Marquette resident and pilot Sheila Devlin stands by the Piper Cherokee 180 in which she took a ride on Tuesday on her 77th birthday. The trip went from Boreal Aviation at K.I. Sawyer to the Big Bay area and back. (Journal photo by Christie Mastric)

K.I. SAWYER — Tuesday held special significance for a few aviation-minded local residents.

Marquette resident and longtime pilot Sheila Devlin took her first flight on Oct. 5 in her younger days.

Oct. 5 is her birthday.

Oct. 5 is the day pilot Greg Durand, who lives in Harvey, left for the Air Force in 1977.

So, when Devlin contacted Durand to say she wanted to go flying on her 77th birthday, he was happy to oblige.

Devlin and Durand boarded a Piper Cherokee 180 at Boreal Aviation at K.I. Sawyer on Tuesday for a scenic fall plane ride to the Big Bay area and back, with Devlin actually performing a lot of the flying with Durand at her side, working the rudders.

“My legs are so short,” Devlin said.

However, Durand made it easier for her by providing a cushion.

“Is that ever going to be marvelous,” she said.

Devlin was inquisitive during her plane ride, asking questions such as the degree heading on a runway and learning about the instruments.

She got a view many people don’t see: thousands of feet in the air over Marquette County.

“Oh, the colors are gorgeous down there,” Devlin said as she looked down on the autumn landscape.

Durand agreed.

“You couldn’t have had a better day,” he said. “This is beautiful.”

Durand also pointed out various landmarks, such as the Dead River Basin, Eagle Mine, Lake Independence and Granot Loma.

Devlin’s interest in aviation was kindled in an unusual way in her youth.

“Having lived in the bush in Ontario and watching, when I was 13 years (old), float planes taking off from hydroelectric power dam sites, is one reason,” she said.

Later in her life, she wanted to find a little escape from the city.

“I was a country girl,” said Devlin, a Canadian and naturalized American who had jobs in the Yukon and Northwest Territories and lived north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, for awhile.

“When people say ‘Where are you from?’ I say ‘Lake Superior,'” she said.

Durand pointed out that when Devlin earned her pilot’s license, probably only 1% of all the pilots in the United States were female. Now it’s almost 5%.

Devlin, who got her license in 1978 in Detroit and took part in student flying in downstate Pontiac, reflected on her Tuesday plane ride after disembarking the plane.

“The feel of the aircraft is fine,” Devlin said. “Probably the most challenging for me is the instruments. I have often thought that if I flew again, I would probably choose a float plane, but then I’d need a maintenance background, and I don’t have that. So, I think I’m enjoying this little trip down memory lane.”

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.