-Next on "Start Up," we head to Garden City, Georgia, to meet up with Dave Myers, the creator of Amphibian Air, a company that invites the public to ride and pilot an FAA-certified amphibious trike over the waters of Savannah, Georgia.

All of this and more is next on "Start Up."

♪♪ ♪♪ -Vistaprint, a proud sponsor of "Start Up" and small businesses everywhere.

-Spectrum Business partners with small business across the country to help them achieve their goals.

With high-speed Internet, phone, TV, and mobile services, Spectrum Business provides the tools to keep you connected with your customers.

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No nonsense, just business.

♪♪ ♪♪ -My name is Gary Bredow.

I'm a documentary filmmaker and an entrepreneur.

As the country focuses on recovery, small business owners everywhere are still fighting to keep their dream alive.

So, we set out to talk to a wide range of diverse business owners to better understand how they've learned to adapt, innovate, and even completely reinvent themselves in this ever-changing world.

♪♪ This is "Start Up."

♪♪ An ultralight trike is a type of powered hand glider where flight is controlled by the pilot shifting their weight.

These aircraft have a fabric flex wing with a suspended tricycle fuselage pod driven by a pusher propeller.

The pod accommodates either a solo pilot or a pilot and a single passenger.

Trikes grant affordable, accessible, and exciting flying that's been popular since the 1980s.

Today, I'm heading to Garden City, Georgia, to meet up with Dave Myers, the owner of Amphibian Air, a company that offers in-flight instruction over the Georgia coastline.

I've personally never heard of trike flying, but I'm definitely intrigued.

A little bit nervous, but mostly excited to stretch my wings and learn more about this unique business.

♪♪ ♪♪ It's 7:00 A.M. right here.

We're in Savannah, Georgia.

Woke up at 5:30 to take a -- take a nice morning flight on this thing that I've never seen before.

[ Chuckles ] -And it's going to be an epic one, as well.

-Tell me a little about what we gotta do to prepare this morning.

-We're getting ready to have a safety briefing that tells you exactly what we're going to do.

We're going to do maybe an hour flight.

-Nice.

-We'll go out, land in the bay, pull up on an island, take a quick break... -Yes!

-...and you will be able to fly her from the backseat.

-I get to fly.

-I'm going to give you instruction.

The whole flight is instructional.

-Okay.

-And you get a feel for what it's like to just be a bird.

-Wow!

-We fly typically 500 to 1,000 feet.

We're traveling about 45 miles an hour.

-Okay.

-And it's freedom.

It's a beautiful scenery.

It's a beautiful view.

And you can't blame me if you decide you want to do this and you have to buy -- -No?

[ Chuckles ] -I don't take responsibility for that.

Because that's what happened to me.

It was -- One flight changed my life.

♪♪ -Alright.

-Okay, Gary.

Come on around here and let me introduce you to Mellow Bird.

-Mellow Bird.

-Mellow Bird.

That's my nickname for her.

And that's because how we fly.

She's very -- very slow and easy.

And she has a 100-horsepower Rotax engine on the back, basically to get us up in the air.

The hang-gliding wing does all the flying part.

And we wear a life jacket when we're onboard.

-Okay.

-Any event you would need it would mean we're on the water, something happened.

Get away from the trike, that's another nickname for her, and pull this little red tab, and it will auto-inflate like a Mae West.

-Got it.

-And if we're not going to need it, don't pull that tab.

I can't afford that little canister in there.

No.

Okay.

You're welcome to put that on.

And I'll show you how we get on and off of Mellow.

So, just step up.

You got to get -- get your balance here.

Just throw your leg over and sit down.

And get comfortable.

These are called instructor bars.

And when I tell you, we'll get up there, and if you want to join me, I'll show you exactly how she flies.

You don't need to, to get your certificate, but it's fun to.

-We'll actually get a certificate today?

-You will.

-Yeah!

-That will count towards becoming a sport pilot, yep.

Alright.

-[ Laughs ] -You can hold my shoulders.

Don't choke me.

Don't cover my eyes.

-You got it.

[ Chuckles ] -Okay.

Then, as we go to get out... -Yeah.

-...again, I'll be holding the wing out of your way.

This is a good handhold to help lift yourself up.

-Okay.

-Big step.

Step down.

And we're good to go.

