Forget dinner and a movie: Las Vegas couple bonds in the cockpit

Despite having to dedicate 15 to 20 hours each week to studying and practicing, learning to fly aircraft has been rewarding for Kristen Trbovich and Luke Clawson.

Clawson has long dreamed of becoming a pilot. He brought Trbovich to All In Aviation at the Henderson Executive Airport for a “discovery flight” in March, and the couple became hooked — Trbovich then did her own discovery flight, and the two have been pursuing their private pilot licenses ever since.

As they prepare for their written test and check ride — a practical exam — they expect to obtain their licenses by October.

“Watching Luke get started and do it and see that, ‘Hey, this is something that is doable and you can achieve,’ especially at this point in life, really inspired me to go try,” Trbovich said. “It sounded like it would be something that would be great for us to be able to share together, work through all the challenges and learn as a team.”

Discovering the skies

All In Aviation attracts two types of customers for its two-hour-long discovery flights: successful businesspeople who want to fly their families around and college-age individuals hoping to pursue a career as a pilot, said All In Aviation’s founder and president, Paul Sallach.

“We call it a discovery flight because you want to discover if it’s something that’s of interest to you; it’s not necessarily a commitment to become a pilot,” he said.

Customers can choose a Cessna 172 with a navigation screen for $450 or a more luxurious and spacious Cirrus SR20 with air conditioning and a parachute system for $600.

Clawson and Trbovich opted for the Cirrus for its panoramic views and the all-important AC.

“The Cessna has a lot more blind spots,” Clawson said. “The Cirrus is surrounded by windows. Sitting in the pilot or the copilot seat — even the back seats — you can see everything.”

The discovery flight counts toward the minimum 40 hours required for a private pilot license — which roughly 30 percent of customers go on to achieve, according to flight training adviser Stefanie Hott.

The goal of the discovery flight is to give customers the experience of flying a plane so they can decide if pursuing a pilot license is right for them.

For Trbovich and Clawson, it was. The satisfaction of overcoming a challenge, combined with the breathtaking mountain views of the Ivanpah Valley, convinced them to continue their training.

“There’s definitely something about being in control of the aircraft and being able to be up there looking out and seeing the view,” Clawson said.

A family business

The business opened at North Las Vegas Airport in 2016, established a second location in Henderson in 2020 and began offering discovery flight bundles in 2022. Now, All In Aviation conducts five to eight discovery flights each month — only in Henderson.

Between discovery flights, pilot training, instrument ratings and plane rentals, All In Aviation requires a large selection of aircraft. It owns 20 planes — five Cessna and 15 Cirrus — for flight training and plans to get more to meet elevated summer demand.

“The 5 a.m. slot is the most desired slot because it’s not so hot out,” Sallach said. “We need more airplanes to be able to fly early in the mornings and on the weekends.”

While expanding the business, Sallach is also maintaining its family roots. He started the company with his wife, Lindsay, also a pilot. He is training what could eventually become All In’s next generation: his children, Anna, 13, and Quintin, 12.

The two kids can already fly by themselves and record their flights in log books, just like their parents.

“I make them talk on the radio and communicate with air traffic control,” Sallach said. “They’re taking off. I make them hand fly the airplane.”

‘It’s a lot, in a good way’

Reflecting on her training experience, Trbovich said the biggest challenge was learning a lot of information in a short period of time.

“You’re going to be a weatherman, and you’re going to be a mechanic, and you’re going to be a flight expert, and you’re also going to be a rules and regulations expert, because you’ve got to know all about the FAA rules and regulations, and you’re going to be a research expert, because if you don’t know, you’ve got to know where to find it,” she said. “It’s a lot of information and stuff to keep straight.”

To balance their flight training with their full-time careers — Trbovich and Clawson work for the same Las Vegas construction company — they needed to be able to work their flights around their schedules. They said flexibility was one of the reasons why they chose All In.

Getting a private pilot license is a difficult endeavor, consisting of significant expenses, 40 hours of flight training and several examinations. However, Trbovich and Clawson are aiming higher.

Both hope to continue training and obtain a commercial license, which All In Aviation also offers.

The couple ultimately hopes to fly private planes, which they said will allow them to spend more time together.

“A lot of people tie flying to commercial jets, and I just don’t think that does it any justice when you get into a Cirrus aircraft and you get up there,” Clawson said. “It’s just an amazing feeling once you get up there and actually see it.”

Contact Isaiah Steinberg at isteinberg@reviewjournal.com. Follow @IsaiahStei27 on X.