COEUR d'ALENE - Jason Wilson can make you fly.

After all, he has made people fly all over the world.

Wilson, 32, is the flying director with Foy Inventerprises Inc., featuring Flying by Foy based in Las Vegas.

"Anytime you see Peter Pan flying across the stage, or the Wicked Witch for 'Wizard of Oz,' flying monkeys, we do all the rigging, ropes, pulleys," he said with a smile. "We help the magic."

With 11 years in the business, Wilson has worked with some of the biggest names in entertainment - Garth Brooks, Celine Dion, Cher and Mariah Carey.

In fact, while on tour with Carey in Japan, she sang happy birthday for Wilson - he was born July 4, 1978.

"She had a Fourth of July party, she got wind it was my birthday," he said. "It was an awesome birthday."

Wilson, who lives in Hayden Lake, loves to spend time outdoors with his golden retriever, Shawnee, or on the water in his boat. But when work calls, which is often, he flies, too.

On a plane, of course.

How often are you on the road?

I travel around the world. I average 250-300 days on the road and go to different theaters and set these systems up. We do everything from Broadway to community theater.

Next, I'm going down to Houston, Texas, to do a dance show. They're doing kind of a Peter Pan thing and Willy Wonka, the flying bubble.

You're the guy who gets them up in the air?

Yep. It's an awesome job. I love it.

How do you do it?

Most people think it's all happy thoughts and fairy dust. It's a cable and pulley system, and then there's operators back there pulling ropes. Performers wear a harness underneath their costume. They get connected to these wires, lifted up and flown through the air. It's kind of a backstage ballet with the operators and on-stage control with the performers.

Do you stay for each performance?

No. Sometimes I just go in and set it up and train their people how to operate things, how to check things, make sure everything is safe. Or, I can stay and run the show. For the Summer Theater and 'Wizard of Oz,' I'm actually staying for the summer here and running the show.

How do you get into a field of work like this?

I've always been in the theater world, I grew up loving theater. Friends of mine were into it.

I started out thinking that acting was cool, and after seeing what was going on backstage, I got more into that. I liked the creative side. I've always been interested in rock climbing and stuff like that. Ropes and pulleys always interested me. I heard about the company Foy through some friends, went and checked out their operation and just was amazed at what they do. I bugged them a little bit and got a job.

Have you ever had anyone fall?

No, no, no. Foy has a very good reputation.

How high will you fly someone?

We flew Nadia Comaneci off the Nasdaq building in New York for the torch lighting for the Olympics. I wasn't there, but my company did it. That was about 1,000 feet high. We've rigged things in the Superdome and I was just at the Super Bowl and did the half-time show with the Black Eyed Peas and Usher, that giant scoreboard at Dallas stadium.

Sounds like you meet a lot of famous people?

I was up in the scoreboard, they'd come up, I had to hold Fergie's hand and let her know everything was OK.

How are famous people to work with?

Good. Once they know who you are and they know what you're doing, they're nice people.

Are people usually worried?

Oh yeah. I don't think I've ever met a performer who was totally unafraid of it.

How do you calm them?

You start small. Take them up a little bit, make sure they're comfortable, next thing you know they're flying around. Yesterday, I was working with Ellen Travolta, she's playing the Wicked Witch here. She came in, we hooked her up, got her off the ground. She was loving it. She had such a ball. She's such a great performer, she has that stage presence. Yesterday, we took her up a little bit, made sure she was comfortable, gave her a little bit of movement, left to right, got her moving. It's fun.

When you started, were you ever nervous when people are up in the air?

There were a couple times I questioned myself. There were a couple times I was calling the office asking for some help. Plus, I'm relying on other operators to pull ropes and stuff a lot of times. You've got to learn the character of people and what they can do, their abilities, too. So you learn a lot about people.

What about if a person is pretty heavy?