-You got it.

[ Sighs ] -You ready?

-I'm more than ready.

-Alright.

Let's go fly.

♪♪ [ Engine starts ] ♪♪ -Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

♪♪ ♪♪ If you have a mission statement, what would it be for Amphibian Air?

-Introduce people into this type of flying.

The amphibious powered hang glider has been an amazing thing from the very first flight, obviously.

-Yeah.

-My lady said I had a glazed look in my eye.

And what I wanted to do is pass that excitement and that beauty on to other people.

-Let's go back to the first experience or brush you had with this.

-We went to Hawaii for my mom's 70th birthday, and a canceled scuba trip.

Googled something, "extreme sport, vacation."

It came up -- trike flying on the North Shore.

Way outside my comfort zone and nothing I had ever thought I could do or would do.

And my son and I flew with this couple from Paradise Air Hawaii, and I flew with the husband.

And before I was 100 feet in the air, I said to him, "I will do this for a living."

It was that powerful a moment, a life-altering moment.

And when I came off the aircraft, Miss Lou said I had a glazed look in my eye.

I told her I would do this for a living.

And she's like, "Yeah, sure."

I was a 49-year-old carpenter with no flying experience, no idea, no real money.

And she just thought I was -- lost my mind.

-When I kept looking at him as he was walking to me, he was like glazed over.

His eyes were just glazed.

And he said, "I'm doing this."

I said, "Of course you are."

He's a carpenter.

"No, I'm going to do this."

And he did.

He did it.

He did it.

-It was noticeably something that he just -- you could tell he loved?

-Oh, yeah.

-Passionate about?

-Very.

Very much.

-A lot of people at 40 that might say, "Oh, come on, you really want to get into something like that, something new like that?

It's going to be a lot of work."

-A lot -- -Well, did people try to talk you out of it?

-A lot of naysayers, a lot.

Like, they thought I'd lost my mind.

It was a determination that, even in the 10 years I've been doing it, I haven't run across anybody quite as nuts as I was.

I came back to Georgia.

I sold my truck, a lot of my tools, started to put the money together.

And then I found an accountant, Miss Lou's nephew.

I said, "This is what I want to do."

And he told me, "Come up with a mission statement, a business plan," and he would take me to a banker friend.

I went to this banker for this meeting, and I was all nervous, but I had my mission statement and I had my business plan.

And the aircraft and to start up was going to be around $60,000.

-That was to purchase the aircraft, and was it to get your license too?

-Yes, for my license.

And I figured, you know, enough to get going.

-You need operating capital.

-Yeah.

-You got to live, in the mean time.

-I did.

But it wasn't in my wheelhouse to ask for that.

And my accountant sitting next to me goes, "No, Dave, you want $100,000."

And the banker said, "No, you want $125,000."

And I was like, "I don't want to borrow money."

You know, it was a very scary -- -Yeah.

-I'm not even a pilot yet, I'm a student.

-[ Chuckles ] -And we went to the SBA.

Problem was, there's no box to check.

There was nobody doing what I'm doing.

-Mm-hmm.

-I'm a very small niche.

There are only a few of us in the world with this type of aircraft doing what I do.

So the SBA turned me down.

The banker called me and told me the bad news.

I'm still studying to be a pilot.

I'm living in my van in a Florida instructor's front yard and studying.

I was like a sponge.

I wanted to know everything.

And he said, "I'm going to stick my neck out and give you this $100,000, but you got to bring me a pilot's license."

-So, he was able to approve it on his own.

-On his own.

-It was an amount that he was able to push through on his own.

-On his own.

I had a lot riding on the line to get that pilot's license, and four days before Christmas 2010, I passed my check route and became a sport pilot.

I needed 150 hours to become an instructor.

-Wow.

-And a couple more check rides and tests, and that's where it starts.

♪♪ ♪♪ -That was another day that I was so surprised.

I met him for lunch afterwards and was going to smooth his feathers because I knew he'd be disappointed.

Nobody's going to give you this kind of money.

And, sure enough, he walks up and he goes, "He gave me every bit of it," plus another $25,000 more than he asked for.

-Were you just blown away?

-I was, absolutely, because I really had my reservations up until then.

I thought, "This many people can't be wrong.

They see something."

-Yeah.

-And he's got the passion.

