December 2008

From our “What happened to them?” department: We have a followup from Jay Behel who soloed a Citabria with us a couple of summers ago. He is now at Embry-Riddle in Prescott AZ, in the aeronautical engineering program. He has been working on his ratings on the side, got his multi three weeks ago, and just got his tailwheel a week ago in a Decathlon. Well done Jay and all the best for the future. We also heard from Aaron Ells who is studying at Cal Poly at SLO and worked at Edwards AFB as an intern doing Navigation and Guidance Testing on the F-16 Fighting Falcon! So far he hasn’t yet been up in one, but has had a lot of flying at the Edwards Aero Club, including in a T34. We enjoy hearing from any of our ‘alumni’, keep us updated!

We have a new tailwheel pilot in our midst! David Chmelir learned what his feet are for in the Taylorcraft L2. Well done David and his instructor Vess.

Jesse Hannan successfully passed his Private Pilot checkride after flight training with Tristan. Congratulations Jesse and well done to both.

Another certified pilot! André Boulé passed his Private Pilot checkride with Examiner Sherry Diamond and flight training with Tristan. Congratulations André!

Sergey Sinyachkin passed his CFI checkride with flying colors – and that with the FAA! Well done to Sergey and we look forward to him teaching with us.

Congratulations to Kohei Kotani who earned his tailwheel endorsement in a Citabria with Vess. Well done Kohei, and now onto acrobatics!

The first checkride success of December goes to Steve Rackley who earned his Private Pilot Certificate after flight training with Dave Gray. Congratulations to both Steve and Dave.

November 2008

Another fledgling flew her first solo! Congratulations to Molly Joy who soloed a Citabria after instruction from Tristan and Grainne. Well done to Molly, Grainne and Tristan.

We even have a video of Molly’s first flight – click here.

Congratulations to Daniel Most, our Sport Pilot CFI, who added the Instrument Rating to his Commercial Pilot certificate after training with Hank Smith. Well done Daniel!

Another certified pilot! Maribeth Lock earned her Private Pilot certificate with examiner Sherry Diamond in Citabria 1806G. The skys are never going to be the same again. Congratulations Maribeth!

Well done to John Traynor who fledged out of the nest and flew his first solo in Sportstar 917LA. Congratulations to John and his instructor Daniel Most.

We have a new certified pilot in our midst. DeWitt Hodge passed his Sport Pilot checkride with examiner Lou Fields. Congratulations DeWitt and well done to his CFI too, Daniel Most.

Congratulations to Gunther Hagleitner who earned his tailwheel endorsement with Dave Gray. Well done Gunther. Next step aerobatics!

The next checkride success of November is Wilson Lee who passed his Private Pilot checkride with Examiner Sherry Diamond in Citabria 53893. Congratulations Wilson!

The first checkride success of November is David Chmelir who earned his instrument rating in Cessna 61637 with examiner Lori Latimer. Well done David!

Cessna 54102 is here! AeroDynamic member Francis Brennan has flown N54102 from Johnston County, NC (JNX) to Reid Hillview. She is an 1981 Cessna 172P, with a Garmin 530 IFR certified big screen GPS and a STEC 50 autopilot. Check it out!

October 2008

We are changing our name! Amelia Reid Aviation will become AeroDynamic Aviation from November 1. There will be a transition period while we go through all the documentation, the Web site, etc. We will continue to offer the same hight standard of flight training and airplane rentals as before. Why are we changing, you may ask? The Reid family have not been involved in the school for over three years and now they are leaving the area altogether. Robin felt it was time to retire the name and requested that we change, and we accepted his request.

Congratulations to Victor Taveras who passed his Commercial Pilot Flight Test with Examiner Lori Latimer in Arrow 5053S. Well done Victor!

Wei Xie passed his Private Pilot checkride in the Cessna with Examiner Lori Latimer. Congratulations Wei! His first passenger was his own cousin whom Wei flew to Harris Ranch for a steak lunch.

Mike Shapiro bought his own Cessna 172, promptly earned his wings and soloed. Well done Mike!

September 2008

Another fledgling! Wei Xie soloed the Cessna 172 under Jerod Flohr’s supervision. Well done Wei.

Well done to Daniel Most, our Sport CFI, who added a Commercial Pilot License to his achievements. Congratulations Daniel!

Rimas Viselga had a visit from his sister Jurgita, all the way from Europe. Rimas flew her to Catalina and also gave her her first acrobatic ride. Said Jurgita after the flight: ” A loop is much easier even on the first try, than driving around the block!”

Congratulations to Christoph Gaetje who came all the way from Germany, earned his tailwheel endorsement and also took the mountain checkout.

Welcome to Jerod Flohr, our latest CFI, who joins us from Texas. As well as all sorts of flying, especially tailwheel, Jerod loves aerobatics and holds an IAC regiuonal contest prize in Sportsman category.

Two more CFIs join our stable. Mark Mayol and Erik Schmidt. Mark is a nosewheel CFI, who is also interested in moving into taildraggers. Erik is also a tailewheel CFI, also Instrument and Multi Engine Instructor.

August 2008

Congratulations to Jenny Koenig who aced her commercial checkride in Arrow 53S with Examiner Lori Latimer. Now to the CFI and talwheel endorsement!

Well done to Jeff Schultz who earned his Private Pilot certificate with examiner Sherry Diamond.

Cessna 170 now on line! We have placed N8245A, a 1952 Cessna 170B, on line. It is available for anyone to fly, after a checkout, and until the end of September is renting at a specially discounted rate of $99 list ($90 block).

Tom Jones took up Sportstar 917LA on his own after his instructor, Daniel Most, got out and left Tom on his own. Three takeoffs and langings later we had a new pilot in our midst. Well done Tom.

Maribeth Lock soloed in a Citabria after training with Mark Guerrero. Instructor and student are both doing well. Congratulations Maribeth.

They are flying like there’s no tomorrow! Terry Barwegen soloed Sportstar 917LA under Daniel’s careful monitoring. Congratulations Terry!

Another fledgling leaves the nest! Jay Jazdi soloed a Citabria under Tristan’s supervision. Well done Jay!

We are organizing a self fly air safari in Croatia in late September. We’ll fly over beautiful countryside, the Adriatic sea and its myriad islands, land at remote airstrips and major airports, and have lots of fun. We have a few spaces still available. See the Fly In Croatia Web site for more details.

July 2008

Rick Vander Kam aced his instrument rating checkride with examiner Sherry Diamond. Congratulations Rick.

Congratulations to Ivan Mozara for his first solo in Citabria 1806G with Tristan looking on from the instructors bench.

Peter Ballard successfully soloed our little wardbird – Taylorcraft 50839, under Dave Gray’s watchful eye. Well done Peter.

Raimonds Turaids earned his instrument rating with examiner Sherry Diamond after training with Tristan. Congratulations Raimonds.

