INDIANAPOLIS — Coming from a family of pilots and as a former pilot himself, Bill Turley was in familiar territory when he recently went on a private tour at the Aviation Technology Center here.

At the center, a handful of planes were being rebuilt. A few of them were exactly like what he owned at one time, Turley said. Turley identified several types of planes for the others on the tour.

“I just saw planes I hadn’t seen in a long time,” he said.

Employees at the Washington Healthcare Center where Turley resides learned he used to fly airplanes and set up the tour for him.

His wife and two daughters accompanied him, along with representatives from the healthcare center.

During the tour, there was a flight simulator at the center that Turley tried out.

“It’s been a long time since I did any flying,” he said. “It’s like riding a bicycle, you really don’t forget it.”

During the flight simulation, Turley flew about 30 miles away, turned the plane and came back for a landing at the airport.

“The only control of the airplane was you flying,” he said. “That was really interesting.”

With several certificates on top of his pilot’s license, Turley was very knowledgeable about plane types and how they work as the group made their way through the hangers.

After the tour, he said he was glad for the staff at the Washington Healthcare Center for taking him to the aviation center.

“I’m thankful for the people in this facility that took the time to walk me through this whole thing,” he said.

Overall, Turley said he found the tour and the facility very interesting and was happy to be back around airplanes.

“I could have spent twice the time there,” he said. “That was a once in a lifetime thing.”

Follow Hendricks County Flyer reporter Sara Nahrwold on Twitter at @saranahrwold.

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