The operator of Skydive Alabama in Cullman is behind a new flight school open for business at Huntsville International Airport.

One of Revolution Flight School's planes at Huntsville International Airport. (Lucy Berry | lberry@al.com)

Revolution Flight School launched earlier this month in a facility also home to FlyQuest on 2002 Houston Goodson Way in Huntsville. Owner Paul Rossouw, an ex-military parachute regiment soldier and three-time Skydiving World Championship medalist, runs the school with general manager Chris Burns.

The company provides flight, pilot, and airline training, discovery flights, and sport and commercial flying for a wide range of people, including novice and advanced pilots. Clients can also achieve sport pilot, private pilot, commercial pilot and air transport certification at Revolution Flight School, which offers maintenance and plane rentals for licensed aviators.

"We can address just about any need within the aviation world, as well as manage airplanes for other people who are already pilots," Rossouw told AL.com.

Burns said Revolution offers a Cessna 172, a four-seat, fixed-wing aircraft perfect for training inexperienced pilots, as well as a Piper Arrow, a faster, more complex aircraft with retractable gear. The Beechcraft Baron, a multi-engine plane, is also available for rent to qualified pilots.

One of Revolution Flight School's planes at Huntsville International Airport. (Lucy Berry | lberry@al.com)

Despite an ongoing pilot shortage, Burns said Revolution Flight School has had a flurry of phone calls from prospective students, pilots who want to enhance their flying skills, and veteran aviators interested in renting aircraft. Burns is hopeful the school will double or possibly triple in size in the next two years as more people become aware of the program.

"Now is the time to get in it and learn how to do this if you want a career in it," he said. "If you want a hobby in it, it's a good time to get in it as well. Pilots make a good bit of money once they've been into it for four or five years."

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the median salary for airline and commercial pilots was $102,520 per year in 2015. The career, which requires moderate on-the-job training, has a 5 percent job outlook through 2024.

The airport held a ribbon cutting Wednesday morning at the facility, which is next door to Signature Flight Support.

"This offering of the flight school further continues to spur interest in aviation and provide convenient opportunities for training to people in our community," said Jana Kuner, public relations manager for Huntsville International Airport.