The first checkride success of July is here! Mark Modaffara passed his Private Pilot checkride after flight training with Dick Chang in Cessna 61637. Well done Mark.

We have the first fledgling of July. DeWitt Hodge flew Sportstar 917LA solo after careful tuition from Daniel Most. Instructor and student were both grinning from ear to ear afterwards. Well done DeWitt!

June 2008

There must be something in the air! Luca Vezutto soloed Citabria 9091L with Mark Guerrero watching from the ground. Well done Luca.

Another fledgling leaves the nest! Steve Rackley soloed Champ 2791E under the supervision of Dave Gray. Well done Steve.

Well done to our own CFI Mark Guerrero who added his commercial multi-engine rating in a Beech Duchess. Congratulations Mark.

Two fledglings left the nest on the same day! Congratulations to Alon Kfir and André Boulé who each soloed a Citabria monitored from the ground by their instructors Rimas and Tristan. Well done to the pilots and their instructors!

Congratulations to our CFI Rimas Viselga who placed in the top half in the Sportsman category in the Paso Robles aerobatic competition. Rimas scored 15th in a Decathlon, out of a crowded field of 31 very good competitors, many flying Pitts and Extras. Well done Rimas! See the IAC Web site link.

Well done to Mark Flanagan who checked out in the Evektor Sportstar. Come on and do the same!

Scott Thomas decided to return to flying after a long break by working on his tailwheel endorsement. Well done Scott for completting both the Flight Review and tailwheel endorsement.

Congratulations to Carmen Piucci who earned his private pilot certificate from Examiner Sherry Diamond. Another fully fledged pilot takes to the skies. Well done Carmen!

May 2008

A new session of our Instrument Rating Ground school is starting on July 3rd at 6pm and will continue over 10 Thursday evenings. Email ifrschool@ameliareid.com or call 408 251 4939 to enroll. See the IFR Ground School Page for more info.

Well done to Jan Smudski who slipped the surly bonds on his own, with Dave watching from the ground. Congratulations Jan!

Take a look at Fly In California – we have created a web site specifically for people who wish to come here to fly – whether it is timebuilding, adding a rating, learning to fly, or just fun flying, sight seeing, etc.

Another fledgling leaves the nest! Sundar Pappu soloed Citabria 91L carefully monitored by Grainne. Three successful takeofs and landings later Sundar was back grinning from ear to ear. Well done Sundar!

Congratulations to Bill Furniss who successfully soloed Citabria 32G under Tristan’s supervision. Well done Bill!

The first checkride of May resulted in Dave Gaines earning his Private Pilot Certificate from examiner Sherry Diamond. Well done Dave and thanks to Grainne for the excellent flight training.

April 2008

Congratulations to Aine Roberts who returned from Arizona on her way to Alaska and earned her tailwheel rating with Len Von Clemm. Well done Aine and all the best in your next venture as an Alaska Bush Pilot.

We have a new Commercial Pilot. Bob Lisbonne earned his commercial ticket in his own Bonanza after training with Zdravko. Congratulations Bob!

We are AvWeb’s FBO of the week for April 14th! Thanks to Konstantin Blank who nominated us, we beat out all other nominees for the week. Thanks Konstantin. See http://www.avweb.com

Another certified Private Pilot! Well done to Carrie Winegarden, who successfully earned her wings from examiner Sherry Diamond after training with Tristan.

Congratulations to Charity Drew, who with Rimas’s help, added a tailwheel endorsement in a Citabria to her pilot certificate.

Larry Barras successfully earned his multi-engine and instrument rating in his own Seneca after training with Zdravko. Well done Larry!

March 2008

Congratulations to Daniel Most on succesfully earning his Sport Pilot CFI certificate with examiner Lou Fields. Dan will be available for flight training to help you earn your Sport Pilot Certificate, or a checkout in any of our Light Sport airplanes, or a tailwheel endorsement.

We have a new airplane on line! We have added an Evektor Sportstar N917LA to our lineup. This is our first nosewheel Light Sport Airplane. It is certified for night flight and can also be used for Private Pilot flight training. See the Evektor Web Site for more information. See also our Useful Documents section for a handbook and checklist

March madness continues! Congratulations to Xavier Rogers who earned his Sport Pilot certificate from examiner Lou Shields after training with Vess Velikov. Well done Xavier.

Another birthday solo! Garrett Grant soloed a Citabria on his 16th birthday under the anxious eye of his CFI and father Jim Grant. Garrett did great, Dad’s blood pressure is back to normal and everybody was happy. Happy Birthday Garrett!

Congratulations to Srikant Sharma who earned his Private Pilot’s license after training with Grainne Gilvarry. Examiner Sherry Diamond commented on how well he flew. Well done Srikant!

Tom Szoboszlay successfully passed his Private Pilot checkride with examiner Sherry Diamond. Thanks to Dave Gray and Jim Grant for their instruction, and Tom’s hard work, Sherry was very complimentary. Well done Tom!

February 2008

A Very Happy Birthday to Matt Herbert who soloed a Citabria on his 16th birthday. Even though the weather looked unpromising, the clouds cleared, the wind died down and three great landings later Matt was officially admitted to the rank of solo pilots. Congratulations!

Congratulations to our own Vess Velikov who upgraded to full Certified Flight Instructor status. It’s a bitter sweet feeling, as Vess has found himself a job flying T-6 Texans giving rides all over the country. We are delighted that he has found what sounds like a dream job for him, and sad that he’ll be leaving us. Fare thee well Vess!

We have a brand new commercial pilot in our midst! Steve Yoder aced his checkride in Arrow 5053S with Examiner Lori Latimer. Steve attributes his success to methodical yet friendly instruction from Dick Chang and Eric Ruhe. Congratulations Steve!

January 2008

Erin Standley was not far behind her brother Adam in successfully earning her Private Pilot Certificate with Examiner Mike Shiflett. Well done Erin!

Congratulations to Mark Modaffara who has been training with Dick Chang in Cessna 61637, and successfully flew his first solo. Well done Mark.

Another checkride success! Adam Standley earned his Private Pilot License with examiner Mike Shiflett. Congratulations Adam!

The first Private Pilot Certificate of 2008 goes to Ben Stanley, who aced his checkride with Sherry Diamond. Well done Ben.

Congratulatioons to Shane McMillen who soloed in a Citabria with Mark Guerrero watching from the instructors’ bench.

Well done to Daniel Most who earned his tailwheel endorsement in a Champ with Vess Velikov. Now to check out in the other taildraggers.

The first fledgling of 2008 is Baron Cannon who soloed a Citabria under the anxious gaze of not only his instructor but also his Dad. Congratulations Baron.

December 2007

Congratulations also to Brian Gustin. What a way to ring out the old and ring in the New Year – by passing his Private Pilot Checkride. Well done Brian!

