MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – On bad days, when the skies are ice cold or stormy, Bob Polselli endures a commuter’s nightmare – a 65-mile, teeth-gritting, gas-guzzling interstate drive through some of Connecticut’s worst rush-hour traffic.

But on good days, when the weather is fair, the Massachusetts resident rises above the bumper-to-bumper traffic to a place in the clouds where even Hartford, Conn.’s hectic highways become colorful, pulsating geometric designs.

“Everything, even rush hour, is beautiful from 3,000 feet,” said Polselli, 32.

The bird’s-eye view of the landscape, not to mention the sunrise, is just one reason why Polselli, educational technology coordinator for Middletown, Conn., public schools, chooses to fly to work as often as he can.

Flying to work is faster, cheaper and “mind-blowing fun,” he said.

It takes Polselli about 90 minutes to drive from his home in Charlton, Mass., to his Middletown office – when there is absolutely no traffic. But add variables such as traffic, construction or bad weather, and a one-way drive can easily turn into two hours.

When he flies, Polselli’s door-to-door commute is about 50 minutes, depending on the wind direction and the extent of the pre-flight check (a pilot needs more time if the plane has not been used for a few days).

On a typical flying day, Polselli, an early riser, will tiptoe past his sleeping children and leave the house at 5:30 a.m. He’ll return home around 4:30 p.m. When driving, he leaves home at 5 a.m. and, if the roads are free of accidents or traffic jams, gets home at 5 p.m.

Unlike many teachers, Polselli works a 12-month schedule, spending his summers planning technology initiatives and working with teachers who are writing up the next year’s teaching plans. That means he is able to fly eight months a year.

By Polselli’s calculations, flying to work is a bit cheaper than driving. But then again, Polselli doesn’t factor in the costs of buying the plane, insurance or a tie-down spot at Southbridge. He’d have bought the plane even if he didn’t fly to work. He funded the purchase with money he made from a paintball business he started before he went back to school to earn his Ph.D. The plane, a sleek but used blue-and-tan Piper Warrior II, was his graduation gift to himself.

It costs him more to fill the tank and insure his SUV – a necessity to hold his three kids and two dogs – than it does to fly and insure his plane, Polselli said. His aviation insurance runs $900 a year. His SUV eats up $35 a day in gas to get to work, while flying there runs him $18 a day in gas.

Now, Polselli is able to “get his kicks during the work week” and spend more of his weekends with his family. Most recreational pilots have to spend their summer weekends logging flying time to maintain their skills and license.

“How many guys can say that?” Polselli asked, grinning. “I scratch that itch for the wild and crazy while going to work. I’m happy when I walk in the door, at home or at the office. That frees me up to be the best teacher, husband and father I can be.”