There's no doubt the wide array of weather conditions prevalent in the Puget Sound area don't appeal to everyone.

Rain, snow, fog, wind or overcast skies can dampen spirits and even cause bouts of seasonal depression in some people.

But the inclement conditions provide the perfect environment for learning to fly a helicopter or airplane.

"If you can learn to fly in these conditions, you can fly anywhere," said Michael Thielen, president of Glacier Aviation.

The company, which was founded in 1994, operates out of two locations (Olympia and Skagit airports) and provides students with one-on-one instruction toward earning their private or commercial pilots license or becoming a certified flight instructor. The company's training fleet includes seven single-engine airplanes and eight helicopters.

While there are different hourly requirements for different certifications, Thielen said the program is self-paced.

"Some take two months to compete training, others take a year," he said.

However long it takes, the one constant is that students have the ability to explore a variety of terrains throughout their training.

"I have all kinds of latitude to do what I want when it comes to lesson plans," said Mike Murphy, a helicopter pilot instructor.

That can mean taking students into the mountains, over the ocean or deep into the forest.

"There is every kind of conceivable training environment here," said Murphy, a former student who moved to Washington from Michigan eight years ago to attend the school.

With the inclement weather conditions, the school also stresses the importance of studying and interpreting weather data before planning a flight.

"We try to get them as close to becoming a meteorologist as we can," Thielen said.

A solid understanding of weather and the ability to fly in different conditions closely mirror skills needed in several career paths open to students once they complete their certification. Some fly helicopter tours of mountainous regions of Alaska or work as emergency medivac transport pilots. Others migrate to work at small airlines or fly cargo to remote areas of the country. In fact, the school also offers a job placement program to those who are willing to relocate anywhere in the country.

Then there are those, like the 48-year-old Murphy, who simply enjoy flying and teaching others.

Prior to working as an instructor pilot, the Detroit native worked in college administration offices, but always wanted to be in the aviation field. He researched Glacier Aviation on the Web and moved to Olympia to pursue his dream. Now he gets the satisfaction of teaching - with the added bonus of having an office in the sky, over a beach or mountain waterfall - in whatever location he deems fit for the day's lesson.

"It's very rewarding for me," he said. "For the first time in my life I enjoy telling people what I do for a living."