Well done to Chris Banys! Chris earned his Commercial Pilot ticket in his own Beech Bonanza. Chris trained with Zdravko, then had to fly to Angwin to meet with an examiner qualified to give checkrides in a Bonanza.

Congratulations to Dmitry Chickov who added a Glider rating to his Pilot Certificate.

We have a new Private Pilot! Dave McKenna aced his checkride with Examiner Sherry Diamond. She said he was one of the most skilled pilots she had tested. Afterwards Dave took his daughter Kelly for a much awaited first flight. Well done Dave!

There must be something in the water this month. Jesse Hannan also soloed after flight training with Rimas Viselga and Tristan Duplan. Well done Capt’n Jess!

Carmen Piucci took off into the sunset by himself with Zdravko watching from the ground. Citabria 06G behaved flawlessly. Congratulations Carmen.

Congratulations to Rudy Zubiller. He trained first in our Champs, then acquired his own Sport Cub, which he has now soloed after careful instruction from Dave Gray. Well done Rudy!

Another fledgling flies the coop! Joyce Willis soloed Cessna 61637 on Dec 7, under watchful supervision from Len Von Clemm. Three nice landings later she had her shirt tails cut off. Well done Joyce!

Champ 2791E has received a new radio transplant. Check it out! Nice large numbers, internally lit, easy to see, easy to use. No more messing with handheld portables.

Steven Eibner visited us all the way from cold Illinois to earn his tailwheel endorsement. After three days of hard work he was successful and earned high praise from Jim Grant. Well done Steven.

November 2007

Sebastian Harren came all the way from Germany to learn acrobatics, and then go back to take an acrobatic checkride. He earned his tailwheel endorsement and acrobatic proficiency from Zdravko in the Super Decathlon. Well done Sebastian. Not only that, he runs a business that flies hot air airships. See his Web site Airovision.de

Congratulations to Victor Taveras for earning his instrument rating with examiner Lori Latimer after pretty intensive flight training with Tristan and Zdravko and a few other instructors too. Well done Victor!

There must be something in a name. Another Jeff, Jeff Frederick, also reached a significant milestone, earning his Private Pilot Certificate, in his own plane no less, from examiner Mike Shiflett. Congratulations to Jeff and his CFI, Eric Ruhe.

Jeff Schultz joined the ranks of real aviators when he soloed a Citabria under Dave Gray’s watchful eye. Well done Jeff.

See Amelia Reid Aviation on TV! CBS5 Eye of the Bay program featured us in their segment on aviation. Host Liam Mayclem went up in the Cessna 172 for a basic flight lesson and also in a Citabria for an acrobatic lesson. See the highlights at the CBS5 Web Site. Our segment starts at 16:30.

Andreas Hotea earned his Commercial Pilot Certificate in Arrow 5053S. The examiner commented that his landings were amongst the best she had seen. Congratulations to Andreas and to his instructor Jim Grant.

The more observant amongst us wil have noticed the new fence that the airport is building with a grant from the Federal Government. At some stage there will be new access procedures that will require a key code. As soon as we know more I’ll inform everyone.

Well done to Ross Wells who checked out to solo the Zlin Savage Cub. Quite a change from the Champ he has flown till recently.

We have a new Sport Pilot amongst us. Tom Lighthouse passed his Sport Pilot checkride with flying colors. Not only that but he has his own Champ to fly now. Congratulations Tom.

October 2007

A new Instrument Pilot! Our own Jenny Koenig, whom you may know from the office, has been working hard in 61637 to earn her instrument ticket. She successfully passed her checkride and is now qualified to fly in clouds. Last seen she was on Cloud Nine. Well done Jenny.

A first solo for Wilson Lee, who took up a Citabria on his own for the firt time with Jim watching carefully from the ground. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Keith Koenig for earning his tailwheel endorsement. Well done Keith!

September 2007

Ken Cleaver joined the ranks of certified aviatiors by passing his Sport Pilot checkride in Champ 05E with examiner Lou Fields. Well done Ken!

The first checkride of September went well for Siegfried Schobesberger who came all the way from his native Austria for flight training for his private pilot license. Congratulations and well done Siegfried!

The first fledgling of September is Ben Stanley, who soloed under Eric’s anxious supervision. Three takeoffs and landings later, it was not clear whether Ben had really landed yet, he seemed to be walking on air! Well done Ben.

August 2007

Mike Luvara earned his Private Pilot certificate in Citabria 32G. For his first flight as a Private Pilot, Mike took up his broiither Chris. It turns our both Chris and Mike soloed in N53893 and took their checkrides with Mike Shiflett in N5032G. Congratulations Mike!

Aaron Ells soloed a Citabria for the first time after flight training from Dave Gray. Instructor and student are still walking and we can even use the airplane again, so the landings must have been great. Well done Aaron!

Adam Standley soloed a Citabria after flight training from his father Roger. Father and son are still talking, so it must have been a good flight. Well done Adam.

A loud “Well done!” goes to Wolfgang Polak who earned his Commercial Pilot certificate in Arrow 53S. And now for the CFI?

Another pilot is certified! Dmitry Chickov earned his Private Pilot Certificate with examiner Mike Shiflett. Well done Dmitry!

Congratulations to Brian Gustin who flew his first solo in Citabria 5032G. Well done Brian.

Well done to Don Schiltz who successfully soloed a Citabria under Dave’s watchful eyes and earned his tailwheel endorsement.

July 2007

Siegfried Schobesberger came all the way from his native Austria to learn to fly with us. Under Vess’s careful tutelage he has flown his first solo in Champ 91E. Well done to Siegfried!

Erin Standley flew her first solo in Citabria 5032G! Congratulations to Erin and also Dad, Roger, who gave her the flight training.

Well done to Vess Velikov who has added a Commercial Pilot license to his credits in Arrow 5053S with examiner Mike Shifflet. Congratulatons to Vess.

Congratulations to Richard Kwant who successfully passed his Sport Pilot checkride with examiner Lou Fields in Champ 2805E. Well done Richard!

Our July 3rd FAA Safety (WINGS) Seminar will be in collaboration with Tradewinds Aviation in their building and NOT in the terminal. The topic is Soaring Meteorology for Power Pilots given by Zdravko Podolski, based on a presentation by Jack Glendinning (Dr Jack to glider pilots). See Faasafety.gov page and Dr Jack’s web page for more info.

June 2007

Congratulations to Tom Joy who passed his Private Pilot checkride on June 18. Well done Tom!

The scond fledgling of June is also one of Vess’s students. Tom Lighthouse soloed Champ 91E and had his shirttails cut off by Vess. Congratulations Tom!

