HURON ­— Nearly every one of us has, at some time or another, fostered the idea of piloting an airplane – of flying unencumbered and undisturbed through clear skies as the countryside passes below.

Taking the steps to make that idea a reality has a starting place much closer to home, as Revv Aviation has recently added its Huron site to the company locations that offer training to obtain a private pilot license.

“Flying is a unique experience,” says Devan Sterman, the certified flight instructor for Revv in Huron. “I always have a sense of exhilaration when I am flying. I am doing something that is above and beyond what our limitations were. It is certainly not the easiest thing to learn or to do, but when you do there is a huge level of satisfaction.”

Revv offers instruction aimed at getting a private pilot license for students. Sterman said that at present he has four students who are active and a handful of others who are in the ‘thinking about it’ stage. One person is in high school and the others are in the 30-to-45-years-old bracket.

There is no lower age limit to begin instruction, however prospective pilots must be 16 years old to ‘solo’ or pilot the plane with no instructor on board, and private pilots must be 17 years old.

Costs to obtain a license vary on a number of factors and 40 hours of instruction is the absolute minimum; the national average is 70 hours. In addition, there are a written knowledge exam and an oral practical exam that must be passed. If you are on the fence about beginning, Revv offers at low-cost ‘see-if-you-like-it’ flight to help in the decision.

Revv utilizes a Cessna 172s airplane for training and instruction. While some of Revv’s flight instruction sites utilize a simulator, Sterman’s students will learn in the left seat of the actual airplane.

“The left side is the pilot’s seat and the right is the co-pilot,” Sterman explained. “You notice that all of the gauges are located on the left side, right in the pilot’s line of vision. It’s important that students learn where to look to assess the condition of their flight and how to read the gauges to determine what needs to take place next. As a certified instructor, I am familiar with the positioning already, and they are easily visible from the right side of the plane.”

Devan Sterman, certified flight instructor for Revv Aviation in Huron, shows off the cockpit of the Cessna 172S the company utilizes for students taking their private pilots licensing class.

Sterman’s first thought of flying came to him while he was a Boy Scout in California.

“I was working on my Boy Scouts Aviation badge,” he recalls, “which requires the scout to perform the pre-flight check with the pilot, you need to learn how to read flight charts and then you take a ride. I was 16 at the time and I thought it was really interesting.”

Practicality reared its head, however.

“If you are a pilot, what then?” he said. More research showed that when you have the license, there are numerous fields of opportunity. “You can perhaps fly for an airline, maybe be a charter pilot. In agricultural areas there are opportunities to be a crop duster and those are just the tip of the iceberg.”

He scouted around and found a program he liked at Utah State University and now holds an Aviation degree.

The next step was to become qualified as an instructor, which Sterman says is important when it comes to choosing someone to teach.

“As an instructor, it is my responsibility to accept that students need the time and space to learn and it is my job to provide that. From a student’s standpoint, they need to realize that the instructor is there to help them learn and to do it safely."

Sterman has been a certified instructor for more than a year and Revv is his first instructor position.

Ultimately, his goal is to have the hours and experience to have an opportunity to fly for an airline.

Until then, he is excited at the prospect of being able to help more flight enthusiasts get their dreams off the ground, so to speak.

“Really, anyone can learn to fly,” he said. “Having math skills can help with some things, but most of all students need to learn the rules and regulations in and out of the plane, how the systems of the aircraft operate and how to operate the aircraft safely.”

Revv Aviation’s offices are located at the Huron Regional Airport in a building emblazoned with the company logo on the front.

The company offers charter flights for business or pleasure as well as flight instruction and much more.

Contact client services representative Nichole Berquist or Sterman at 605-352-9262 for information on different services or to start pilot lessons.