ACERTAIN FREEDOM is found in soaring through the skies, viewing the world below, and the horizon stretching to either side. It’s incredible even in a passenger plane — but when your hands are on the airplane’s yoke, it is something else entirely.
That’s the joy behind flying for Justin and Maggie Tidwell, founders of Bowling Green’s flight school, Flywell Aviation. Based at the Bowling Green-Warren County Regional Airport, Flywell Aviation has spent the last four years spreading that joy through the Kentucky community and connecting the community to the world beyond. Flying, Justin said, makes the world smaller.
“You can get anywhere you want to go in half the time or less,” Justin said. “You’re able to see and meet people that you normally wouldn’t run across without that connection.”
Both Bowling Green natives, Justin originally worked as a military contractor flying drones and unmanned aircraft overseas, while Maggie worked for local businesses across the town. However, they saw a void in flight schools around Bowling Green, and with a pilot shortage throughout the country, a business like Flywell Aviation seemed like a perfect solution.
“We just thought that it was a good opportunity to spread what we enjoyed as a career and a hobby to others and help them meet the goal to become a professional pilot,” Justin said.
Flying runs in the family for both Justin and Maggie, as both of their fathers were pilots. Still, it was a Young Eagles program that gave Justin his first flight when he was 8, sparking a lifelong love for the skies. Maggie flew regularly with her father as a child, but Justin ultimately taught her how to fly. That ripple effect is the reason Flywell offers multiple opportunities for kids — their own Young Eagles program and a summer camp in coordination with the airport authority.
“You never know when you give that free ride to a child what impact it’ll have later on in their life,” Justin said.
Flying is a promising career and hobby, and Flywell Aviation has lessons for everyone. Some of the students are looking to become full-time pilots, some learn so they can expand their business further, and some learn so they can more easily take their family on vacation. Justin said that each year, Flywell’s eight instructors help around 20 people get their pilot license or upgrade their existing license.
The company offers more than lessons and summer camps. Flywell assists companies in aerial photography, helps people honor their loved ones, and consults for those working with drones or looking to buy planes. It offers discovery flights for those who simply want a single ride, whether it be to see the sights of Bowling Green or to overcome a fear of flying. The flights are regularly donated to charity events and auctions.
Even without paying for a lesson or a flight, there is a way to see what Bowling Green offers by air — Flywell’s Facebook page, run by Maggie, is full of beautiful photos of the area.
“A lot of people follow our Facebook page, Flywell Aviation,” Maggie said. “Even if they don’t have their license, they love to see the pictures and feel like they’re a part of the aviation community.”
Flight by flight and person by person, Justin and Maggie are spreading a love of the sky throughout the Bowling Green community. Their students may go on to become career pilots or hobbyists or never fly again, but there is no doubt they have been changed by what they learned. After all, the sky is not the limit with Flywell Aviation. GN
