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Private, pilot, training

New Private Pilot – Yongzhen Qiu

Feb 26 2020
Date: February 20, 2020
Certification: Private Pilot
Instructor: Cheryl Mitrus
Aircraft: Cessna N54102
Private, pilot, training

Congrats to Yongzhen and CFI Cheryl on a first-time pass!

MEI, checkride, flight training

New Multi-Engine Instructor – Lynzie Hudson

Feb 12 2020
Date: February 5, 2020
Certification: Multi-engine Instructor (MEI)
Instructor: Jen Watson
Aircraft: Twin Comanche N40DA

MEI, checkride, flight training

AeroDynamic instructor Lynzie Hudson’s hard work earned her a first-time pass on her MEI checkride! Lynzie teaches tailwheel, aerobatics, upset recovery, spin training, private, instrument, commercial and now multi-engine. We are extremely proud of her accomplishments and can’t wait to see what she will add to her credentials next.

commercial pilot, checkride, Cessna 172

New Commercial Pilot – Rick Vander Kam

Jan 04 2020
Date: December 31, 2019
Certification: Commercial Pilot ASEL
Instructor: Dick Chang
Aircraft: N915L

commercial pilot, checkride, Cessna 172

“I grew up building and flying model airplanes and rockets, and it seems I’ve always had an interest in aviation-related things. I’ve been flying with AeroDynamic for about 15 years, from initial solo and Private certification in taildraggers to an Instrument rating and other endorsements, recurrent training, and flying just for fun. I’m thankful that over all those years, at each step, AeroDynamic’s instructors and airplanes have met and surpassed my own needs.
This past summer, after a few years of friendly urging (we won’t call it nagging) from instructor Dick Chang, and finding myself suddenly between jobs, it was a great opportunity to go after the Commercial license. Mastering all of the knowledge and skills and maneuvers takes significant time and effort on the part of both pilot and instructor. I want to thank Dick for all those dual hours and good lunches, and also Kat, Jen, and Matt, who stepped in and helped me along at different times. Reflecting on the recent checkride, I can honestly say I was well-prepared — thanks to those just mentioned.
Although I have no immediate plans to exercise Commercial Pilot privileges, this step opens up new options for me. Over the years, I’ve given more than 20 people their first rides in small planes, and I really enjoy sharing the joy and excitement of flying. There’s a decent chance that I’ll someday follow the same path as Dick, with a high-tech career eventually morphing into a flight-instruction career. I will admit I’ve started thinking about what to work on next — CFI? AMEL? ASES? Tough call!” ~ Rick
We think you’ll make an excellent instructor!
multi-engine, checkride, pa-30b, twin comanche

New Multi-Engine Pilot – Mike Grachek

Nov 20 2019
Date: November 6, 2019
Certification: Commercial Multi-engine
Instructor: Jen Watson
Aircraft: Twin Comanche N40DA

multi-engine, checkride, pa-30b, twin comanche

Congrats to Mike on a first-time pass of the Commercial AMEL add-on rating. Mike is already beginning work on his ATP Multi-engine written, then will return to us for his ATP multi-engine flight training. His future plans are then for corporate flying in a Citation around Salinas, CA. Nice way to ace your checkride, Mike!

pilot, checkride, flight training

New Private Pilot – Sergi Perdices

Nov 20 2019
Date: October 5, 2019
Certification: Private Pilot
Instructor: Kat Hanlon
Aircraft: Cessna N98485

“During the time that I have been involved with Aerodynamic, I really liked the community and I would like to stay connected. I will not pursue instrument rating yet. I would like to enjoy flying for a while, but I still want to continue learning real world flying. If there are pilots that want to plan fun trips, I would love to connect with them.” ~Sergi

New Sport Pilot – Kent Harrison

Nov 20 2019
Date: October 20, 2019
Certification: Sport Pilot
Instructor: Sergey Kataev
Aircraft: SportStar N712MF

“Flying with my dad since I was little, and figured now is the time to get into the left seat. Hoping to continue on to private and instrument while building time in LSA aircraft.” ~Kent

Sport Pilot, EVSS, checkride

New Sport Pilot – Dylan Gorman

Nov 13 2019
Date: October 21, 2019
Certification: Sport Pilot
Instructor: Sergey Kataev
Aircraft: SportStar N712MF

Sport Pilot, EVSS, checkride

“Dylan has wanted to fly ever since he was a kid. His dad was a CFI and he spent most of his summers at the airport or flying around in a Cessna 150. In the immediate future, he plans to continue to grow his aviation skills by flying as much as possible. He intends to eventually upgrade his certification to Private Pilot and obtain an Instrument rating, but for now he is excited to be able to explore the country through aviation!” ~ Dylan

checkride, Cessna, pilot

New Private Pilot – Adnan Pratama

Nov 13 2019
Date: October 5, 2019
Certification: Private Pilot
Instructor: Kat Hanlon
Aircraft: Cessna N737ZD

checkride, Cessna, pilot

“Being a pilot has been my dream as a child. But for a long time I was raised in a home where the thought of that becoming reality never came across. I first got to know that being a pilot just before I graduated from college and never got a chance to get into it until now.
Now that I am licensed, I am planning to go to different places and learn flying in different airplanes including experimental and maybe even part 103. I also plan to get my instrument if I find flying VFR got me grounded too many times due to weather.
I’d like to thank all of my instructors and special thank to Kat Hanlon for taking me when I was left halfway without instructor and pushed me towards the finish line.” ~ Adnan

backcountry, cfi

New Flight Instructor – Ivan Stanojevic

Oct 09 2019
Date: September 26, 2019
Certification: Flight Instructor (CFI)
Instructor: Jen Watson
Aircraft: Pacer N8712D

Wahoooo! A big congrats to Ivan for achieving this major milestone in his piloting life. Ivan passed his CFI checkride on his first try, which is a serious accomplishment! His hard work has paid off and we are so excited that he will be teaching at our San Jose location in the Cessna and Citabria.

Ivan has been fantasizing about flying planes since he was a child. His first general aviation flight was in a Cessna to the Grand Canyon for a boy scout trip. Ever since that flight, he knew aviation would one day be a part of his life. He began taking introductory flying lessons in high school and later studied aviation at San Jose State. His aviation aspirations, however, were put on hold while he redirected his focus on a software startup. A decade and a half later, he found himself in a great position to continue exploring flight while also pondering the use of fixed wing aircraft to access the wilderness. After earning a private pilot certificate, Ivan began hunting for a capable back-country aircraft, which ended up being the tailwheel Piper Pacer. During his time as a private pilot exploring the backcountry, he added a seaplane rating at Kenmore in Seattle, WA. Loving all his new flight privileges, he realized a desire to share his joy of aviation with prospective pilots and friends. Ivan is excited to bring new pilots into the skies, help experienced pilots access new destinations, and support all pilots in achieving their aviation goals.

checkride, Cessna, pilot

New Private Pilot – Robert Curtis

Sep 25 2019
Date: September 20, 2019
Certification: Private Pilot
Instructor: David Waksberg
Aircraft: Cessna N737ZD

checkride, Cessna, pilot

“I grew up on air bases and have been an aviation nut for as long as I can remember. It has been a life-long goal of mine to become a licensed pilot. I finally found the right period of life, right school, and right instructor. My family and I are excited to take trips and see more of our country through general aviation.” ~ Robert

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