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Flying High For hospital services coordinator Stephanie Chomos it’s close to heaven on earth Just mention the phrase “ four seater airplane” and mixed reactions light across the board. But for Stephanie Chomos, an MUSC hospital services coordinator, flying a plane is when she’s happiest. Stephanie Chomos concentrates on the horizon ahead of her. Chomos prefers to fly her plane manually, meaning with as little electronic help as possible.  Going it alone, Chomos uses the fly time to glide around Lake Marion or take small day trips over the Southeast. “It’s so beautiful up here. I don’t have to be with anybody. There’s no phone. It’s just me and the plane and my thoughts.” Chomos flys her ex-husband’s 1957 Cessna 172 named Ethel May.  “If it were my airplane, it’d be named Maggie after my mom because she would take me anywhere I wanted to go in the safest possible way,” said Chomos.  Cruising with Chomos as she makes her way around Lake Marion.  Chomos regularly chips in for gas, tie-down fees and maintenance. As a matter of fact, her ex was the one who introduced her to flying. “We were dating and he told me that we were going flying. I said no problem. The next thing I know I’m in a Cessna 152 two seater with an instructor and I’m taking the controls, landing and flying all over the place,” Chomos said, “When I walked back to the hanger I threw my arms above my head and yelled ‘Yeehaw.’ The ladies at the front desk said ‘We’ve got another one’.” Chomos smiles at the end of her trip as she prepares to put the headset away.  They sure did. By December of 1998, Chomos was a licensed pilot and had logged in her required 20 hours of class time, 40 hours of flight time, and 20 hours of solo flying. During her tests, she flew to Florence, Wilmington, Myrtle Beach and Savannah. She still day-trips every now and again but says that longer distances just for lunch can add up to “a $100 dollar hamburger.”  Besides, she’d rather be near the lakes.  “It’s such a rush to see the sun glare off the water,” she said, “When the lakes are very calm and clear you can see the old roads and railways underneath the surface and the marshes look like giant jigsaw puzzles.” Tying the plane down keeps the craft damage-free and is an important last step at the conclusion of a flight. Chomos, a 21-year veteran of the emergency room, goes for the rush whenever her schedule will allow, as she is currently pursuing her master's in nursing at MUSC.  Born in northeastern Ohio, she admits that going home during a tough time was made easier because of her love of flying. “When my mom passed away, I went and stayed with my dad for a few months on his farm in Ohio. At one point I went to the local airport and told one of the instructors that I had to get in the air,” she said, “He was a WWII pilot and he taught me to land the plane using only the rudders. We flew over the farm and for a few minutes I felt like I was in a completely different world.” Chomos examines Ethel May’s oil to see if she’s thirsty, one of many pre-flight checks. Maybe Chomos was always destined to fly. “When I was little, I had a tiny window in my bedroom that led onto the porch roof. I used to climb out of it and stare at the clouds all the time.” No longer having to daydream to have her head in the clouds, Chomos makes time for her hobby whenever she can.  Perhaps Chomos’ enthusiasm is best summed up in her own words. “Besides my loved ones, it’s the closet thing I’ve found to heaven on earth.”     ON the SIDE MUSC is full of extraordinary people who do extraordinary things, both at work and “On the Side.” Whether it's flying an airplane or volunteering in the community, it's interesting to know what these folks are up to when they leave the campus. If you know of someone who should be featured in this new monthly section, call Heather Murphy at 792-3621 or e-mail her at murphyhl@musc.edu.        Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.