California
posts displayed by category
New Private Pilot – Matt Fall
Feb 27 2017Date: February 24, 2017
Instructor: Tom Morley
Certification: Private Pilot
AeroDynamic’s office manager, Matt, receives the first of his pilot certifications with a first-time pass of his Private Pilot checkride! Matt has flown with almost all the instructor’s we have in an effort to round out his flight training, which gave him a boost of confidence for the checkride, and we are so proud to see him succeed.
Matt’s first planned flight is to take his girlfriend on a few cross-country trips to show her why he’s so passionate about aviation. A date flight to Harris Ranch should do the trick! Matt plans to continue on with Instrument rating, Commercial and Flight Instructor (CFI) certifications in his pursuit of a career with an airline or corporate company. Thanks for all your hard work in and out of the airplane, Matt. From all of us, congratulations!!!
Examiner: Yuzo Wakita
Aircraft: Cessna N61637
Checkride Location:
San Jose, CA (KRHV)
First Solo Flight – Elliot Young
Feb 17 2017Solo Date: February 15, 2017
Aircraft: Citabria 7ECA
Instructor: Batelle Rachmian
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Thanks to this unusual weather California is experiencing, student pilot Elliot Young patiently waited over a month to finally take his first solo flight. Some things are worth the wait, like the first time you takeoff in a taildragger without an instructor in the backseat. At first the quietness, there’s no instructor shouting “more right rudder!” from behind you, then the taste of freedom as you realize it’s really just you and your flying machine, and finally the exhilaration as you bring that airplane in for landing…ALL…BY…YOURSELF! Congrats on this amazing accomplishment to both Elliot and Batelle.
New Multi-Engine Pilot – Reid Raisanen
Feb 16 2017Date: February 14, 2017
Instructor: David Waksberg
Certification: Multi-engine Commercial Pilot
Guess what Reid was up to this Valentine’s Day? Earning a first-time checkride pass…multi-engine add-on to Commercial Pilot Certificate! Reid is a flight instructor at another great flight school in the Bay Area, and he came to AeroDynamic to fly our Twin Comanche with Instructor David. Congrats to them both on this hard-earned rating. Thanks for flying with us and have fun at the airlines!
“I started flying at 16 in Minnesota and since the economy improved, picked it up again seriously at 26. Since I have all requirements for ATP but multi, I asked around SCFC, where I instruct, for a recommendation. I learned about David and Aerodynamic, flew until it was done. People were friendly, the location was solid, and the airplane was maintained well. Next I will continue the airline interview process. Hope the economy stays strong!” ~ Reid
Examiner: Yuzo Wakita
Aircraft: Twin Comanche N40DA
Checkride Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
New Private Pilot – Stanley Cheng
Feb 15 2017Date: February 13, 2017
Instructor: Jen Delp-Mallet
Certification: Private Pilot
From all the instructors who know and flew with Stanley – we are so proud of your dedication to earning your first pilot license!
Stanley was originally accepted into the pilot program in China, where he grew up, and was sadly denied after a minor issue with his vision. After moving to the US many years ago, he decided to fulfill his dream of becoming a pilot. In America it is easy to take for granted the fact that we can choose to become a pilot or fly for fun. After hearing Stanley’s story and getting to know him, we are reminded how lucky we are to be able to fly whenever we want and how lucky we are to be able to train a hard-working person who is so passionate about flying. Thanks, Stanley!
Examiner: Yuzo Wakita
Aircraft: Cessna N737ZD
Checkride Location:
San Jose, CA (KRHV)
First Solo Flight – Eric Jones
Feb 11 2017Solo Date: February 5, 2017
Aircraft: Citabria 7ECA
Instructor: Batelle, Jason, Grainne & Jen
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Traveling all the way from Arizona, Eric Jones made a commitment to himself that his first solo flight would be in a taildragger…and he did it! Using his first vacation in years, student pilot and aircraft fueler from Phoenix flew with quite a few of AeroDynamic’s tailwheel instructors and was able to solo just before departing for home. We are so honored he made the trip here to fly with us and accomplished what he set out to do – tailwheel endorsement and first solo flight. Way to be awesome, Eric! We wish you lots of luck with finishing your pilot’s license and hope you come back someday soon to do some more taildragging with us.
