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New Private Pilot – Craig Reid
Jul 26 2017Date: July 18, 2017
Instructor: Jason Brown
Certification: Private Pilot
“Ever since I was a kid and had the opportunity to fly in a Cessna with my parents friends in Wisconsin and my uncle over the Chicago skyline, I developed an early appreciation and desire to fly. It took a couple decades to finally find the time and the money to pursue flying. From the outside the skills and understanding needed to be a pilot always seemed daunting and complex. Throughout the ongoing learning process, the one thing that surprises me was how the overwhelming complexity melts away and the skill set begins to take shape piece by piece, from one lesson to the next. Many thanks to all of the folks at Aerodynamic for your ability to make the complex understandable and the learning really fun (now I get why my 5 year old daughter likes school… at least for now). Next for me is to continue exploring the world of aviation, the earth from above, and the destinations available by aircraft.” ~ Craig
Examiner: Scott Rohlfing
Aircraft: Citabria N1806G
Checkride Location:
San Jose, CA (KRHV)
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!
New Sport Pilot – Martin Ellis
Jul 03 2017Date: June 22, 2017
Instructor: Jason Brown
Certification: Sport Pilot
Way to go, Martin! Despite life’s chores (why do we have to have jobs?) getting in the way of scheduling, Martin put in the effort to complete his Sport Pilot certification with instructor Jason. His checkride with Scott including have the FAA sit in during the oral portion. Talk about pressure! But Martin handled it like a champ and earned his license on the first attempt. We are so happy for him! Congrats on all the hard work and have fun trolling the skies in the light, fun Evektor SportStar.
Examiner: Scott Rohlfing
Aircraft: SportStar N188EV
Checkride Location:
San Jose, CA (KRHV)
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.
New Private Pilot – Jeff Chern
Jun 28 2017Date: May 19, 2017
Instructor: Batelle Rachmain
Certification: Private Pilot
Well done, Jeff, on passing your Private Pilot checkride with Examiner Scott! We hope you are out enjoying the perks of being a licensed pilot. Happy flying 🙂
Examiner: Scott Rohlfing
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)
First Solo Flight – Dmitriy Kosovskiy
Mar 06 2017Solo Date: February 23, 2017
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Instructor: David Waksberg
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
When one teaches as much as David Waksberg, it makes sense he would have fun traditions for soloing his students. Student pilot Dmitriy experienced first-hand the bucket-o-water after his first solo flight at Reid-Hillview Airport! While we don’t condone wet T-shirt contests ;-), we do enjoy hanging solo shirts on our office wall for a time, even if they are dripping wet.
Go, Dmitriy, go!
New Private Pilot – Matt Fall
Feb 27 2017Date: February 24, 2017
Instructor: Tom Morley
Certification: Private Pilot
AeroDynamic’s office manager, Matt, receives the first of his pilot certifications with a first-time pass of his Private Pilot checkride! Matt has flown with almost all the instructor’s we have in an effort to round out his flight training, which gave him a boost of confidence for the checkride, and we are so proud to see him succeed.
Matt’s first planned flight is to take his girlfriend on a few cross-country trips to show her why he’s so passionate about aviation. A date flight to Harris Ranch should do the trick! Matt plans to continue on with Instrument rating, Commercial and Flight Instructor (CFI) certifications in his pursuit of a career with an airline or corporate company. Thanks for all your hard work in and out of the airplane, Matt. From all of us, congratulations!!!