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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!)
New Commercial Drone Pilot – Tom Morley
Sep 26 2016
Another of AeroDynamic’s instructors and summer-time agriculture pilot, Tom Morely, earned his Small UAV operator’s certification on September 20th. There’s isn’t much he can’t fly. Way to add another notch in the belt, Tom!
For more information on how to obtain this certificate, please visit our webpage on UAV/drone licensing – click here.
New Multi-Engine Pilot – Qi Liu
Sep 26 2016Date: September 23, 2016
Instructor: Ron Vlastelica
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Certification: Multi-Engine Rating
Qi Liu came to us as an instrument-rated private pilot who owns and flies how own Bonanza A36. With just over 200 hours of flight time already, plus complex and high performance endorsements, Qi took to our Piper Twin Comanche easily under the guidance of his CFI Ron. His training included engine shutdowns and restarts, single-engine instrument approaches, stall recognition and recovery, and much more to add a multi-engine rating to his private pilot certificate with examiner Yuzo Wakita. Congrats to Qi and we thank him for training with us!
New Private Pilot – Richard Lee
Sep 03 2016Date: August 29, 2016
Instructor: Jason Brown
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Certification: Private Pilot License
Starting early Monday morning, Richard met with Reid-Hillview examiner Yuzo Wakita for the Private Pilot checkride. Having spent a great deal of time studying and preparing for the practical test, he was in and out of his checkride in record time, passing with flying colors! Well done to both Richard and his instructor Jason. Richard has since been seen sharing his passion for flying – taking the people in his life out for flights around the bay. That’s what it’s all about 🙂
“After 5 months of training with Jason, I’ve finally crossed flying off my bucket list. I’m very excited and looking forward to a lot of fun piloting to come in California as a hobby. Until then, who knows where life will take me.” – Richard
First Solo – Nick Gronendyke
Aug 27 2016Solo Date: August 25, 2016
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Instructor: Jason Brown
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Another young solo pilot takes to the skies! On Thursday, 17-year-old Nick fulfilled not just his dream of flying, but with Dad and Uncle watching, he also fulfilled their dream. Nick’s father always wanted to learn to fly, but his son is recognizing this dream for both of them. 
After reaching this benchmark of solo, Nick will continue on to earn his Private Pilot’s license. He eventually wants to go to an aviation college and fly professionally. We are so honored to be part of his flying journey! Congrats to Nick and CFI Jason for their hard work!
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. 😉
New Private Pilot – Samantha D’Costa
Jul 14 2016Date: July 14, 2016
Instructor: Jim Grant
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Certification: Private Pilot License
After soloing less than two months ago, Samantha earned her Private Pilot Certificate today with examiner Yuzo Wakita on her first attempt! She plans to fly a lot with her dad, John, throughout the summer, acting as his safety pilot. John earned his instrument rating with us and can now be found flying his beautiful Cirrus around the bay area. We are so honored to have trained this amazing and accomplished family of aviators! Happy flying to the both of you 😀
First Solo – Sheryl Martin
Jul 14 2016Solo Date: June 30, 2016
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Instructor: Ron Vlastelica
Location: New Jerusalem, CA (1Q4)
Sheryl Martin flew her first solo at New Jerusalem airport, her second at San Martin airport (E16) and her third at her primary training airport, Reid-Hillview. She began training with Ron in her Cessna 172 with 180-hp.
Sheryl moves to Auburn in a few days but plans to continue her flight training with us, moving into cross-country training and checkride prep. Her instructor says she has done a great job with studying and made fast progress.
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 – Richard Lee
Jun 23 2016Solo Date: June 22, 2016
Aircraft: Cessna 172
Instructor: Jason Brown
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
On a warm, calm summer morning, Richard, who comes to us from Vancouver, B.C., left his instructor Jason on the ground at Reid-Hillview airport to take to the skies for his first solo flight. Little did he know that tower would fly a pipeline helicopter right under his final approach path to runway 31R! Keeping his cool, Richard maneuvered over the helicopter and settled gently onto the runway. Flying is constant learning and experience, so congrats on handling the challenges aviation introduces.
P.S. He is a Canucks fan, but we don’t hold that against him 😉