A loud “Well done!” to Ted Pierson who completed his Seaplane rating with Norcal Aviation in Calaveras County.
Here is what he said: “I just wanted to drop you a line and let you know that I successfully completed my Airplane Single Engine Sea plane training with Norcal Aviation this past weekend. You were correct – it was a GREAT time. It is my opinion that the tailwheel training I received from Amelia Reid enabled me to quickly learn the skills necessary to pass my check ride. Flying the sea plane was great. Take off and landing was really nothing more complicated than the good short field take off and landing techniques I learned from you guys. It was a great time and I recommend it to any qualified tail wheel pilot. Thanks again for the quality skills & training!”

Congratulations to Rimas Viselga for placing 17th out of 25 competitors in his very first aerobatics contest in Paso Robles. Rimas was competing in the Sportsman category. Not only was this Rimas’s first contest, he won first place for newcomers. Check out the International Aerobatic Club web site.

A different type of fledging. Congratulations to Hiko the Peregrine Falcon. The young tiercel hatched by San Jose City Hall feathery couple Jose and Clara flew for the first time on June 7. His sisters Spirit and Esperanza fledged on June 9. See the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group Web site for more details and for a Web cam link.

Our first fledgling of June is Ross Wells who soloed Champ 2791E under Vess’s supervision. Well done Ross.

Our “First Tuesday” series of FAA WINGS Safety Seminars continues on June 5th with a presentation from a NORCAL Approach Supervisor about the Bay Area’s busy airspace, what Approach control can do for us to make our flying safer, and how we can help them make theor job easier. Come to the Reid Hillview Airport Terminal building for 7pm on June 5th.

May 2007

Well done to Ken Cleaver for his first solo in Champ 2805E. While Eric watched anxiously from the ground, Ken completed three successful takeofs and landings and earned his solo wings.

Joel Hofman mastered the controls of a Citabria and soloed onder Eric’s careful tutelage. Two in one wek for Eric and congratulations to Joel.

A hearty “well done” to Raymonds Turaids for earning his complex endorsement in Piper Arrow 5053S.

At the Watsonville fly in over Memorial Day weekend Jim and Garrett Grant competed in our Taylorcraft L2, N50839. Jim earned top prize in the spot landing contest and Garrett won 2nd place in the flour bombing competition. Congratulations an dwell done to both!

Congratulations to Matt Nicolary who passed his Sport Pilot checkride with examiner Lou Shields. Well done Matt.

Patrick Cabral is leaving us for Ohio. He’ll be starting his studies leading to an aviation degree at Ohio State. Our best wishes for the future go with him.

It’s three in a row for Tristan. Mark Flanagan earned his Private Pilot license on May 19th. Here’s a picture after the checkride with (from right to left), Mark, Mike Shiflett the examiner, and Tristan who was Mark’s flight instructor.

It must be spring! Two more pilots received their Private Pilot License. Sarah Coniglio and Daniel Fedor-Thurman both passed their Private Pilot checkrides after final flight training and test preparation by Tristan. Congratulations and well done to both. Here’s Sarah with her prize for earning her certificate.

Another certified pilot! Conrad Pienaar earned his Sport Pilot Certificate from examiner Lou Fields on Saturday May 12th. Congratulations Conrad!

The first pilot certificate in May is here. Congratulations to Alex Neduva for earning his Private Pilot certificate in Citabria 06G, with examiner Mike Shiflett. Well done Alex.

Patrik Rosenast has temporarily left us to go fly skyjumpers in Switzerland in a PAC750XL. We eagerly await pictures. Meanwhile here’s a pic of a similar airplane in New Zealand, I just hope his is painted more tastefully.

February 2007

Jeremy Zawodny earned his Private Pilot certificate in his own Citabria no less. Well done Jeremy.

January 2007

Another new fledgling leaves the nest. Luther Johnson successfully flew his first solo in Champ 2805E after expert instruction from Vess. Well done Luther. Here he is after Vess cut his shirttails off. Apparently it was Luther’s wife’s favorite shirt, Oops!

Congratulations to William Scheibner on earning his tailwheel endorsement in three intensive days with Eric in the back seat. William came all the way from Luxembourg to fly a taildragger and says he had a blast doing it.

We have a second flying Luvara! Mike Luvara followed his brother’s example and has flown his first solo. No wonder Len looks a little nervous. Congratulations Mike.

Another Jeff flies the coop. Jeff Frederick flew his first solo, in his own airplane no less, while Eric Ruhe watched nervously from the ground. Pilot and plane performed flawlessly and we have another New year’s fledgling! Well done Jeff.

Congratulations to Jeff Laughrey who soloed Champ 05E under Patrik Rosenast’s watchful eye. Well done Jeff.

We are delighted to announce that Mike Forsyth will be teaching at Amelia’s. Mike has retired from TWA and has over 25,000 hours under his belt, in every sort of airplane from the big jets to a Piper Cub.

Yo, ho, ho and greetings of the season to everyone! We already have two new certified pilots this year:

Congratulations to Aaron Lepold for passing his Private Pilot checkride in 5032G. The blue and white Citabria proved lucky, the checkride went smoothly and Mike Shiflett was very complimentary. Well done Aaron and his instructor Patrik Rosenast.

Well done to James Alexander who earned his Private ticket in the Cessna 172 61637. Rumour is he lands it like a taildragger, thanks to the patient instruction from Jim Grant. The weather caused James’ ride to be postponed several times, but a fine stretch opened up and he took Mike Shiflett up to demonstrate his skills. Duly impressed, Mike produces the certificate. Congratulations James!

We have a brand new Zlin Savage Cub on line as a loaner. Come and try it out. Give us your feedback. If we get enough positive feedback we may consider putting on on line permanently. See the Savage Cub Web Site

December 2006

Mark Hamilton Peters took his checkride in a CItabria and earned his Private Pilot License on the first try. Well done Mark!

Sukarno Mertoguno passed his Sport Pilot checkride in Champ 05E. Congratulations Sukarno!

We have a brand new Zlin Savage Cub on line as a loaner. Come and try it out. Give us your feedback. If we get enough positive feedback we may consider putting on on line permanently. See the Savage Cub Web Site

Sidney Lee has been putting up with Patrick in Champ 91E and finally had enough;-) Booting Patrick out, he took the Champ up on his own and three landings later taxied back to Amelia’s with a huge grin on his face. We even have the pictures. Congratulations Sidney!

Robert Erhart came all the way from Alaska to work on his tailwheel endorsement. After working with Vess Velikov for a couple of days in Champ 05E he successfully did it and soloed a taildragger for the first time. Robert is returning to the frozen North to thaw out his own Champ now. Well done Robert

Tom Joy has been learning to fly with Roger Standley. Something must have gone right as he flew his first solo recently. His shirttails are pinned to the wall to prove it. Congratulations Tom.

November 2006

We have two pre-Thanksgiving fledglings to congratulate. Vadim Dagman and Ralph Leseberg both did their first solos this week. Well done both.

Sergei Sinyackin successfully hoodwinked the Examiner (get it?) and earned his Instrument Rating. Congratulations Sergei.

