Greg Johnson was back on familiar turf last month.

The former Kenmore Air seaplane pilot and captain of the Atlantis space shuttle — which recently returned to Earth after its crew worked on the Hubble telescope — told stories of his journey to company president Gregg Munro and a group of employees and their families during a noontime barbecue.

“I do count my experiences at Kenmore Air that really changed me,” said Johnson, who worked at the local business from 1974-77. “Kenmore Air was my first flying experience and that culminated with me flying (to) the Hubble.”

A smiling Johnson, using his arms and hands to full effect, described to one attendee that lift off was “shaking” and that the shuttle orbited Earth 197 times at five miles a second. He noted that the crew watched the latest “Star Trek” film in space while enjoying the ride.

During the barbecue, Johnson presented Munro a Kenmore Air patch that he took into space and a framed picture of the crew accompanied by Atlantis and Washington state patches.

Dennis Norman was on hand Tuesday to greet Johnson, his seaplane instructor in 1975.

“You went into space,” an excited Norman was overheard telling Johnson.