PITTSBURGH -- Steelers owner Dan Rooney is normally seen at Heinz Field on Sundays or at team-related functions. But in his spare time he likes to take to the skies.

Rooney recently took Channel 11’s Alby Oxenreiter along for a ride in his private plane. It was a Friday before a frenzied football weekend.

Rooney was about a mile above the Steelers, behind the controls of his Beechcraft bonanza, giving Oxenreiter an aerial tour of the city synonymous with his family's name.

Directly below was Heinz Field where the Steelers play, Rooney Middle School on the North Side and Duquesne University's Rooney Field, and finally, the UPMC Sports Performance Complex, where the Steelers were holding their final full practice of the week.

They're well aware of their owner's fly-by.

Rooney said, “They always yell, 'There's Dan Rooney up there.’ They run for the hills.”

Piloting his plane is Rooney’s great escape.

Rooney told Oxenreiter, “When you get in the plane, you have to concentrate. You let everything else go out of your mind. Willie Parker running. Ben throwing. It's a good diversion.”

In many ways, Rooney said he feels safer above the ground.

“Just look at the statistics. There's a lot more auto wrecks than there are plane crashes.” Rooney said.

However, flying certainly isn't without risk. Rooney's most infamous scare came in the summer of 2000 on a flight home from training camp, when his plane lost its electrical systems. Rooney had no contact with the tower and was forced to call 911 from his cell phone.

Rooney said, “I told the fellow I was having a problem, ‘This is Dan Rooney.’ He said, ‘Yeah, it's Dan Rooney.’ I said, ‘IT IS.’”

Rooney insisted on landing at Allegheny County airport, and before it got dark. He finally put the plane down without landing gear, shortly before dusk.

Rooney said, “I landed on runway 28. On the grass. One thing you cannot do if you're a pilot is panic.“

Rooney still flies to league meetings. But he's usually the only Rooney on board.

“I like to take Art (his brother) with me, he's in the meetings, but he doesn't like to fly. Not in this plane anyway."

Oxenreiter said, “And your wife doesn't like to fly with you either?”

Rooney said, “She'll fly once in a while.”

Rooney's first plane was bought from Chuck Noll. He currently owns a second plane, a Citation Excel.