-Technically, when someone comes and rides with you, they're getting training.

-They are.

And that's what I love about it, as well, is that it's, every flight, I'm demonstrating how we fly.

And that's how I got hooked.

It was an introductory flight.

And then you can decide, if you're like me, "I have to do this," or some folks are one and done, but they had an amazing experience.

My very first customer, we'll meet later.

She was amazing young girl that got in that aircraft.

Had to be first.

Somebody had to be first.

I was still fresh.

I was still -- I had 160 hours or so and still a whole lot to learn.

But she got in that aircraft and flew with me, and I made a little thing.

A $100 flight was what I had given her.

And I made a copy of the bill and put it on my wall and used it as, "Hey, I'm in business now."

And she was also my 1,000th customer.

And on July 2nd, she's getting ready to be my 10-year-anniversary customer.

-You were customer number one.

-Yes.

-I guess there always has to be a guinea pig, right?

-Oh, yeah.

So I was it.

-You were -- -So I was a little nervous.

-Did you know that you were the first customer?

-I did.

-Tell me about your very first experience with Amphibian Air.

Oh, it was terrifying.

[ Both laugh ] -Right?

-I'm just kidding.

-Yeah.

-No, Dave is a great pilot, and I trust him, and I trust him because he is so passionate about what he does.

-I hear that you are going to be the 10-year-anniversary ride, too.

-Yes.

Yeah.

-So you are stuck with Amphibian Air for life?

-[ Chuckles ] I am.

-Okay, what would you say to somebody who's nervous, scared?

-You're safe.

You're safe with Dave.

-Yeah.

So you'd encourage them to go through with it?

-Oh, yes.

♪♪ -Being up there, you feel like you're part of the elements, like you're literally, like, flying with the birds.

There were birds flying next to us.

-I know, I know.

-It's wild.

-It is.

It's just fascinating.

-Do you like it?

-I'm not a big flyer, period.

And it's a good thing, because he doesn't have room for freebies.

[ Chuckles ] You know?

We've got the two cameras on the wing.

I see every flight.

I live every moment with them.

When you start going fast right before takeoff and it's so quick that you go up... -Yeah.

-...until -- I love the front camera.

Their reaction is -- almost every one of them, you can see them -- "Oh, my God."

You know, you can see the mouth.

-Yeah.

-And I love it.

It is just fascinating.

It really is.

I love doing the videos, so I found my niche.

-I can't wait to see.

-I found my niche, so... -Yeah.

-[ Chuckles ] Yeah.

♪♪ -Okay, let's say that I wanted to become a flight instructor.

What would the process be?

-Start off with the sport pilot level.

That's just like the introduction.

You're a student pilot.

The requirement is 15 hours of instruction, 5 hours of solo time... -Okay.

-...a written test, and a check ride with an examiner.

-And that's a sport pilot license.

What are you allowed to do with that?

-You're allowed to fly to 10,000 feet, daylight flying.

-For the most part, your training is how to deal with when a problem arises.

-Yes, exactly.

We do a lot of scenario-based training, what happens if... -The motor dies.

Kill it.

-Yes.

The one thing I started doing was actual engine-offs where you shut the engine... -Mm-hmm.

-...and glide to the water.

And the reason I started doing it is because the first time it happened to me, I had a customer in the backseat.

-The engine died?

-I actually had a stuck throttle.

And it was a deaf lady that was my customer.

We're flying, and all of a sudden, my ears started popping.

And that doesn't usually happen till I'm about 1,000 feet.

Well, I was so focused on her that when I had come off my throttle, the engine didn't die down.

It was stuck wide open.

And we're climbing.

-Is there an override kill?

-That was the thing -- I could shut the key.

But I had never technically shut the engine and landed.

And we're right there in my congested area... -[ Softly ] Oh, my gosh.

-...and we're climbing.

We climbed all the way to 1,700 feet.

And I realized, "I have to.

I have to shut her off."

-Yep.

-So I made a gesture to her like, "Look over my shoulder."

I said, "I'm gonna kill the engine and glide to the water."

And she was all thumbs up.

-[ Gasps ] -Miss Lou said it looked like I was going to cut her throat and throw her overboard.

[ Both laugh ] And she was all thumbs up, so -- -She thought it was probably part of the ride.

