When Revv Aviation CEO Guy Lieser was a young teenager, he would pedal his bike seven miles to the Aurora Municipal Airport to plop down $5 for a flight.
Over the next several decades, Lieser has logged more than 3,000 hours as an instructor with more than 8,000 total pilot hours. One of his goals with Revv is to bring the passion and wonder of aviation to today’s young people. “I want people to know that they can begin a path to a great career at their local airport,” he said.
To that end, Revv is expanding its flight schools to three locations in addition to its eight existing sites. “Pilot demand is at a critical juncture,” said Lieser.
According to a Boeing report issued in July 2022, the airline industry needs to fill more than 602,000 pilot and 610,000 maintenance positions over the next 20 years due to the current workforce retiring out. The numbers only account for replacement, not growth in the aviation industry.
Revv’s newest flight school operations are in Huron, S.D., Moline, Ill., and Tuscaloosa, Ala.
“From start to finish, we have a path for both Part 141 and Part 61 flight students to reach their goals of becoming commercial, corporate, charter or cargo pilots,” said Lieser. “We encourage pilots to become certified flight instructors where they can gain the necessary hours and get paid. We then have an FAA-approved Professional Pilot Development program where eligible pilots can be second- in-command (SIC) on Revv charter flights. Those hours are counted and logged to elevate them to restricted ATP at 1,000 hours (with a Part 141 bachelor’s in aviation degree) or 1,200 hours (Part 61) required by the commercial airlines.”
Revv pilots gain valuable time toward an FAA Airline Transport Pilot rating by flying in its turbine charter fleet that includes King Air 350s, two King Air 200s and a King Air C90. This speeds up the process to become a charter captain.
Revv welcomes new students, so pick up your bike and pedal out to one of our 12 locations. Visit https://revvaviation.com/flight-school/ to learn more about our flight school instructions.
