PERU — Perry Virgin caught the bug early.

His passion for flying was passed on to him by his father.

“I literally took my first flight when I was only 2 weeks old,” the Peru man said.

He has been flying planes since he was 14 years old.

Virgin’s father, Theron Virgin, started flying in 1930. In 1978, Virgin’s father purchased a two-seat 1946 Taylorcraft plane.

“It’s been in the family ever since,” Virgin said. “Actually it’s been in the area since 1946.”

The plane was originally purchased by Frank Linnell and was kept at an airstrip on Route 108 in Peru.

Virgin and his wife, Traci, now use the aircraft to fly to their camp on Richardson Lake in Township C, just north of Andover.

The couple are also part of the Western Maine Flyers. The group holds fly-ins year round in Maine. One of their goals is to support youth aviation.

“We sponsor students who want to attend the ACE Camp in Bangor,” Virgin said.

The Aviation Career Education Camp in Bangor is for students entering grades nine to 12. The camp’s goal is to allow students to explore various aviation careers and gain valuable knowledge about different aviation occupations.

“There is starting to be a shortage of pilots in the United States and it’s one of the best occupations out there,” Virgin said.

His wife agreed, saying there is a difficulty getting a career in Maine but, “With aviation you can go anywhere.”

Virgin said this is one way to pass on his love of flight.

Asked what he loved most about flying, Virgin was unable to name just one aspect.

“It’s hard to explain,” he said. “The freedom and the things you see that you can’t from the ground. You just have to go yourself and see.”

The couple both believe that getting in the air is the greatest adventure anyone could have.

They have recently taken trips to Montana and Alaska. Virgin took the opportunity to fly in small planes in those states, including a flight in a DHC-2 Beaver plane with Talkeetna Air in Alaska.

“We were able to see glaciers, but I think Perry was more interested in the plane,” she said.

The couple have a knack of doing things off the grid. Their camp on Richardson Lake is powered by solar and wind energy and has a wood-fired hot tub.

“It’s just about being creative and going back to the basics,” Traci said.