Now, with leisure time becoming as serious a business as work, people are aggressively seeking outlets for those long-held fantasies.
Fighter pilots have the ultimate mystique.
Fighter Pilots USA's program offers plenty of opportunities for coolness upgrade, especially those who feel the irresistible draw of the skies. We send up anywhere from 600 to 1,000 flights a year,'' said President and Chief Executive Officer Lee Abernethy, a venture capitalist by trade who started the program six years ago with several partners from the Tampa Bay area. After about eight hours of instruction on flight basics, as well as the rudiments of aerial combat, the campgoers go up in the air with one of the instructors in the co-pilot seat. The campgoers fly SIAI Marchetti SF-200s. Though its top speed is ''only'' around 300 miles an hour, the Marchetti gives a faithful simulation of actual jet conditions.