-Exactly.

You know, and I can't communicate with her, like, by talking.

-Which probably ended up being a benefit in the long run.

-It really did, because I shut the engine, and she did not like being shut off and wide open.

I get this huge pop.

And then we go into this amazing glide.

The engine, like, backfired.

-Oh!

-And it shut off wide open.

And then this glide.

Well, we're about 1,800 feet, so I'm starting to circle and starting to work through everything I have to line up and make it happen.

And all of a sudden, there's a sailboat coming up the river and a motorboat coming down that are going to be right where I need to land.

-Oh, no.

-And so, decision making, as you said.

-Yeah, yeah.

-You know, what do you do?

Well, there's a back river on the other side of that island.

We're at about 1,000 feet now.

And I said, "Okay, I'm going to come in low over to the docks, turn into the wind, and land in the middle of river."

Textbook.

It was the most... -Nailed it.

-A 10 on the land, okay?

And I got out of my seat.

We're in the middle of the river.

And I step over her, and I see the spring that had hung up.

And I kick it off, work the throttle.

I get back in, started it up, rev it, can't get it to duplicate, and I said, "You want to fly?"

And she's... -Ready to go back up.

-We went flying.

It never happened again.

Never in all these years has it ever gotten stuck.

It was a fluke thing.

But I want my students to experience that we can safely land the aircraft without our engine.

Not, in the back of your mind, "I could bring in throttle at the last second if I screw up."

-No, you got to know it's gone and, "I need to make it happen."

-Yes.

And it's a giant hang glider.

It's, we glide to the water.

We fly the plane, glide it to the water, and land.

♪♪ -How many of you, doing exactly what you do, are there in the world?

-Right now, there's about five of us.

-Five?

-Five.

In the world, yes.

-In order to sustain, especially a business that's so rare and not so many people know about, you got to be able to get the word out, market it, right?

-In the beginning, I did -- I had to try to get the word out.

I was a nobody, you know?

-Yeah.

-And so I did the Groupons and the LivingSocials and the Amazon Deals.

And I had a lot of people that I had to fly for next to nothing, because you have to offer it half off.

And then they take their cut, and you're left with gas money.

But it got the word out.

And I couldn't -- The first Groupon, I couldn't wait.

And they have a little meter, how many sold.

And I'm like, "Miss Lou, we sold a flight!"

And then, "Miss Lou, we sold 10 flights," and -- -A thousand flights.

-No, 168 flights in, like... "Oh, my God, I got to fly all these people for this little money."

And it's something -- a learning lesson along the way.

What I do is such a small niche, it's not a discount thing.

-It's good for brand exposure, but not at 170 flights.

-Exactly.

And so, the second year, I let LivingSocial talk me into a thing, and then by the third year, I was done discounting and actually started moving my prices up, because I knew, with the maintenance and what I needed to do, that I had to make more money.

-What are you able to generate?

Let's say -- You charge $300 for an hour of instruction, correct?

-Actually, instruction's a little bit less, because I went with the standard of pilot instruction in the beginning.

But the $300 for the intro flight, it includes a video, pictures, and a certificate of instruction.

-And then you have your overhead, your maintenance.

-The maintenance is -- -Is it a killer?

-I am operating in the salt water.

I have some friends that are only operating fresh water.

Their maintenance is half of mine because the salt water just wants to destroy anything you put into it -- rust, corrosion, bolts.

Everything needs replacing much quicker.

The wings are about $9,000.

The sailcloth will get double UV damage because of reflection off of the water of the sun.

So you have deterioration top and bottom.

And they say a sailcloth should last 700 hours, but I replace mine at 350 hours because of that.

♪♪ -From your perspective, is it a viable business financially?

It's making money?

It's doing okay?

-If the weather -- The weather is what throws you.

It's all about the weather.

You just adapt to what you have.

-Yeah.

-And do the best you can with what you got.

But his dream would be not have to charge anybody, just do it for fun.

Just for fun.

-Yeah.

-He loves it.

He gets the biggest kick out of his customers when they come back teary-eyed or -- the power-off gets people quicker than anything, because, all of a sudden, it's total quiet, and all you hear is wsssh.

-Just gliding.

-And, I mean, we've seen grown men get off teary-eyed and say, "Man, that was wonderful," you know?

