WATCH: Peter Pan and Gang Take Flight

It takes more than the help of Tinker Bell to get the characters in Hoover High's production of "Peter Pan" to soar above the stage.

The school has called upon the help of ZFX Flying Effects, a company that lends rigging equipment, allowing actors across the country to become airborn.

And flying? It ain't cheap.

The whole production — we're talking equipment rental, room and board for instructors and other costs — totals about $30,000.

If you ask the students and their director, Kim Jacoby, the ability to fly is worth every cent.

"Flying is a very rare experience," Hoover High senior Megan Ostrofsky said. "You can do 'Peter Pan' without flying. It's just not as magical. So this is the first time I've ever flown, and I can bet you I'm never going to fly again because it's so expensive."

Ostrofsky plays Wendy Darling and, along with Peter Pan, gets to fly high above the stage inside Hoover Hall.

"Getting the opportunity to fly, you've got to take it," she said. "Even though it can be painful, it's totally worth it in the long run."

Director Kim Jacoby said the students have put in countless hours in the past week working with the rigging equipment and practicing flying.

He took us backstage Tuesday to look at the rigging equipment and pointed out the "double purchase" rigging, which is operated by two people. The two form a team as one controls the side-to-side movements and the other the up-and-down movements.

The other part of the rigging, the pendulum, is pretty self-explanatory. (It allows the flier to move as if he were a pendulum.)

And those operating the rigging can see what the flier is doing because of see-through walls on the set.

Jacoby said the rigging equipment arrived Friday, making for a jam-packed weekend and lots of hard work leading up to the show.

"It's really fast and a lot to throw at the kids, but it's really a real-world thing," he said.

Check out this event listing for show times and ticket information.