Our FAA Safety Program (WINGS) Seminar series continues on the first Tuesday of December, the 5th. Come to the RHV terminal at 7pm to hear Jim Jensen, one of our tower controllers, tell us all about his job and how we can make it easier for him (and for ourselves).

More Cessnas! When our Skyhawk is booked, or when someone wishes to fly a Cessna 152, we have made arrangements to sub lease additonal airplanes. One of the 172s is equipped with a Garmin GNS430. Please call the office or email us and we’ll book them for you.

Congratulations to Ronny Rohse who came all the way from Scotland and earned his tailwheel endorsement in just three days.

Our first fledgling of November is Tyler Harden, who soloed a Citabria under the watchful eye of Dave Gray. Or as Tyler explained it, he scared Dave so much that Dave jumped out and Tyler had to fly on his own! In any case, the landings must have been great, since not only did Tyler walk unaided afterwards, we can use the airplane again 😉

The first checkride honors of November go to Aine Roberts who earned her Commercial Pilot License from examiner Mike Shiflett. Congratulations to Aine and we look forward to working with her on her tailwheel and CFI training.

Winter is coming! Even in our mild climate, it is not hard to find really cold wintery weather. Whether you would like to fly to Lake Tahoe for some skiing, or plan a long cross country to some cold state, it is wise to be prepared for the challenges that flying in winter can present.
Our free FAA Safety Seminar series on November 7 featured the well known Aircraft Broker, FAA Accident Prevention Counselor, Airshow Announcer – Narrator, Aviation Writer and Humorist, Larry Shapiro, talking about “VFR Flight in Winter“. Presented with a comedic touch, everyone is guaranteed to learn something new. If you don’t, you get the price of your admission back!

For more about Larry, check out his Web page on http://www.larryshapiro.com/larry.html
Larry also writes a regular column for In Flight USA Magazine.

October 2006

Shane Glynn is the last October pilot! Shane successfully earned his Private Pilot License after training with Allen Thomas. Well done Shane.

Conrad Pienaar successfully flew Champ 05E solo with his instructor Eric anxiously watching from the ground. Well done and congratulatiions Conrad!

See KTVU’s Lloyd LaCuesta interview Zdravko about airspace procedures in the Bay Area: . Hopefully some balance in the wake of the hysteria after the recent Cirrus crash in NY.

Congratulations to Tom Szoboszlay for his first solo in a Citabria. Well done Tom.

Luca Bertagnolio successfuly passed his Commercial Single Engine checkride in Arrow 53S after working with Tristan. Well done Luca.

Another fledgling flexes his wings! Congratulations to James Alexander on a succesfully first solo in Skyhawk 61637 while his instructor, Jim Grant, watched from the ground with bated breath. Well done James.

September 2006

Congratulations to Ted Pierson for passing his Private Pilot checkride, earning rare praise from the Examiner, Mike Shiflett. Well done Ted.

New Instrument Ground School starts Oct 5th: We are starting a new session of our Instrument Ground School starting Thu, Oct 5th. Come and learn all that you need to take and pass your IFR written test. Click here for more details. Of course we can also off you flight training for your instrument rating. Send us a note or just come along.

FAA Safety Seminar Tue Oct 3. Watch Rod Machado’s video “Defensive Flying”. By kind permission from Rod Machado we are showing his entertaining and thought provoking video – “Defensive Flying”. Hear about strategies that will help you fly safer, listen to an ATC recording of a real in flight emergency and sweat with the pilots as they deal with a major problem. Come and join us – Tue Oct 3, 7pm in Reid Hillview Airport terminal room. For more about Rod Machado, who learned to fly at Amelia Reid – see his Web site

Sarah Coniglio successfully pushed her instructor, Tristan, out of the airplane and went off for three flights around the pattern on her own. Well done Sarah, keep the stick back!

Congratulations to Beata Kukucka!
She passed her Private Pilot checkride after expert instruction from Len. Well done Beata!

AIRPORT DAY Saturday Sep 23rd. All day airplane rides, display aircraft, FBO exhibits, model airplane airshow. Come and join us! See

New Instrument Ground School starts Oct 5th: We are starting a new session of our Instrument Ground School starting Thu, Oct 5th. Come and learn all that you need to take and pass your IFR written test. Click here for more details. Of course we can also off you flight training for your instrument rating.

Our monthly series of FAA Aviations Safety seminars continues on Tuesday Sept 5th. Jack Hocker, the FAA Safety Program Manager from the San Jose FSDO will talk to us about setting and using your own Personal Minimums as an important part of your go/no go decision making. A Personal Minimums checklist can be an invaluable tool in helping the pilot in his or her decision to make or postpone a flight. It also helps reduce the pressures associated with so called get-there-itis as well as the pressure due to expectations of our passengers. Come to the talk and take away another tool to make you a better pilot. Where and when: Reid Hillview terminal lobby at 7pm, Tue, September 5th

Super Decathlon now on line! We have added a Super Decathlon on our rental line. Capable of a whole range of acrobatics up to Intermediate level competition, the Stressed for +6/-5G, the Super-D will allow our pilots to enhance their skills and expand the range of maneuvers they can learn and perform. Not only that, but it is a great cross country machine capable of 150mph TAS. (Image copyright and used by kind permission of Eric Van Gilder, Van Gilder Aviation Photography)

August 2006

Under Jim Grant’s watchful eye, Richard Kwant successfully soloed a Champ and got the shirttail cut off his back to prove it. Well done Richard!

Rob Meyer achieved his ambition and passed his CFI checkride with an FAA Inspector. Congratulations Rob.

Another instructor joins us! Congratulations to Vess Velikov who succesfully completed his Sport Pilot Instructor checkride. Vess has many hours in a variety of airplanes, including a Fairchild KR2, Taylorcraft, WACO, Aeronca Champ, Citabrias, etc. Vess also won 1st place in last year’s acrobatic competition in Paso Robles and he helped his team, the San Jose State University Flying 20s, place in the top 10 teams in the US at the precision flying competition in San Diego. We are proud to welcome him as an instructor.

Not content with simply earning his tailwheel endorsement, John Morgan completed the acrobatic course and got signed off for solo acrobatics. Congratulations John!

Well done to Sean Mackey who completed a three day tailwheel course in the Taylorcraft with Eric.

Our best wishes go with Patrick Cabral who is starting boot camp with the US Marines. Good luck and thank you for all your hard work, Patrick.

Flightdesign CT promotion – fly it 5 hours in a month and receive 10% back on your block. You can use the credit for instruction or rental of any of our airplanes. Call the office on 408-251-4939 to arrange a checkout.

July 2006

A big welcome to Boris Deianov who is joining us as an instructor. Boris has many hours in tailwheel airplanes and gliders and is also a glider CFI. When not teaching from the back seat of a Citabria, he can sometimes be found towing gliders, or ocassionally even working at his day job – writing software for a Silicon Valley company.

