RALEIGH - Zachary Blake Hylan grinned broadly as technicians milled around him on the Memorial Auditorium stage Tuesday. Just days away from his debut in his first theater role ever, as Michael Darling in N.C. Theatre's "Peter Pan," the 8-year-old was immune to stage fright.

Stage flight, on the other hand, would prove harder to conquer.

"One, two, three, go," flight director Alex Thompson said loudly, prompting a stage hand in the wings to yank the cord that hoists 45-pound Zachary into the air. Eyes wide, Zachary tried to remember the technique tips Thompson taught him: back straight, head up, move arms and legs as if swimming. But in his excitement, he flailed like a cat in a bathtub.

"Oooooooooh!" he cooed as he landed, with Thompson guiding him. "That was awesome!"

Again and again, Zachary floated up and down, stifling giggles as he struggled to stay upright and land by himself without stumbling.

Then it was Wendy's turn, and actress Sarah Langston proved to be a natural, having parasailed. The Raleigh 15-year-old smiled blissfully as she floated up and raised her leg in an arabesque. Sarah and Zachary then flew together, bumping into each other as they struggled to join hands gracefully in mid-air.

The flight is one of the most exciting aspects of "Peter Pan." But it's also a logistical challenge, said N.C. Theatre producer William Jones, who has staged the musical twice before. ZFX Flying Effects arrived two days earlier than usual, to set up the cables that enable the actors to fly over the stage and the audience. Then they had to teach five children how to fly.

Actress Gail Bianchi needed little assistance for her flights as Peter. She had already logged countless flight hours as understudy for gymnast Cathy Rigby in the recent national tour. But Rigby never missed a show during Bianchi's tenure, so this will be the first time Bianchi will get to fly over an audience.

With or without fairy dust, flying is one of the safest theater stunts, said stage manager Alan Coats, an Angier native who worked on the Rigby tour. Everything is carefully tested. Sandbags weighing the same as each actor ensure that the actor will be held aloft if someone backstage trips up. The pencil-lead-thin cord from which the actors dangle is super-strong aircraft cable. And when the stagehands leap off a ladder to initiate each actor's takeoff (except for lightweights like Zachary), they wear suede gloves to grip the thick woven ropes attached to the actors' cables.

Even with such safeguards, minor accidents can happen, said "Peter Pan" director Stephen Terrell. When he played Peter years ago in Seattle, someone forgot to open the Darlings' window, and he crashed into it.

Such war stories are no deterrent to these youngsters. They just want to be airborne, whatever it takes. And they're not alone. Jones said 250 kids auditioned for the 11 roles of the Darling children and the Lost Boys, more than Disney's "High School Musical" drew.

Terrell understands the allure.

"It just felt like magic," he said of his days as Peter. "You start to believe it after a while: 'Oh, I can fly.' "

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