Actor-turned-pilot Morgan Freeman pauses before answering a question about his involvement in aviation for EAA Television during his first visit to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007. Photo by Dave Higdon

At 15, Morgan Freeman was too young to fly the F-86 Sabre jet, but that didn’t stop him from pretending.

Sitting in class, as the teacher droned on, his desk would transform to his plane as Freeman talked on the radio and made war noises as he struck down another MiG fighter.

After a moment, his English teacher’s voice would break through his thoughts.

"Morgan, what are you doing?"

"Nothing," he’d reply, and again be quiet.

Freeman, the Academy Award-winning actor and film director, made his first visit to EAA AirVenture on Thursday and talked about how he got interested in aviation and what he’s flying now.

Freeman said the Sabre jet got him interested in aviation. "It owned the skies."

It did. During the Korean War, the Sabre was the only swept-wing jet fighter in the U.S. inventory. After initial teething pains were resolved, F-86 pilots began scoring consistent victories over Russian-built MiG fighters.

Freeman said he tried to join the Air Force before he finished high school. But they told him to finish school first, and then come back.

He did come back, working as a mechanic in the Air Force. But soon he realized the military wasn’t for him. "My fantasy had to do with movies, not with killing people."

In the decades since, Freeman concentrated on his movie career, playing Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris in Million Dollar Baby, Lucius Fox in Batman Begins and the forthcoming The Dark Knight, God in Bruce Almighty and Evan Almighty, and many other roles.

Then about five years ago, his business partner, a pilot, encouraged him to fly. Freeman took his first lesson in July 2002, and got his certificate and first plane in October 2002 when he was 65. He added his instrument rating in May 2003 and his multi-engine rating that June.

In fall 2004, he got checked out to fly his pressurized Cessna 414. He also owns a Cessna Citation 501SP, which he flew to Oshkosh.

While he enjoys flying, it didn’t always come easy. The hardest part for him in the beginning, Freeman said, was learning how to talk to the air traffic controllers. "It was gibberish; I didn’t understand anything after they said clearance. But now I can do it."

Freeman said if he could fly anything, it would be the Sabre jet. If he could buy anything, it would be the SJ30-2.

Freeman said he has never been anywhere where he’s seen so many airplanes. A helicopter tour of the grounds showed him how well organized AirVenture was.

"This place is laid out perfect," he said. "There is a place for everything and everything is in its place. The people here know what they are doing and do it well."