Jen
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First Solo Flight – Julien Pourtet
Jul 13 2017
Solo Date: July 1, 2017
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Instructors: Ron and David
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Congrats to Julien for achieving this major notch in a pilot’s belt!
“Just wanted to share pictures of my first solo with the school. I soloed with Ron on July 1st, although most of my training so far has been with David Waksberg. I think both of them, even though they have different teaching styles, are great instructors. I can’t wait to fly places on my cross country flights.” ~ Julien
Tailwheel Endorsement – Griffin Swarz
Jul 13 2017Aircraft: Aeronca Champ
Instructor: Jason Brown & Grainne Gilvarry
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Griffin was flying at a nearby school and almost had his tailwheel endorsement when his instructor unfortunately pushed the airplane into the hanger wall, ripping the fabric. He was on a deadline for a glider towing opportunity and we were able to finish up his tailwheel training just in time, thanks to the quick work of instructors Jason and Grainne. Go team!
New Sport Pilot – Martin Ellis
Jul 03 2017Date: June 22, 2017
Instructor: Jason Brown
Certification: Sport Pilot
Way to go, Martin! Despite life’s chores (why do we have to have jobs?) getting in the way of scheduling, Martin put in the effort to complete his Sport Pilot certification with instructor Jason. His checkride with Scott including have the FAA sit in during the oral portion. Talk about pressure! But Martin handled it like a champ and earned his license on the first attempt. We are so happy for him! Congrats on all the hard work and have fun trolling the skies in the light, fun Evektor SportStar.
Examiner: Scott Rohlfing
Aircraft: SportStar N188EV
Checkride Location:
San Jose, CA (KRHV)
First Solo Flight – Thomas Seymour-Cozzini
Jul 03 2017Solo Date: June 28, 2017
Aircraft: Citabria 7ECA
Instructor: Grainne Gilvarry
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
We love to see a student solo, especially in a taildragger! Hitting the mark of solo is quite an accomplishment. In a tailwheel airplane it can take a bit longer to master the landing technique and feel comfortable flying without an instructor there to help. Congrats to Thomas and his instructor Grainne for this notch in the pilot’s belt!
Although you may not see him, Thomas is the reason our airplanes are fueled and ready to go for those early morning weekend flights. From all of us, thanks for the hard work!
First Solo Flight – Andrew Kuo
Jul 03 2017Solo Date: June 18, 2017
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Instructor: David Waksberg
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
For most people reaching the goal of first solo flight is a big achievement, but for Kuanlin “Andrew” Kuo it took incredible fortitude and commitment. Andrew had to complete all the tasks of any private pilot student. Due to vision issues, he also had to fight his way through getting a special medical issuance and passing a flight test (called a SODA) with Jeff Ebey, the man in charge of all pilot examiners and flight school operations at San Jose FSDO. Andrew passed with flying colors 😉 He and instructor David definitely earned the privilege to solo and are now continuing on to Private Pilot certification. Nice work, guys!
New Private Pilot – Chuang Wang
Jul 03 2017Date: June 17, 2017
Instructor: David Waksberg
Certification: Private Pilot
Woohoo, we have a new private pilot in our midst! Chuang flew through his checkride with pilot examiner Yuzo (pun intended). Thanks to the hard work of both Chuang and his intructor David, our newest licensed pilot will soon be one of those airplanes out buzzing the blue San Jose skies. Congrats to all who made this dream possible for him.
Examiner: Yuzo Wakita
Aircraft: Cessna N737ZD
Checkride Location:
San Jose, CA (KRHV)
First Solo Flight – Thao Do
Jul 03 2017Solo Date: May 27, 2017
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Instructor: Dick Chang
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
A big shout out to Thao, who successfully completed her first solo flight in Cessna N12234. Instructor Dick Chang watched like a proud papa as Thao flew 3 takeoffs and landings on Runways 31R and 31L without him sitting next to her.
Thao came to AeroDynamic for an aerobatic thrill ride with our Chief Instructor, Jen, and she has become a cheery face at our school. She is an incredibly accomplished woman who is quickly adding “pilot” to her list of capabilities.
Thao filmed her flight to share with all of us, prospective and experienced pilots, her incredible experience. Click here to see her YouTube video.
New Private Pilot – Jeff Chern
Jun 28 2017Date: May 19, 2017
Instructor: Batelle Rachmain
Certification: Private Pilot
Well done, Jeff, on passing your Private Pilot checkride with Examiner Scott! We hope you are out enjoying the perks of being a licensed pilot. Happy flying 🙂
Examiner: Scott Rohlfing
Aircraft: Cessna N737ZD
Checkride Location:
San Jose, CA (KRHV)
New Private Pilot – Andrew Shacker
May 22 2017Date: May 18, 2017
Instructor: Jason Brown
Certification: Private Pilot
From all of the AeroDynamic crew – A huge congratulations to Andrew for passing his Private Pilot checkride with DPE (designated pilot examiner) Yuzo Wakita. Andrew is a full-time student at Berkeley who took on the extra workload of earning his pilot’s license. We are so proud of Andrew and his instructor Jason for all their long hours and diligence to earn this monumental achievement!
Examiner: Yuzo Wakita
Aircraft: Cessna N98485
Checkride Location:
San Jose, CA (KRHV)
New Private Pilot – Malick Usman
May 01 2017Date: April 30, 2017
Instructor: David Waksberg
Certification: Private Pilot
“Today is a very special day for me since my long time dream of taking to the skies has finally come true. I don’t have to just stare at the sky and wish I could fly anymore; I can just hop on a plane and get there. I am looking forward to one day becoming a CFI and sharing my passion for flying with others too.