We now have our other acrobatic Citabria back on line. N1701H, the yellow and white Citabria 7KCAB is back after having her wings recovered. Available for normal and acrobatic rentals and instruction, give her a whirl. She sports metal wing spars allowing her to carry an extra 100lbs and we left the original thinner cushions in giving that bit more space for tall people.

Taylorcraft N50839 is back! Our genuine Second World War liaison, observation and target spotting airplane now sports a new Millenium engine and a shiny new prop. Its 65 horses are ready and raring to go.

Well done to John Morgan for getting his tailwheel endorsement. John is now building tailwheel experience to that glider towing job he has his eyes on.

Congratulations to Chris Palmer for soloing in Champ 05E at Frasier Lake. Well done Chris.

June 2006

Paul Harmon joined the ranks of certified pilots on June 27th. The skies will never be the same again! Congratulations Paul, keep the pointy end forward and the shiny side up!

Our own Patrick Cabral has passed his CFI checkride. He has checked out in the back of the Citabria and Champ and is now teaching for us. Well done Patrick.

Alex Neduva celebrated the last official day of spring by kicking Eugene out of the back seat and taking 1806G up on his own. Eugene retaliated by cutting off Alex’s shirttails! Congratulations to our latest fledgling.

Dave McKenna is the latest pilot to fly his first solo flight and get his shirttails clipped. Well done Dave.

Another one leaves the nest! Simran Sandhar soloed a Citabria for the first time. Congratulations Simran.

The first two fledglings of June are Teresa Weygandt who worked hard to get to her first solo and Andy Gillon who came over from the UK to get his tailwheel endorsement. Well done both!

May 2006

Congratulations to Kris Tarabetz who after Roger Standley’s expert tuition, successfully persuaded Mike Shiflett that she knew what she was doing and passed her Private Pilot checkride in 5032G. Well done Kris!

Try our brand new Flightdesign CT Cruiser! We now have on line and available for checkouts, training and rentals, one of the most advanced new Light Sport Airplanes. The CT Cruiser is a 120knot travelling machine, but also able to land at 35mph in a very short space. The airplane is built from carbon fiber composites, with no struts to obstruct your vision. It is suitable for both Sport and Private Pilot training and rents for $97.50 an hour. It is not eligible for the block discount. More details and pictures on the web site soon.

Our Cessna 172 N61637 has received a newly overhauled heading gyro (DG). It even has a heading bug to remind you which direction you are supposed to fly in.

Congratulations to Rob Burgoon who has earned the right to fly a taildragger on his own after gentle guidance from Eugene.

A warm welcome to Allen Thomas who joins us an an instructor. Allen is a CFI, CFII and MEI and can train pilots in the Cessna and other nosewheel airplanes, while he checks out in our taildraggers.

Steve Henderson earned his tailwheel endorsement in his own Citabria with help from Bob Goodwyn. Congratulations to Steve.

Dan Dyer earned his Commercial Pilot Certificate under expert guidance from Tristan. Well done! Dan is now tackling instrument training in 61637.

Congratulations to Kevin Kells who successfully earned his instrument rating with help from Eugene.

Well done to Hideo Fujita who received his tailwheel endorsement from Jim.

Two more instructors have started teaching with us. Tristan Duplan comes from France but he’s been in the Bay Area for over 6 years. He brings a transcontinental perspective to aviation and can teach not just beginners but also commercial pilots, instrument training and multi engine training. Eric Ruhe has a long background flying taildraggers, including all the way up to a DC-3, plus turboprop commuter airliners, yet he is quite happy to potter along in the back seat of a Champ also. Pictures and more detailed bios coming to the Website soon.

Interested in training in retractable gear aircraft? We have access to a nice Piper Arrow for complex transition training and commercial pilot training. The price is currently set at $130 per hour and block discounts do apply, bringing it down to about $118 per hour.

April 2006

STOP PRESS – We had a hugely popular Sport Pilot seminar on Saturday April 29th. The Flightdesign CT is now on line for training and rentals. See the Flightdesign USA web site and the Evektor America web site

Sergey Sinyachkin persuaded Eugene that he knew enough about flying to go solo in a taildragger. After three turns around the pattern he was proved correct and both he and the airplane returned safely. Well done Sergei.

Sport Pilot Seminar and Roundtable – Saturday April 29th, 10:30am in our hangar. See several Light Sport eligible airplanes, old and new. Learn about how you can learn to fly in as little as half the time it took to get the Private Pilot’s license. Return to flying for fun and recreation with just a driver’s license instead of a medical. We’ll have an FAA Examiner, an instructor, a flight school owner and a pilot who is flying a new Light Sport plane. This roundtable is also eligible for the FAA wings seminar.

Two more fledglings flew the coop this month. Kris Tarabetz had done it before, but then had a long break in her flying. She has regained her wings with the expert help of Roger Standley. Well done Kris!

Congratulations also to Sukarno Mertoguno who has taught the Champ to obey his feet and dropped Dave Gray off at the instructor’s bench to fly the old bird on his own. Great job Sukarno!

Did you notice how much smoother the airplanes run? We had all the propellers dynamically balanced by Victory Propeller Balancing. This method adjusts the balance of the prop/engine combination by means of small weights attached to the flywheel to get rid of imbalances as small as 1/10th of a gram. We are planning a prop balancing day for airplane owners on Saturday, April 15th. For more details see

INSTRUMENT RATING GROUND SCHOOL PLANNED – if you are interested now is the time to register. Click Here

The first fledglings of April have flown the coop. Congratulations to Beata Kukucka who pushed Len out and soloed N5032G despite all the weather problems. Well done Beata!

Congratulations also to Mark Flanagan. By coincidence he also soloed N5032G after persuading Dave Gray that he knew what he was doing. Here they are immediately after the flight.

We had to postpone Len’s acro seminar from the first Tue of April to the first Tue in May. It will now take place on May 2nd. Len Von Clemm will be talking about acrobatics, to improve your skills, for fun, or for competition. Anyone attending will also receive a voucher for a discounted acro lesson.

March 2006

The monthly FAA Safety Seminar Series continues on the first Tuesday of April, April 4th at 7pm in the Reid Hillview Terminal building. Len Von Clemm will be talking about acrobatics, to improve your skills, for fun, or for competition. Anyone attending will also receive a voucher for a discounted acro lesson.

Congratulations to Mark Russell! Mark has been flying with Jim Grant, and despite the weather he managed to het to his first solo in this windy wet month of March. Well done Mark.

February 2006

The monthly FAA Safety Seminar Series continues on the first Tuesday of March, March 7th at 7pm in the Reid Hillview Terminal building. Len Von Clemm will be talking on surviving upsets and unusual attitudes. Click here for more details

Congratulations to Tomohiro Matsuyama who earned his tailwheel endorsement only a week after getting his Private Pilot Certificate in a brand C nosedragger.

