Solo Date: March 21, 2020
Aircraft: SportStar N712MF
Instructor: Sergey Kataev
Location: Hollister, CA (KCVH)

“I first got into flying when I joined the Air Force to fly on AWACS aircraft as an airborne computer technician and firefighter.  I quickly became a flight instructor in my crew position and was placed on a lead aircrew in the 963rd Airborne Air Control Squadron.  On 9-11 I was running to my aircraft, we flew to the Pentagon to control the airspace for the next 24 hours-re-fueling over the White House.  Our crew also led the Afghanistan and Iraq wars from the air.

After the Air Force I moved to Los Angeles and went to law school at night while I worked during the day. I always wanted to be a pilot, and had flown with friends in their small aircraft over the years. So finally I have been able to get some pilot training done, and to this solo point. ” ~ Gary