citabria
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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 – 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)
First Solo Flight – Jason Gordon
Jan 23 2017Solo Date: January 1, 2017
Aircraft: Citabria 7ECA
Instructor: Jason Brown
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
“My solo was 3 takeoffs and 3 landings at KRHV. I’ve wanted to fly since I was about 9 years old when a Delta pilot let me into the cockpit during a flight to Hawaii & let me keep the flight plan when we landed. I’ve been chipping away at my private pilots license since 2011 & love the freedom that flying gives you. Not just flying over busy freeways to get somewhere faster but the way it takes all of your attention and focus away from work, bills, and everything else that can consume your mind and forces you to be present in the moment. My goal getting started was to be able to travel more quickly and easily but since joining the aviation community am now planning to join the CAP and considering becoming a CFI so I can share my love of aviation with others.” ~ Jason
First Solo Flight – Terrel Hill
Nov 25 2016Solo Date: November 20, 2016
Aircraft: Citabria 7ECA
Instructor: Grainne Gilvarry
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
On a slightly overcast Sunday, taildragger student pilot Terrel earned the solo notch in his aviation belt. With instructor Grainne watching closely from below, he tamed the taildragger with an empty rear seat. It won’t be long now before he’s holding up that hard-earned Private Pilot Certificate!
“I grew up overseas and so I flew a lot. I loved the planes as a young boy wanted to be a pilot.
One summer as a teenager I flew in a Cessna taildragger from Challis, Idaho to Mahoney airstrip and took care of my uncle’s horses and mules at his hunting camp at Cougar Creek for 8 weeks (middle fork of the Salmon river). I loved flying in the mountains.
Later in high school, I enrolled in an aviation course my junior year. After passing the FAA test (our course final exam), I had to make a tough decision: to save for college or take flying lessons. The dream to fly has been tucked away in the back of my mind for 25 years. Life situations changed – I now have the time and means to learn.
Once I complete my private license training, I hope to take Aerodynamic’s mountain flying course. My dream is to buy a plane and fly to all the remote places that I want to fly fish.” ~ Terrel
First Solo Flight – Christian Goetz
Nov 09 2016Solo Date: November 4, 2016
Aircraft: Citabria 7ECA
Instructor: Tom Morley
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Christian joined an elite club of aviators who take that first solo flight in a taildragger (conventional-gear aircraft). He began his flight training with Instructors Jason and Batelle, and recently took to the skies alone with Instructor Tom watching from the ground at Reid-Hillview Airport. He’s picking up steam in his training and should enjoy the next phase of cross-country flying as he gets to explore the beautiful fall landscape of California in the fall. Have fun!!
First Solo – Hajime Sammoto
Oct 13 2016Solo Date: October 7, 2016
Aircraft: Citabria 7ECA
Instructor: Batelle Rachmian
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
As a historic flight school, we love our traditions, especially when they involve tailwheel aircraft! Flight Instructor Batelle cuts the tails off her tailwheel student’s shirt after his first solo flight in a Citabria. Hajime hails from Japan and has been training with us since late August for his Private Pilot Certificate. Jumping the hurdles of becoming proficient in English and Aviation languages, he progressed quickly and now moves on to the cross-country and checkride prep phase of training. Congrats to Hajime for taming the taildragger and Batelle for all her hard work!
“In American aviation lore, the traditional removal of a new pilot’s shirt tail is a sign of the instructor’s new confidence in his student after successful completion of the first solo flight. In the days of tandem trainers, the student sat in the front seat, with the instructor behind. As there were often no radios in these early days of aviation, the instructor would tug on the student pilot’s shirttail to get his attention, and then yell in his ear. A successful first solo flight is an indication that the student can fly without the instructor (“instructor-less” flight). Hence, there is no longer a need for the shirt tail, and it is cut off by the (often) proud instructor, and sometimes displayed as a trophy.” – Rod Machado (who also trained with us!)
First Solo – Edan Ben Moshe
Aug 25 2016Solo Date: August 23, 2016
Aircraft: Citabria 7ECA
Instructor: Jen Delp-Mallet
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Living the dream! At only 16 years old, Edan became one of the elite young solo pilots, and he did it right…in a taildragger! 