We have another fledgling flying the coop. Mark Hamilton Peters managed to push his instructor Grainne out of 1806G and took off on his own. Several circuits later we caught him with a huge grin on his face for this picture.

Welcome to the newest member of the certified pilot family, Kevin Ford. Kevin passed his checkride with flying colors and received top marks from the examiner.

Our own Vess Velikov competed as a member of the San Jose State University Precision Flying Team. Nine students traveled to San Diego for a week (2/11-2/19) of practice and competition. Coaches Kelly Harrison and Pat Moran and Advisor Sam Huang joined the team for the events. The team placed 2nd overall in the Pacific region and is now eligible to compete in the national finals in Ohio in May. Vess himself placed in the top ten in three events. Well done Vess. Many thanks go to Len Von Clemm for supplying his own airplane for the competition, to Robin and Marici Reid for paying for the insurance needed to compete and to all who contributed donations to help make this trip possible. For more info see the SJSU Precision Flight Team Web Site

Congratulations to Aaron Lepold who booted out Marko, his instructor, and perfomed his first three solo takeoffs and landings.

Our monthly series of FAA seminars continues in February. Starting 7pm on Tuesday Feb 7th, in thw RHV terminal, Mike Shiflett, our well known local examiner, will give a seminar entitled “Crazy moments on the Checkride”. Any pilot working towards any rating should make it a point to attend. Everyone else will learn something too, and all will enjoy an evening of laughs as Mike recounts things to do and not to do on a checkride. More Details

Come and see a brand new Light Sport Airplane. On Friday Feb 10th starting at 10am, we will be visited by a brand new Flight Design CTSW. This sporty German design can cruise at 120kts carrying two people in style and comfort. Anyone interested in leaseback possibilities please contact Zdravko. For more about the airplane click here

Don’t forget that we have a new section on the Web site for useful (or just interesting) documents. See Members/Useful Documents

January 2006

Well done Daniel Fedor-Thurman, who soloed a Citabria and had his shirt cut off his back by Eugene.

Dan Hansen earned his tailwheel endorsement and first tailwheel solo. Congratulations Dan and now for the acro!

Congratulations to our own Patrick Cabral who passed his Commercial Pilot checkride. Well done Patrick, and now on to the CFI!

After several cancelled attempts due to weather, flu, etc, Jeff West finally had a perfect day for his private pilot checkride. Needless to say, he passed with flying colors. Here he is getting his certificate from the examiner. Congratulations Jeff!

Neither rain nor mist cound not stop our intrepid pilot, John Siemer, from pushing his instructor Patrik out of the airplane and soloing N53893. Well done John.

The first checkride success of 2006 is Justin Paladino who became an Instrument Instructor! Congratulations Justin and best wishes for your new career in Florida.

The prize for the first tailwheel solo of 2006 goes to Alex Arnoldy who succesfuly persuaded Grainne that he knew what he was doing and off he went in 9091L. Since we can use the airplane again, they must have been not just good but great landings!

N1701H has been taken off the schedule for some maintenance or repairs to the fabric on the wings.

December 2005

The final fledgling of 2005 is Adrian Verhagen who wearned his tailwheel endorsement in the waning days of the year. Well done Adrian.

We have another fledgling leaving the nest on his own! Kevin Ford soloed a Citabria. I guess he must have either impressed or scared Jim enough to get out of the plane and leave Kevin on his own;-) Congratulations Kevin.

Congratulations to Lance Cushenberry on his first solo! Lance is already a glider pilot, and once he got used to flying with the whirly thing up front, Dave Gray jumped out and another airplane pilot was born. Well done Lance.

The first checkride pass in December goes to Rick Vander Kam. Between him and his instructor, Marko, they managed to convince the examiner to issue Rick his Private Pilot ticket. Congratulations Rick!

Two more pilots have earned the privilege of taking a taildragger in the air on their own. John Pataki and Ted Pierson might be found piloting Citabrias without an instructor. Watch out everyone. Well done John and Ted.
We’ve started what we hope to be a series of monthly FAA Safety Seminars, eligible for the FAA Pilot Proficiency (Wings) program. The first one is Tue Dec 7th at 7pm. Max Trescott is talking about Night Flight. It is in the Reid Hillview Terminal building.
The latest tailwheel pilot and the first in December to go solo is John Castner. Well done John!
We’ve added not one but two additional airplanes to the fleet. We have a beautifully restored 1946 Aeronca Champ (2791E) and also a low time, comfy new interior and recently restored Citabria 7ECA (9091L). Pictures coming soon.
The Instrument Ground School has started to rave reviews. All the work Bob put in planning and preparing has paid off. It is not too late to catch up – click here.

November 2005

Here’s one for the books. Dante Garcia’s 16th birthday was on Thanksgiving Day. Dante soloed not just one but two airplanes, a Citabria and a Champ. Excellent work Dante! Here he is with Dave Gray.

Jeremy Zawodny soloed a Citabria! Jeremy is already a glider pilot, so he knows what his feet are for, but he had to get used to that noisy whirly thing in front. Well done Jeremy!
Additional airplanes! Through collaborative arrangements we now have access to a Piper Arrow II ($130 per hour) and a Beech Duchess ($210 per hour). The Arrow is a complex single with controllable pitch prop and retractable gear, suitable for commercial and CFI training, as well as faster cross country travel. The Duchess is a twin with two 180hp engines, suiatble for all multi engine training. Both airplanes are available for rentals after appropriate training.
Gift Certificates / T Shirts / Pilot Supplies – with the holidays coming, check out our gift certificates. We also have T-Shirts for sale and we can order any ASA or Gleim pilot materials, kits, etc for you.
Phil Schuyler passed his Private Pilot checkride and joined the ranks of aviators on Tuesday November 8. Congratulations and well done Phil!
New Instrument Ground School starting Nov 29, taught by Bob Goodwyn. For more details click here

October 2005

Justin Paladino passed his Crtified Flight Instructor checkride with flying colors on Oct 31st – Haloween! Well done Justin, maybe this will cause your students to become bewitched!

Congratulations to Paul Harmon who soloed on Friday Oct 21st.

