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First Solo Flight – Annie Pepper
Jul 25 2017Solo Date: July 20, 2017
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Instructors: Dick Chang
Location: San Jose, CA (KSJC)
You may know Annie from the few months she worked in the office, but this helicopter pilot just flew solo in an airplane! Her instructor, Dick, has been working hard to convert Annie to the fixed-wing side of aviation, and he’s doing a great job. Annie is an amazingly accomplished woman who, in addition to being a helicopter instructor, is also attending law school. You rock, Annie!
First Solo Flight – Mihaela Popescu-Stanesti
Jul 25 2017Solo Date: July 17, 2017
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Instructors: Lynzie Hudson
Location: San Jose, CA (KSJC)
Mihaela started flying at Aerodynamic Aviation last year with instructor Lynzie Hudson and ‘co-pilot’ Teddy. She somehow found the time to fly among her many adventurous hobbies like triathlons, rock climbing, mountain biking and travel. Congratulations Mihaela! Well done.
New Private Pilot – Ivan Wong
Jul 15 2017Date: July 10, 2017
Instructor: Batelle Rachmian
Certification: Private Pilot
“I’ve been wanting to fly since I was a little kid, but I never took the initiative to start training because I made excuses about not having enough money, and then enough time…until last year. It’s really changed my life, and I can’t thank Batelle, David, and everyone at Aerodynamic enough. It’s a great community here.
Examiner: Scott Rohlfing
Aircraft: Citabria N9091L
Checkride Location:
San Jose, CA (KRHV)
First Solo Flight – Joonwoo Cho
Jul 13 2017Solo Date: July 10, 2017
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Instructors: Ron Vlastelica
Location: Monterey, CA (KMRY)
Helicopter pilot, Joonwoo, came to our Monterey flight school to earn his fixed-wing airplane Private Pilot License (PPL). He’s making short work of the transition, as he just completed his first solo in Monterey and second solo in Salinas. Checkride is coming fast and he is rising to the challenge. Joonwoo will soon head back to South Korea for more flying. We love seeing your progress!
First Solo Flight – Julien Pourtet
Jul 13 2017
Solo Date: July 1, 2017
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Instructors: Ron and David
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Congrats to Julien for achieving this major notch in a pilot’s belt!
“Just wanted to share pictures of my first solo with the school. I soloed with Ron on July 1st, although most of my training so far has been with David Waksberg. I think both of them, even though they have different teaching styles, are great instructors. I can’t wait to fly places on my cross country flights.” ~ Julien
Tailwheel Endorsement – Griffin Swarz
Jul 13 2017Aircraft: Aeronca Champ
Instructor: Jason Brown & Grainne Gilvarry
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Griffin was flying at a nearby school and almost had his tailwheel endorsement when his instructor unfortunately pushed the airplane into the hanger wall, ripping the fabric. He was on a deadline for a glider towing opportunity and we were able to finish up his tailwheel training just in time, thanks to the quick work of instructors Jason and Grainne. Go team!
First Solo Flight – Thomas Seymour-Cozzini
Jul 03 2017Solo Date: June 28, 2017
Aircraft: Citabria 7ECA
Instructor: Grainne Gilvarry
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
We love to see a student solo, especially in a taildragger! Hitting the mark of solo is quite an accomplishment. In a tailwheel airplane it can take a bit longer to master the landing technique and feel comfortable flying without an instructor there to help. Congrats to Thomas and his instructor Grainne for this notch in the pilot’s belt!
Although you may not see him, Thomas is the reason our airplanes are fueled and ready to go for those early morning weekend flights. From all of us, thanks for the hard work!
First Solo Flight – Andrew Kuo
Jul 03 2017Solo Date: June 18, 2017
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Instructor: David Waksberg
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
For most people reaching the goal of first solo flight is a big achievement, but for Kuanlin “Andrew” Kuo it took incredible fortitude and commitment. Andrew had to complete all the tasks of any private pilot student. Due to vision issues, he also had to fight his way through getting a special medical issuance and passing a flight test (called a SODA) with Jeff Ebey, the man in charge of all pilot examiners and flight school operations at San Jose FSDO. Andrew passed with flying colors 😉 He and instructor David definitely earned the privilege to solo and are now continuing on to Private Pilot certification. Nice work, guys!
New Private Pilot – Chuang Wang
Jul 03 2017Date: June 17, 2017
Instructor: David Waksberg
Certification: Private Pilot
Woohoo, we have a new private pilot in our midst! Chuang flew through his checkride with pilot examiner Yuzo (pun intended). Thanks to the hard work of both Chuang and his intructor David, our newest licensed pilot will soon be one of those airplanes out buzzing the blue San Jose skies. Congrats to all who made this dream possible for him.
Examiner: Yuzo Wakita
Aircraft: Cessna N737ZD
Checkride Location:
San Jose, CA (KRHV)
First Solo Flight – Thao Do
Jul 03 2017Solo Date: May 27, 2017
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Instructor: Dick Chang
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
A big shout out to Thao, who successfully completed her first solo flight in Cessna N12234. Instructor Dick Chang watched like a proud papa as Thao flew 3 takeoffs and landings on Runways 31R and 31L without him sitting next to her.
Thao came to AeroDynamic for an aerobatic thrill ride with our Chief Instructor, Jen, and she has become a cheery face at our school. She is an incredibly accomplished woman who is quickly adding “pilot” to her list of capabilities.
Thao filmed her flight to share with all of us, prospective and experienced pilots, her incredible experience. Click here to see her YouTube video.