By Peter Covino

Entertainment Editor

Tired of the same old balloon-blowing clown for your birthday?

You can literally see fireworks and a whole lot more with Mauiva Air Tours, a new way to see Walt Disney World and the theme parks in Central Florida.

Mauiva began operating at Kissimmee Gateway Airport earlier this year, Brad Conner, marketing manager for the air tour company, said.

The company’s tour and packages now include the Celebration Tour, Grand Tour, Sunset Package and Fireworks Package.

You can even take control of the plane with an add-on Captain’s Package, Richard O’Brien, Mauiva salesman, said.

All flights are via a Cessna 172, which means there is plenty of room for a significant other for a romantic trip. The Cessna 172 can handle three passengers in addition to the pilot, Conner said.

And there is no baggage check or full-body scans either. It actually makes flying easy again.

Simply book the time and package you want and show up at the hangar.

If you are sitting next to the pilot, you will get a first-hand experience and the same view the pilot gets as you approach the runway getting ready for landing.

Pilot Rob Becker was at the control on a recent flight from the Kissimmee airport. Passengers can talk to the pilot via their headsets and you can listen in as he gets clearance from the control tower and last-minute weather information.

This is not the small aircraft of a generation ago. The instrument panel looks more like a couple of giant iPads, with full color displays of other air traffic, buildings and other objects.

After getting that final clearance, the plane is already high above the Kissimmee airport, U.S. Highway 192 and other landmarks below.

Once in the sky, Becker maintains an altitude of about 1,500 feet, perfect for a birds-eye view of Central Florida. Indeed, the birds are your only other flying companions.

Becker, an experienced pilot, takes the best approach to get ideal views of Walt Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal.

The airspace over the theme parks is restricted, but Becker said you really don’t want to fly over the parks anyway. The best views are as you approach Walt Disney World and fly parallel to the parks.

It is only a few minutes flying time and the familiar Epcot ball of Spaceship Earth is already below.

Barely any time elapses and the roller coasters at Universal are poking through the sky, as is the roof of Hogwarts at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

Then you get the command from the pilot and you take control of the plane. It’s surprising to the novice flyer how the plane responds so easily with just the slightest touch. You can keep on piloting, and guide the plane in a slow turn back toward the airport.

If you are not flying the plane, there also is plenty of time to take photos through the Cessna’s window.

Depending on your package, flights range from 15 minutes to a half-hour.

Packages include:

The Celebration Tour: a 15-minute flight that takes you around SeaWorld, the Wide World of Sports complex, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Magic Kingdom; cost is $60 per person for all ages.

The Grand Tour: a 30-minute flight that includes all of the above, plus Universal Studios, the Butler Chain of Lakes and SeaWorld; $109 for adults, $99 for children.

Sunset Package: Watch the sun set over Central Florida in this 30-minute flight. Cost is $129 for all ages.

Fireworks Package: You see more than one fireworks show at the theme parks high in the sky with this package; cost is $129, ages 8 and up.

Special event packages include a romantic getaway and the birthday package.

With the Romantic Package, at $85 per couple, you get a candlelight table set up on the runway (with a bottle of wine, cheese, fruit plate and a rose).

The Birthday Package is for up to 10 guests, including a birthday flight for the birthday person as well as balloons, cake, juice, soda or water, at $85.

The Captain’s Package, where you get to fly the plane, is an additional $29.

Other options include a 10-minute Youtube video on your flight or a DVD of your flight.

There is more information, including a sample video experience of what you can expect in a typical flight, at http://orlandoair

tour.com/tours.html. You also can book a flight at the company’s website or call 407 551-0577. Flights can be booked daily from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.