Gas up the car. Unfold the map. Aim north. These are familiar steps for thousands of dedicated leaf peepers who drive to and around Maine each fall to view the state's breathtaking foliage. But if you want a higher perspective — say, 1,500 feet higher — you may want to add another step: the long climb up into the cockpit or cabin of an airplane.

While sightseeing through the windshield of a car has long been the standard to peruse Maine's fall color show, "flightseeing" is gaining popularity with people seeking to maximize their foliage tours.And for good reason. Peering out the window of one of these small planes, you can easily see hundreds of acres of land that it would take hours to cover by car. Whether you're looking for a low-level bush flight over the Allagash or a lighthouse cruise along the Maine coast, all you have to do is call ahead and book a ride. These short — typically fifteen-minute- to one-hour — scenic rides usually accommodate from two to five passengers. They take off and land at the same location and are limited to a twenty-five-mile radius.

You can be assured that these pilots are carefully licensed and regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration, just like the people flying those jumbo jets you see leaving contrails across the stratosphere. You'll find scenic flights offered at any number of airstrips and quite a few lakes throughout the state. (We've highlighted some to get you going.) But whether you set your course for Maine's wooded interior or the rock-bound coast, you'll enjoy a view unlike anything from the ground.

Jacki Rogers has been flying for twenty-five years. Several years ago, she came back to the place where it all began for her, Sebago Lake, where she now owns and operates Naples Seaplane Rides. "I took my first flight here when I was seven years old," Rogers says, "and now I'm taking up my grandson."

The only problem with running a flightseeing business on the water is waiting for passing boats to clear off the runway, she explains. When the boats' wakes quiet down, Rogers motors her plane away from the dock, guns the engine, and heads toward open water. It's full throttle as the small Cessna lifts off from the water at highway speed, carrying passengers on a twenty-five-mile flight around the lake.

Seen from an altitude of about 1,000 feet, boats look like matchboxes as you soar over the lake. On a clear day, you can view the White Mountains and the western mountains of Maine. A longer flight may take you out over eleven-mile Long Lake. Closer landmarks are the Causeway, the Chute River (the second-shortest river in the world), Brandy Pond, the Songo River, and the Songo Locks, the last manually operated locks in the United States.

Although taking off in a small plane can be daunting for some people, Rogers says most folks love the experience. "I explain what to expect and where to look, and by the time we get back, they come out of the plane with huge smiles on their faces."


Just a couple of hours north of Sebago, the North Woods town of Greenville boasts one of the oldest floatplane businesses in the country. Folsom's Air Service has been taking off from Moosehead Lake since 1946. This family business, which originally hauled supplies to isolated logging and sporting camps, now hauls tourists on sweeping flights over this wildlife mecca.

"Most of the time we see moose and deer and bear. And in the fall, the leaves are just gorgeous," explains Malcolm Folsom, whose father started the service. "You've got about a 90 percent chance of seeing a moose on the one-hour ride. We pretty much see one every time, and we get nice and close so you can take pictures of them."

A one-hour ride will take you over Baker, Elephant, and White Cap mountains with views of Mount Katahdin, Maine's highest peak. On your way back you'll soar over Chesuncook and Rainbow lakes, cruising at about 1,500 feet — even lower if you want to cozy up to a moose.

"You see a much bigger area from a plane, hundreds and hundreds of miles of rolling fields and forests," Folsom explains. He says most passengers have no problem with airsickness, but he knows how to help even those with extra queasy stomachs take the malady in stride. "I just give them my hat," he laughs.

Those looking for an even deeper wilderness experience might try Katahdin Air, which operates a floatplane from the dike on Ambajejus Lake. From here, a drive to the Allagash would take you five hours by car, making the one-hour, ominously titled "Ghost Train" flight there and back an attractive option. Heading north over Baxter State Park, you'll continue toward the Allagash, where you are likely to see moose, eagles, and black bears, as well as river rafters. And the excitement doesn't stop there. Circling toward home, you'll fly around Mount Katahdin and over the old steam engines rusting on the tracks near Eagle Lake. "The fall color is so pretty up here," explains Katahdin Air's Toni Murphy. "You can look down and see what's

beneath you. Best of all, the pilot points everything out."

On the coast, Penobscot Island Air in Rockland not only delivers groceries to islanders and evacuates sick fishermen, it also offers customized scenic flights over island-studded Penobscot Bay. "The bay is very pretty from the air," says dispatcher Jim Nichols. "Especially in the fall. All the islands are brightly colored."

Pilots will customize tours based on customers' wishes, sometimes flying as far east as Mount Desert Island. An average lighthouse tour includes eight to ten lights, such as Matinicus Rock, White Head, Two Bush Island, and Monhegan.

Farther up the coast, Bar Harbor Aviation takes passenger on scenic flights around 46,000-acre Acadia National Park. "We get everybody from first timers who've never been in an airplane to people who do scenic flights all around the country and know this is the best way to see an area," says pilot and owner Jim Dennison.



"People are always surprised how much more there is to see from an airplane," he relates. "The road really restricts your view of what is there — all you can see are the trees. From the air you can see the lakes and ponds behind them."

Bar Harbor Aviation offers two main tours, one around the perimeter of the park, another of fourteen lighthouses. "We go over Egg Rock, Sand Beach," Dennison says. "All the mountains are visible — Cadillac, Sargent, and Champlain — as well as the Cranberry Islands and a couple more lighthouses. Some people will take a flight on their way into the park so they can see everything: what mountain they want to climb, where they want to go for dinner. Others will do it at the end of their trip as a kind of summary."

Either way, Dennison, who makes his living flying all over the country, believes there is no prettier place to fly than Maine, especially in the autumn. "Everybody who goes with us, as soon as they are even 400 feet off the ground, they just say, 'Wow!' "