In general, if you have someone pulling the ropes manual, they're pretty much the weakest link in the system, so it's what they can do and there are tricks to make the person on the other end lighter with counterweights. There are tricks of the trade. The heaviest person I ever lifted was about 340 pounds.

Are there very many who do this kind of work?

There are a few other companies that specialize in it. It's a very small field.

How would someone get into it?

There's a lot of training involved. It's about a year-round process to win the company's trust to start letting you go out on your own and do this. Most of the time I'm by myself when they send me out on these jobs. I get there with a bunch of boxes of equipment and tracks and stuff and look at the theater. Every theater is different.

Where have your travels taken you?

I've been all the way around the world twice. We did a lot of 'Lion King' tours, for instance, in Japan. I just was down in Santiago, Chile. Did a ballet there, 'Dracula.' Flew Dracula and the Dracula brides. I see so much cool stuff.

Did you ever imagine such a job for yourself?

I love it. I've had a lot of great experiences I'm so thankful for. It helps me grow as a person.

What's next for you?

It's been 11 fun-loving years and I'm not tired of it yet. I'm going to keep going until I get tired of it, then probably find something related in the company. Who knows.

Do you go to the theater and watch what they do?

Yes. I watch more of the technical stuff in the background. I'm more impressed with how the scenery is built, how it moves, the lighting effects, and how special the special effects are. Especially in Vegas. I love going to see the shows and being blown away. The technology that's out there now, it's amazing.

When you were a boy, did you watch people flying on TV and wonder how they did it?

Yeah. One of my favorite shows was 'The Greatest American Hero.' Of course, 'Superman.' I've had the dreams, 'Spiderman,' you're climbing up the walls.

Speaking of 'Spiderman,' what do you think of all that trouble with the Broadway show?

We did not do that. It's amazing how, when something like that happens and it's such a specialized industry, bad publicity is never good, even if it wasn't our company. They seem like they're getting their act together now.

How do you like life on the road?

I love meeting people. I hate the airports. I spend a lot of time in airports. Probably that's the worst part of the job, sitting in the airports. But I love meeting the people, being in the communities. That's what gives me the satisfaction of the job. That's why I love it.

On your travels, do you get a chance for sight seeing?

Every chance I get I enjoy getting out. If I'm in the city, like I was just in Santiago I love getting out and just walking, getting a feel for it. Some places, they're not so friendly and they're a little dangerous. But you have to explore. That's my thing, I'm not going to sit in a motel room and watch HBO all day. I'm going to get out there and see what's available.

What's the best part of the job?

Being a part of their community, especially smaller shows you go to, like a dance show, community show, even a high school and they're putting on this production of 'Peter Pan.' I find I enjoy working with nonprofessional groups a lot. They appreciate it, they seem to learn a lot. I try and give my experiences to them so if they're interested, it gives them a little bit more to pursue. Also, seeing how communities react in certain places. Some places they don't get the support, it's a dying art. Some places, it's amazing how they support their local theaters and the arts. That's what I love about this area. There's so much great support and community here. They're amazing to work with. I'm not just saying that. There's a reason why I relocated to this area.

SNAPSHOT

Jason Wilson

Date of birth: July 4, 1978

Education: Attended UNLV

Hobbies: Boating, wakeboarding. Anything that gets me outside.

Number of hours on average you work in a week: I'd say 60.

Number of hours on average you sleep in a night: 6-7

Favorite movie: "Fight Club."

Favorite type of music: Alternative, rock, classical

Favorite spectator sport: Football

Quality you admire most in a person: Honesty

Any one thing you consider your greatest accomplishment: Just living life.

One person most influenced your life: My mom and dad, Roger and Becky Wilson. They are just great people. They're the classic story. High school sweethearts, married, dad in the military, still together, love each other, been there through everything I've been through. They taught me to be an honest, good person and I have a lot of respect for them.

The people in my life really influence me. I am who I am because of the people I meet, my best friends all the way down to people I've known for a week and worked with.

Best advice you ever received: Have fun. No matter what you do, have fun.