Edan’s father, who received his instrument rating with Jen Delp-Mallet in his Diamond Star DA40, and his mother watched and snapped photos from Row P with his proud instructor as Edan took to the evening sky off runway 31R at Reid-Hillview airport. Winds were mostly down the runway at 10 knots, sunset approaching on the horizon, and light traffic in the pattern. Edan’s first comment to his instructor? “I didn’t know the tail would be so light without you back there,” followed by “and I kept looking at the backseat, like there’s really no one there?!”
Edan turns 17 in a few months, so we wish him luck with finishing up his Private Pilot’s license just after his birthday. As long as he does school and flight training homework on time, he should meet this goal and be on to borrowing Dad’s plane in no time. 😉
First Solo – Adam Lantos
Jun 25 2016Solo Date: June 11, 2016
Aircraft: Citabria 7ECA
Instructor: David Pease
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Like many of us, Adam’s interest in planes started when he was just a kid. And like so many of us, his addiction hit when another AeroDynamic pilot took him for a glider flight and Citabria flight. This led him to an introductory flight in the Cessna and Citabria, but he felt (ahem…correctly) that tailwheel was much more fun.
For right now Adam doesn’t have serious plans for a career in aviation; he just wants the experience of learning a new skill and mastering it. He feels flying the Citabria demands precision and discipline, but also rewards him with a feeling of accomplishment and a stronger pair of legs 🙂
Once the hard work of earning his Private Pilot’s License is out of the way, Adam plans to explore, have the perspective from above (watching all the little people stuck in traffic), and go to various places. Eventually he plans to continue his training to include some basic aerobatics, mountain flying lessons, and maybe take up IFR when he decides to venture out of California and travel farther afield.
From all of us aviation addicts – way to go and keep up the hard work, Adam!
First Solo – Craig Reid
May 25 2016Solo Date: May 24, 2016
Aircraft: Citabria 7ECA
Instructor: Jason Brown & Batelle Rachmian
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Craig completed his first solo flight today in Citabria 9091L. He flew the pattern at Reid-Hillview (KRHV) with his instructor supervising from below, landing on runway 31R.
Craig used to be afraid of G forces but now loves the feeling. He is a geological engineer and starting flying so that he can go places more quickly. He wants to “go see geology where you can’t normally get to.”
Airplane Camping – Columbia, CA
May 19 2016A gaggle of aviation enthusiasts take to the sky for airplane camping!
AeroDynamic family members departed Reid-Hillview airport on a partly cloudy Saturday for a night of camping, grilling, and stargazing on the grass runway at Columbia Airport (O22). This AeroDynamic tradition started a few years ago with a bunch of adventurous pilots who wanted to fly for more than just the $100 hamburger.
On this trip, 4 taildraggers and 3 Cessna 172s flew in to the grass and paved runways at this 2120′ MSL elevation airport at the base of the Sierra Mountains.
A few of us later hopped in the taildraggers for some showing off…ahem, landing practice…on the grass runway.
With everyone contributing a little something, we grilled chicken, cooked broccoli-cheese rice, and shared wine, beer, cheese, crackers, and chocolate (thanks, Mary). Totally stuffed, we sat around the campfire telling tall pilot tales and heckling each other. Once dark settled in, we walked out to the now-quiet grass runway 29-11 and laid down to stargaze (ok, maybe we did some plane spotting, too).
Instructors, students, and friends woke to the loud squawking of roosters and loud roar of low-flying aircraft – one of which you would expect when your tent is pitched a few hundred feet from a runway. 
Breakfast and coffee happened, then a few of us climbed in our planes for aerobatics, grass landing practice, or sightseeing. After packing up camp, some of us flew out while others walked into the quaint town of Columbia, where you can pan for gold, get a horse-drawn carriage ride, or see a play in this historic town.
Please join us on our next airplane camping adventure (to be announced soon). All are welcome – your plane or ours, with an instructor or solo – and bring family, kids, pets and friends!
