities.

And of course, they share the occasional pilot joke.

Anyone interested in aviation or just riding in a plane can join the club, but only licensed pilots can fly.

UA does not fund the club because of liability issues, so there is a yearly fee of $15, which covers the cost of renting airplanes.

For more information go to http://clubs.asua.arizona.edu/~uaflying.