San Jose
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New Flight Instructor – Ivan Stanojevic
Oct 09 2019Date: September 26, 2019
Certification: Flight Instructor (CFI)
Instructor: Jen Watson
Aircraft: Pacer N8712D
Wahoooo! A big congrats to Ivan for achieving this major milestone in his piloting life. Ivan passed his CFI checkride on his first try, which is a serious accomplishment! His hard work has paid off and we are so excited that he will be teaching at our San Jose location in the Cessna and Citabria.
Ivan has been fantasizing about flying planes since he was a child. His first general aviation flight was in a Cessna to the Grand Canyon for a boy scout trip. Ever since that flight, he knew aviation would one day be a part of his life. He began taking introductory flying lessons in high school and later studied aviation at San Jose State. His aviation aspirations, however, were put on hold while he redirected his focus on a software startup. A decade and a half later, he found himself in a great position to continue exploring flight while also pondering the use of fixed wing aircraft to access the wilderness. After earning a private pilot certificate, Ivan began hunting for a capable back-country aircraft, which ended up being the tailwheel Piper Pacer. During his time as a private pilot exploring the backcountry, he added a seaplane rating at Kenmore in Seattle, WA. Loving all his new flight privileges, he realized a desire to share his joy of aviation with prospective pilots and friends. Ivan is excited to bring new pilots into the skies, help experienced pilots access new destinations, and support all pilots in achieving their aviation goals.
New Private Pilot – Robert Curtis
Sep 25 2019Date: September 20, 2019
Certification: Private Pilot
Instructor: David Waksberg
Aircraft: Cessna N737ZD
“I grew up on air bases and have been an aviation nut for as long as I can remember. It has been a life-long goal of mine to become a licensed pilot. I finally found the right period of life, right school, and right instructor. My family and I are excited to take trips and see more of our country through general aviation.” ~ Robert
New Instrument Rating – Zibin He
Sep 25 2019Date: September 19, 2019
Certification: Instrument Rating
Instructor: David Waksberg
Aircraft: Cessna N828LP
“Passing the instrument checkride is really a hard work pay off for me. After my private checkride, I jumped right into instrument almost without any break. Unlike all the beautiful things during private training, I only see one picture (the panel) all the time throughout the instrument training. It’s kind of a tolerate, but also discipline. It’s the pay off that I finally get my ticket to fly into clouds. I don’t plan to have any break and will do my commercial license training starting next week. Big thanks to David and everyone had ever helped me on my flight training.” ~Zibin
New Instrument Rating – Joseph Oberholtzer
Sep 23 2019Date: September 3, 2019
Certification: Instrument Rating
Instructor: Dick Chang
Aircraft: Cessna N54102
Joseph Oberholtzer grew up hanging out at his best friend’s house at the end of a grass strip (KO03) and hearing stories of bush flying into the remote native communities in Canada. He now works as an engineer in aviation and is starting to collect his own flying stories that only other pilots and small children will to listen to. His current goal is to convince someone to let him fly their Pawnee (or really anything) to drag other airplanes through the sky.
We are happy to be part of his story. Congrats on achieving this hard-won aviation milestone!
New Private Pilot – Jacob Tarango
Sep 10 2019Date: September 8, 2019
Certification: Private Pilot
Instructors: Grant Ozdinski & Adam Sciupac
Aircraft: Cessna N12234
New Private Pilot – Sean Bhattacharya
Sep 08 2019Date: September 3, 2019
Certification: Private Pilot
Instructors: Jason Brown & Cheryl Mitrus
Aircraft: Cessna N61637
New Private Pilot – Ryann Powell
Sep 03 2019Date: August 31, 2019
Certification: Private Pilot
Instructor: Jason Brown
Aircraft: Citabria N11681
“She’s a rock star!” are the words so many of us hope our Designated Examiner will say about us after our checkride. Sadly, very few us do well during that stressful test. However, Ryann (and most of us in the office) got to hear her examiner say this about her. Did we mention this was in a taildragger, too? Wow! But if you’ve flown with Ryann, you would say the same. After selling a car that she built, spending every spare dime on flying and dedicating all her free time studying, Ryann definitely earned her rock star title. CFI Jason couldn’t be more proud. Ryann plans to take her friends and family out to share the amazing views from the air. Next up – seaplanes and backcountry flying.
First Solo Flight – Alex Ambrose
Aug 28 2019Solo Date: August 14, 2019
Aircraft: Cessna – N12234
Instructor: Kat Hanlon & Cheryl Mitrus
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
“I’ve been working next to San Carlos airport for the last few years, so aviation had been on my mind. I took a discovery flight earlier this year and got hooked. As for future plans – having fun, meeting new people, and exploring new places!” ~ Alex
New Private Pilot – Jess White
Aug 16 2019Date: August 5, 2019
Certification: Private Pilot
Instructor: Grant Ozdinski
Aircraft: Cessna N12234
“I became a pilot because I love flying, the freedom it gives you, and the wonderful people you meet along the way.
I strangely love how difficult it was for me to get my license. It pushed me to have serious discipline when things got tough, and push forward even when it felt like I would never cross the finish line. I’m grateful for the process and the determination it took, against all the hiccups and delays. I am a much better person because of it.
My goals with flying are simple. Have as much fun as possible. However, I do plan on purchasing an airplane in the coming months so I can search for the perfect $100 hamburger and fly my family all over the West Coast.” ~Jess
Special thanks to CFI Grant, who worked tirelessly and often late to help Jess with the final prep.
New Private Pilot – Evgenii Sikachev
Jul 31 2019Date: July 25, 2019
Certification: Private Pilot
Instructors: Christian Burton & Cheryl Mitrus
Aircraft: Cessna N54102
“I wanted to fly since childhood. When I moved to California, I started my training. Now I am flying for fun with friends, but I will begin my complex training next week. Next steps: instrument rating and commercial license.” ~Evgenii
Congrats on passing your checkride on the first try! Evgenii flew to Sacramento to meet with DPE Richard Conte and later flew back with his Private Pilot certificate in hand. Well done to Evgenii and CFI Cheryl!