New Private Pilot – Harsh Parandekar
Feb 03 2017Date: January 30, 2017
Instructor: David Waksberg
Certification: Private Pilot
A big congrats to Harsh and his instructor David for passing a checkride on the first attempt, which is quite a feat these days! Despite the weather delays we’ve seen in California this time of year, with heavy rains and storms, Harsh and David were able to finish up the training and found a beautiful day to complete the checkride. Way to go. Whoot whoot!
“I took up flying not just because it’s truly fascinating but also because I want to encourage my son to join the US Airforce and go on to becoming an astronaut. If he does walk on Mars one day, we will fondly remember this past year at Aerodynamic that got the ball rolling 🙂 Truly appreciate the support from the school. You have a really dedicated and helpful team. And special thanks to David who made the learning fun!” ~ Harsh
Examiner: Yuzo Wakita
Aircraft: Cessna N737ZD
Checkride Location:
San Jose, CA (KRHV)
New Private Pilot – Edan Ben-Moshe
Jan 31 2017Date: January 28, 2017
Instructor: Jen Delp-Mallet
Certification: Private Pilot
After soloing a taildragger with us at 16 years old, Edan earned his Private Pilot License in a Citabria at 17! Talk about bragging rights. Shortly after holding up his temporary airmen certificate, Edan took to the skies with his first passenger, his dad, a Private Pilot who earned his instrument rating with AeroDynamic’s chief instructor Jen. We hope to see the family traditions continue. Edan plans to attend aviation college after graduating high school this summer and continue on with a professional pilot career. We are so honored to have been part of his journey and can’t wait to see all he will accomplish. The biggest hurdle may be getting his dad to be a tailwheel pilot, too…
Examiner: Scott Rohlfing
Aircraft: Citabria N1806G
Checkride Location:
San Jose, CA (KRHV)
New Multi-Engine Pilot – John Drozdowsky
Jan 31 2017Date: January 26, 2017
Instructor: David Waksberg
Certification: Multi-engine Commercial Pilot
John came to us from Anchorage, Alaska, to earn his multi-engine commercial pilot certificate. Instructor David worked long days with John to complete the ground and flight portions of the transition to multi-engine. After a few weather delays, John passed his checkride with examiner Yuzo and flew back to Alaska the same afternoon. Congrats to them both on all the hard work!
Examiner: Yuzo Wakita
Aircraft: Twin Comanche N40DA
Checkride Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
New Private Pilot – Mary McEnroe
Jan 27 2017Date: January 13, 2016
Instructor: Batelle Rachmian
Certification: Private Pilot License
Way to go! Mary McEnroe soloed with us on April Fool’s Day and recently passed her Private Pilot checkride on Friday the 13th. Apparently those are good luck days for her, as she passed on the first attempt with Examiner Yuzo! Despite weather delays and globetrotting for her job, Mary made time to work diligently at earning her license to fly. Her goal right now is to fly for fun. Today she took her first passenger, her mom, for whale watching around the Monterey and Santa Cruz coast. We love to see success stories like Mary and wish her the best in her flying adventures. Congrats to her and Batelle for all their hard work and patience.
Examiner: Yuzo Wakita
Aircraft: Cessna N12234
Checkride Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
First Solo Flight – Josh Bellinger
Dec 22 2016
Solo Date: December 12, 2016
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Instructor: Jamie Redding
Location: Monterey, CA (KMRY)
Congrats to Josh on his first solo flight! Instructor Jamie watched from below as Josh flew full-stop takeoffs and landings at Monterey’s class C airport.
“I grew up in Monterey and studied civil engineering at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. I worked as a structural engineer after graduation from college, got my engineering license, and eventually became a project manager for a local general contractor. My interest in flying began in 2014, just for fun, and then eventually, I got hooked! My plan is to continue training for my private pilots license. If all goes well, I would like continue my training further. Originally, I wanted to fly so that I could visit family. Now, I just love to fly because it is so much fun. Everyone in the flying community has been very supportive, and I am so very grateful to everyone at Aerodynamic Aviation whom has helped me on my journey into aviation.” ~ Josh