-Yeah.

-You just... Just go to another element, I guess.

I don't know what it is.

♪♪ -I think I'm gonna cry.

-Oh, God, that's awesome.

I hope cry from happiness.

-Uh-huh.

-Great, great.

-Today, I did a one-hour instructional training course.

-Mm-hmm.

-Right?

So, what do I get from that, and how am I able to apply it if I decide to pursue this in the future?

-When I flew with Tom and Denise, that gave me a parchment paper, real pretty scroll and everything else, that listed the FAA regulations you were trained under.

And it was a great thing.

And I had mine up on the wall for a while, but I ran across the idea of getting one put in a plastic card, credit-card-type size.

-Mm-hmm.

-Everything's reduced down.

Your one-hour flight counts towards the 20 hours required for sport pilot.

-Wow!

-It has my aircraft tail number, my instructor flight number, the date, and your name.

-Well, thank you so much.

I just had an absolute blast today.

-Excellent.

Thank you.

It was my pleasure.

♪♪ -Are you happy?

-My God!

I won't get emotional.

I said I wouldn't get emotional because I'm an emotional guy, but I am the luckiest man I know.

Doing what I absolutely love, the best lady, the best business, the best aircraft.

My friend list of all the students and people I have flown is off the charts.

And I'm walking around not knowing why.

I don't have much education.

I had a high-school education, then I was military.

Certainly didn't come from money or have money.

A lot of people laughed when I first told them what I was going to do.

Looking back, it's amazing.

-You're a very blessed man.

-I am.

-To get from where you were when you were 49 to where you are now.

-Yes.

-Do you ever think?

-No.

And I constantly tell people, you know, I don't know what the future holds, but I also don't know what else I might be good at.

I never knew I was going to be a good flight instructor or a pilot.

Never, ever could I -- If somebody had told me when I was 48 what -- I'd be, like, laughing, like they were -- like other people were.

-And here you are.

-But when you find that thing, and you have that glazed look in your eye, nothing else matters.

♪♪ -It's hard to find the words to explain what it feels like flying 1,000 feet in the air in what's essentially a paddle boat with wings.

But the first word that comes to mind is "exhilarating."

As terrified of heights as I am, this was one of those face-your-fears moments, and Dave made all the difference in the world.

His calm and knowledgeable approach washed away all apprehension.

I felt safe, comfortable, and had an absolute blast up there.

Now, I've flown in a helicopter, a commercial plane, and your run-of-the-mill single engine.

But this was a completely different experience.

There's this level of peace and solitude that comes with flying in this way.

We are literally soaring right next to the birds, wind in our face, no doors or windows, constantly being reminded that Mother Nature may let us visit, but she's truly in charge, and there's no point in fighting against her wishes.

When you feel her pull in a certain direction, you simply adjust in a gradual and respectful manner until you feel like you're actually part of the wind.

There's no separation.

There's this indescribable sense of freedom in that level of acceptance.

It was such an honor meeting Dave and learning that, regardless of your age or level of experience or education, your true destiny may only be one scuba cancelation away.

I'm forever grateful to have had this experience and can say with the utmost certainty that this will not be my last encounter with trike flying.

For more information, visit our website and search Episodes for "Amphibian Air."

Next time on "Start Up," we head to Wilmington, North Carolina, to meet up with Tracey and Girard Newkirk, the founders of Genesis Block, a community that offers coworking, education, and technology.

Be sure to join us next time on "Start Up."

Would you like to learn more about the show or maybe nominate a business?

Visit our website at startup-usa.com and connect with us on social media.

♪♪ -♪ We got a long road ahead of us ♪ ♪ A long road ahead of us ♪ Got a long road ahead of us ♪ Before we pay our dues ♪ We got a long road ahead of us ♪ ♪ A long road ahead of us ♪ A long road ahead of us ♪ Before we pay our dues -...to this, as well.

-Is -- Anything in it?

-Nope.

-[ Laughs ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -Spectrum Business partners with small business across the country to help them achieve their goals.

With high-speed Internet, phone, TV, and mobile services, Spectrum Business provides the tools to keep you connected with your customers.

Spectrum Business.

No nonsense, just business.

♪♪ ♪♪ -Vistaprint, a proud sponsor of "Start Up" and small businesses everywhere.