The price increase for the airplane rentals has been finalized and the new prices are posted up on the web site and also about the office. We have tried to keep them as reasonable as possible and we still provide the best value for money in the Bay Area, especially when you subscribe to the block scheme. Instruction rates and membership fees remain unchanged.
Congratulations to Stason Foster who joined the ranks of Private Pilots on Monday Oct 17th. Well done Stason.
We have a new solo pilot! Rick Vander Kam is the latest student officially authorized to roam the skies on his own. Well done Rick!
N53893 is back! Looking beautiful and flying great. We have deliberately equipped it with thinner cushions so the extra tall pilots can still fit.
The rising fuel prices are on everyone’s mind. Our costs are about a Dolar per gallon higher than they were in April this year and we will be increasing our prices. Details will be finalized in a week or so.
We have a new section on the Web site for useful (or just interesting) documents.
See Members/Useful Documents
Our best wishes for a speedy recovery go to Bob Goodwyn who underwent an operation to reconect a severed Achilles tendon. You can email Bob at bob@ameliareid.com . We hope to see him back soon, though for a while he will be doing only ground instruction.
An auspicious start for October already has a first tailwheel solo for Julius Timbol. Julius actually has time in a Pitts doing acro, and he wanted to be able to take off and land by himself. Congratulations Julius. All that remains is to learn to do it in a Pitts now!
Instrument Rating Ground School Planned:

We are planning to hold an IFR Ground School starting in November. This will prepare you for the Instrument rating written test. If interested in attending please email us at:

ifrschool@ameliareid.com

June 2005

Ground School

The Private Pilot Ground School is going well. Class meets every Wed at 6 pm. You can just drop in for one class or join for the course. Call Larry on (408) 978-0773 or email info@ameliareid.com
>more details

Glass Cockpit Open Day

Mark June 26th in your calendars. Brand new Diamond Star and Mooney Bravo will be here to demonstrate the latest Garmin G1000 glass cockpit.
>more details

Our June fledglings are Dave Flohr and Ari Krupnikov who have unlearnt enough bad habits to transition to taildraggers, and Richard Nikoley who did not have any bad habits since this was his first solo. Well done!

The Glass Cockpit Open Day on June 26th went well, despite a last minute glitch preventing the Mooney from coming. The Diamond Star is a very nice machine. If you’d like to buy an airplane and lease it back to us, contact Zdravko.

All bookings for July 1 onwards need to be made online through Schedulemaster. Call the office or email to get your user id and password. To check it out we have a username ‘guest’ and password ‘1234’. Make sure you go to the ‘training’ link at th etop right of the Schedulemaster page.

Well done to Grainne Gilvarry on revalidating her CFI certificate from the back of a Citabria on June 20th! Maybe we can persuade her to teach at Amelia’s.

Congratulations to Jeff Jobe who passed his Private Pilot checkride on June 15th. Yet another fledgling leaves the nest. Watch out for more checkride successes soon.

The Taylorcraft is back. The new prop seems to make quite a difference in climb performance.

The Champ is back on the line! The newly overhauled engine really makes a difference. Try her out! She is fully run-in and performs great.

We’ve installed a new computer in the office. The login is “pilot”, with no password. AOPA Flight Planner is installed and the Explorer favorites include a number of useful weather links.

Schedulemaster on-line scheduling is now up on the Web in test phase. The schedule has been entered but the paper system is still the master. We plan to convert by the end of June. Get your login and password from the office or email us, then you can get on line and experiment with the system. Look for the “training” link on the top right of the page after you log in.

If you missed Robin Reid’s show in N53893 check out the Merced West Coast Antique Fly-In Web site for the writeup and photos.

May 2005

The Champ has flown! The new engine performed flawlessly during two test flights. We’ll give her a few more hours and then she’ll be on the line available for rental and training.

Robin Reid will be performing his unique blend of low level aerobatics, slow flight and edge of the envelope maneuvers in N53893 at the Merced West Coast Antique Fly-In. On Saturday June 4 and Sunday June 5 at high noon look out for the pretty orange and white Citabria doing some pretty unusual stuff.

Welcome to Allan Hughes who is now manning the front desk Sunday through Thursday 10-3. Allan is a long time pilot and divides his time between a V-tail Bonanza and a Piper Cub. Ask him about the Cessna 190 some time.

We are planning to implement online scheduling through Schedulemaster. If you are not already familiar with Schedulemaster you are strongly urged to go online to www.schedulemaster.com, and login in as UID 1001 password 1001. At the top right of the page is a training link which will take you through the system. We’ll be happy to help with any teething problems as we roll out the system.

The Champ engine is back from a complete overhaul. We hope to have the plane back on line by the end of May.

The Taylorcraft is down for maintenance and is expected to be back up in mid June

If you are wondering what happened to Nice Air’s Citabria, it is coming, but we are having to jump through some insurance company hoops.

Remember to mark your calendar for the Glass Cockpit Open Day on June 26th

April 2005

Ground School

Larry Reed has started another of his successful private pilot ground schools on April 20th. Sign up by calling Larry on (408) 978-0773 or email info@ameliareid.com
>more details

New Citabria 7KCAB

Nice Air’s 1710H is moving over to Amelia Reid’s and will be available for booking shortly.

Dear Amelia Reid Aviation Customer,

I am delighted to announce that Robin, Marici and I have reached an agreement to keep the School open and the airplanes flying.

Starting April 1, I have taken over the school. All the current airplanes will remain on the line. The Champ and Taylorcraft will also be available. The Taylorcraft is ready, while the Champ is getting its engine overhauled.

I am sure you have many questions, so let me address some of the ones that I have already heard:

Will the name change? No, we will continue to be called Amelia Reid Aviation LLC. I took my tailwheel and initial acro training from Amelia and I am proud to continue the tradition under her name.

Will I still be able to fly my favorite airplane? The answer is an unequivocal Yes. All the planes will continue to be available. In addition we are bringing 1701H over from Nice Air to give us another 7KCAB.

Will I still be able to fly with my favorite instructor? Yes! I have spoken with all the current instructors and I am delighted that they have all agreed to continue to fly for the school. I am also proud to announce Len von Clemm is our new Chief Pilot.

What will happen to my block account? If you have a credit balance, that has transferred seamlessly with no hassle to you. Keep taking advantage of the amazing discount that the block rate offers. If you owe money, now you will have not just Robin but me also after you, so pay up now 😉

Will acrobatic instruction still be offered? Yes, and you will still be able to rent a plane and do acrobatics (after completing the acrobatic checkout) just like you can now. We will have two 7KCAB Citabrias for acrobatics.

Do I still need renters’ insurance? Yes you will. The same $10,000 deductible will still apply. The best deals vary, check out AOPA ( www.aopaia.com ), EAA ( www.eaa.org ) and AVEMCO ( www.avemco.com ).

Are there any plans for additional airplanes? Yes. We are looking at a couple of additional possibilities. We do want to be prudent in which airplanes to bring on and how rapidly we can absorb them, while trying to anticipate summer demand.

I tie down my airplane here. What will change for me? Robin and Marici will still be around and they will still be the landlords for the tiedowns. The only change is that you need to write your check to them.

I buy fuel for my plane from the truck. What will change for me? If you pay for the fuel each time, nothing changes. If you have an account and receive invoices, come and talk to me so we can set you up an account with Amelia Reid Aviation LLC.

So come on down, the coffee is still free. We’d like to update your file and set you up for some flying. Feel free to contact me by phone or email with any questions or concerns.