PPL
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New Private Pilot – Mandy Hatfield
Aug 24 2021Private Pilot Checkride: August 8, 2021
Instructor: Bentley Mundle
Aircraft: Cessna N53456
Location: Monterey, CA (KMRY)
“The past year and half has been an life altering, whirlwind for many of us. While I saw many lose there jobs or have they’re jobs put on on hold, I also watched my coworkers work tirelessly to care for sick patients, exhausting themselves both physically, mentally and emotionally. I had several coworkers retire early, quit, or have to go out on medical leave because of the emotional toll the pandemic took on many of us in healthcare. In October of last year I took a break from my job and went to Alaska and flew with a female pilot through the massive expanse of Denali National Park, landing on top of one of it many glaciers. It was at this point that I decided I wanted to learn how to fly as I knew it would give me a focus, a goal, and a passion to follow during a time in which many in my field felt tired, lost and hopeless. I am extremely grateful to have been able to learn and experience all that aviation has to offer. It definitely gives some perspective to the worlds problems as everything looks much smaller from seat of a Cessna, and more peaceful with headset.:)” ~ Mandy
New Private Pilot – Ashray Gogte
Aug 23 2021Private Pilot Checkride: August 5, 2021
Instructor: Sara Stumpf
Aircraft: Cessna N9027H
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Congrats to Ashray and CFI Sara for earning his first set of wings with DPE John Ewing!
New Private Pilot – Kenton Roberts
Jul 31 2021Private Pilot Checkride: July 9, 2021
Instructor: Zibin “Benny” He
Aircraft: Cessna N61637
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
A big shout out to Kenton for passing his Private Pilot checkride with DPE John Ewing this month. Whoot whoot!
New Private Pilot – Prajesh Praveen Anchalia
Jul 26 2021Date: June 27, 2021
Instructor: Thao Do & the AeroDynamic Team
Aircraft: Cessna N9027H
“I always had a thing for engines since I was a kid. I’ve driven at race tracks, ridden motorcycles. All that was left was flying. After my intro flight with Benny at Aerodynamic. I knew right away, that this is it. I need to learn the art of flying. I flew with CFIs Benny, Kat, and Ryan, completed my stage checks with Sara and Mitchell, and completed my training with Cheryl and Thao. Five months after my intro flight, I am now a private pilot. It doesn’t stop there, I plan to take it further with instrument, multi-engine and more.” ~ Prajesh
New Private Pilot – Steven Mirabito
May 07 2021Date: April 28, 2021
Instructor: Graham Harbman
Aircraft: Cessna N9027H
Congrats to Steven and CFI Graham for making a brand new Private Pilot! All that hard work paid off and earning your wings makes all the study worth it. Whoot whoot!
New Private Pilot – Nicole Herbig
Jun 07 2019Date: June 4, 2019
Certification: Private Pilot
Instructors: Lynzie Hudson & Terry Norbraten
Aircraft: Cessna N62244
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!
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)
New Private Pilot – Malick Usman
May 01 2017Date: April 30, 2017
Instructor: David Waksberg
Certification: Private Pilot
“Today is a very special day for me since my long time dream of taking to the skies has finally come true. I don’t have to just stare at the sky and wish I could fly anymore; I can just hop on a plane and get there. I am looking forward to one day becoming a CFI and sharing my passion for flying with others too.Examiner: Yuzo Wakita
Aircraft: Cessna N61637
Checkride Location:
San Jose, CA (KRHV)
New Private Pilot – Stanley Cheng
Feb 15 2017Date: February 13, 2017
Instructor: Jen Delp-Mallet
Certification: Private Pilot
From all the instructors who know and flew with Stanley – we are so proud of your dedication to earning your first pilot license!
Stanley was originally accepted into the pilot program in China, where he grew up, and was sadly denied after a minor issue with his vision. After moving to the US many years ago, he decided to fulfill his dream of becoming a pilot. In America it is easy to take for granted the fact that we can choose to become a pilot or fly for fun. After hearing Stanley’s story and getting to know him, we are reminded how lucky we are to be able to fly whenever we want and how lucky we are to be able to train a hard-working person who is so passionate about flying. Thanks, Stanley!