Before airplanes, humans commiserated by emulating flightless penguins—wearing fancy tuxedos and spending months in therapeutic group hugs. Take to the skies triumphantly with today's Groupon: for $69, you get a discovery flight lesson from Airborne Systems Flight Training (a $149.95 value).

Airborne Systems Flight Training's experienced instruction staff take aspiring aviators under their wings to teach basic flight techniques and move them toward their pilot's license. Following a thorough series of preflight checks, the student and copilot will mount a Cessna 172SP and then launch skyward from the runway at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. As the plane scrapes the stratosphere, the pilot will explain the myriad dials, gauges, and taffy dispensers that line the cabin's interior. After getting acquainted with the controls, new recruits will get to take the reins of their sky steed for a brief period. The 45-minute air jaunt concludes with a debriefing of the student's performance and a photo of the cumulus cloud that most resembled their face. If desired, Airborne Systems can substitute the training with a virtual lesson in a full-motion flight simulator.