GREENVILLE — Karen McClellen, who turns 50 today, is an adventurous woman who follows her dreams, regardless of where they take her or how implausible or dangerous it may seem to some.

While she has many dreams, her current passion is flying and is currently working toward obtaining her pilot’s license.

McClellen is a stay-at-home mom with four children. Andy and Beth, 26 and 23, are both engineers. Her 17 year old son, Zack, will be graduating this year from Greenville High School and has been accepted to Texas A&M University-College Station and the Corps of Cadets and her youngest son, Jonathan, 12 has just completed his seventh grade year at Greeville Middle School.

McClellen has been a Cub Scout leader, a Cub Master and has been involved in the Boy Scouts of American since 1991.

“I’m proud to say that I have five Eagle Scouts that were in my pack,” she said. “I’m also the proud wife of an Eagle Scout and the proud mother of two Eagle Scouts.”

McClellen’s husband, James, works at L-3 Communications, which is how she first found out about the Majors Field Flying Club.

The club was first established in 1986 as a non-profit, tax-exempt subsidiary organization of the L-3 Communications Company, Greenville Division Employees Club (E-Club).

The club, based on the south end of Majors Field, provides a location to base flights operations, including a part-time control tower, generally light air traffic, runway and lighting facilities and several instrument approaches.

The purpose of the club is to provide aircraft for personal pleasure or instructional flight, encourage and enable members to improve their flying skills, advance the safe use of private aircraft and provide the most economical flying facilities for its members.

Membership is open to all current E-Club members of L-3 and their immediate family members. Prospective new members outside the company are also welcome.

“My husband was the one who told me about the school,” said McClellen. “He sent me an e-mail that they were starting their second ground school class and I knew right away that I would do it. A lot of those attending are either there to get their pilot’s license or they’re using the class to supplement their knowledge of engineering.”

It was love at first flight for McClellen.

“My first time flying commercially was a few days before 9/11,” she said. “I flew to England by myself and the excitement of feeling the plane take off ... it just got into my blood. It was a rush I’d never felt before.”

While McClellen never took physics or chemistry in school, she loves the challenge of learning the mechanics of flight.

“I was never a math major or anything like that,” she said. “I was more of an artistic type, a musician, and I even did a bit of catering, but there is a lot of math and science involved with it.”

According to McClellen, girls weren’t really encouraged to excel in math and science when she attended school, but finds it exciting to learn it now.

“Stuff like this makes me feel younger,” she said. “I’ve gotten to the point where every year I challenge myself to try something new. Doing ground school is just one thing I decided to do. Last year I went to Paris Junior College and took two semesters of Spanish, then my husband and I went to London and Madrid for Easter break, so I got to practice my Spanish a little bit. I’m always looking for a new challenge. It feels to me like I’m developing an identity all of my own.”

While McClellen is developing a sense of herself, she just can’t rid herself of the mothering instinct. In fact, she often feeds the rest of her classmates during their regular meetings.

“i know that a lot of them are coming her straight from work, so I’ll often times cook up something to bring so that we don’t have to think on an empty stomach,” she said. “I guess I’m the mother of the group, but they seem to enjoy it and I love to cook, so it doesn’t bother me a bit.”

The first question that pops out of everyone’s mouth when they hear that McClellen is enrolled in ground school and is pursuing her pilot’s license is ‘Aren’t you scared?’, to which she replies ‘No.’

“I know there’s risk, but that’s why you do flight checks,” she said. “If I was given the choice of how to leave this world, I think I would choose to go while flying. I mean, you’re so close to Heaven already.”

McClellen credits her instructors with her current success in ground school.

“They’re amazing and so encouraging,” she said. “When you’re up there heading towards the clouds you feel like a bird, free and independent from everyone else. Then when you realize you’re the one flying the plane ... wow. It’s an amazing feeling that’s very hard to describe.”

McClellen still needs some 37 hours of flight time before she’s eligible to try for her pilot’s license, which requires the passing of a test.

“There’s quite a bit of homework involved,” said McClellen. “It’s not an easy thing to do, but it’s worth the work. I would definitely recommend it.”

According to ground school instructor Mike Montefusco, the class is a private pilot ground school done once a year, generally from February to May.

“It’s 14 three-hour sessions, one night a week and covers everything a person needs to know to pass the FAA (Federal Aviation Adminstration) written test, which is the academic portion of getting your pilot’s license,” he said. “The practical portion is, of course, done in the air.”

Motefusco’s goal is to provide his students with a beautiful, positive experience

“I have no doubt Karen will get her pilot’s license,” said Montefusco. “She’s very motivated.”

The Majors Field general membership meetings are held periodically and include reviews of general club business, current finical status, aircraft maintenance and operation status and usually a special program. Visitors are welcome to all meetings.

For more information on the club or the ground school, visit www.majorsflyingclub.org.