Amy Rowe: Exploring the Wild Blue Yonder

It might not take a rocket scientist to build great homes, but that doesn't stop Atlanta-area builder Amy Rowe.

After earning a degree in aerospace engineering from Auburn University and working for aircraft maker McDonnell Douglas, Rowe in 1993 returned to her family roots in home building and launched Home Traditions Inc. Today the Marietta, Ga., company builds 100 homes per year, and Rowe finally is carving out time again for one of her earliest interests: flying.

Rowe got her pilot's license at 16 and is fly-rated on instruments as well as in multiengine aircraft. Eventually, she plans to buy a four-seat plane so she can take friends on short trips around the Southeast, but her first love is a two-seat Navy trainer she has owned since her first years as a pilot.

Built in 1954, the Beechcraft T-34 features a glass canopy that can be opened while airborne. It also has a stick instead of a steering yoke, "so if you have a need for speed, you can really feel it," says Rowe.

Fond memories are attached to the trainer. While in high school, Rowe and her best friend flew in the trainer to Florida for a short trip. When the plane landed at a Florida airport and two teenage girls hopped out, they caused quite a stir, says Rowe.