Jevin Sackett: When Dreams Take Flight
Jevin Sackett
When you’re a young boy pondering your future, the sky’s the limit.
That was certainly the case for me, when I was only 10 years old and began my lifelong interest—some might even call it an obsession—with flight and all things aviation-related.
Since childhood, there’s always been something both fascinating and alluring to me about the idea of flying; perhaps it’s nothing more complicated than just the peace and quiet one experiences at 10,000 feet in the air. And somehow, looking down from the cockpit at the landscape below, the multitude of daily demands that one faces seem to take on a more appropriate proportion—and I’m able to fulfill that desire we all have to not ‘sweat the small stuff’ of daily life.
For me, my aviation journey began—figuratively and literally—at age 10 when my best friend’s dad asked if I’d like to join his son, and come along for a ride in his Cessna 182. Surprisingly, whatever limited childhood fear I may have had, was vastly overshadowed by an overwhelming curiosity to experience the ‘wild blue yonder’.
And so began my lifelong journey to the skies.
Jevin Sackett Aviation:
As the years progressed, so too did my personal interest in aviation. Being a passenger was fine, but eventually (like many flight enthusiasts) I decided that I wanted to be in control of the flight, and so I sought out my pilot’s license. As a San Diegan it made sense to train nearby, and so I attained my license to fly at the San Diego International Flight Training at nearby Montgomery airport.
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to be able to fully pursue my interest in flight, and eventually purchased my first plane: a Cessna 206 Turbo ‘Stationair’. Truth be told, as someone who has spent almost two decades involved in mergers and acquisitions, few if any of those acquisitions matched the thrill of purchasing my own first airplane.
Although it’s been many years since I first experienced flight, it’s still hard to put into words how much joy I derive from taking to the skies. These days, as a resident of Las Vegas, I tend to spend a good deal of time flying over the desert. As anyone who has ever visited Las Vegas by plane knows, the desert landscape—and particularly Red Rock Canyon—is a remarkable sight to see by air. Nearby Sedona airport remains a personal favorite, as the Sedona desert landscape is also quite breathtaking.
Still, even today, some aviation dreams remain unfulfilled. My proverbial ‘dream plane’ would be the Super Cub; a special plane, the Super Cub proffers the chance to land just about anywhere, on any runway, or even in areas without formal runways. For a pilot, that would truly be a dream come true.
But of all the hours I’ve spent in flight, perhaps none have meant more to me than the time that I was able to share my plane with both my father and grandfather. While that would have been a special moment at any time, that particular flight was especially poignant as it allowed me to fulfill my granddad’s last wish—for him to share one last flight with both my dad and myself.
For an array of reasons, it took over a month to schedule the flight over Palm Springs with dad and granddad, but I was finally able to coordinate the event. The joy that granddad expressed that day was immeasurable, as was my happiness at being able to make that dream of his a reality.
Sadly, he peacefully passed away only a few days later, but I will forever treasure the time the three of us shared, as we glided through the tranquil skies over Palm Springs.
These days, as CEO of a thriving company, I guess one could say that I’ve come a long way from that 10 year old whose first flight opened his eyes–and mind–to the joys of flight.
Still, even now, every time I sit down in the cockpit preparing to take flight, I feel as though somewhere inside there’s still a childhood voice whispering “man, this is going to be cool!”
I guess it’s true that the best things in life really don’t change.
Jevin Sackett is an FAA-licensed pilot. He lives in Las Vegas.
