taildragger
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First Solo Flight – Brian Kuhl
Apr 02 2020Solo Date: March 27, 2020
Aircraft: Citabria N2508Z
Instructor: Ivan Stanojevic
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
“I was introduced to aviation at a young age by my aunt and uncle who are both airline pilots. Growing up, they’ve always shared amazing stories of their adventures flying around the US. They have seen everything and have been involved with all aspects of flying- crop dusting, skydiving, glider towing, float panes in Alaska, family trips to Oshkosh, etc. At the time, I thought it was just a cool passion and career they were lucky to be involved in but it was something that seemed out of reach for me. As I’ve gotten older, I realized that there was no reason to hold these limitations on myself and that it was time for me to fly as well. My aunt’s advice was that I needed to be a real “stick and rudder” guy and that this can only be achieved in a taildragger which is why I’m at Aerodynamic today training in your Citabrias!” ~ Brian
First Solo Flight – Mikhail Mikhaylov
Jan 24 2020Solo Date: January 18, 2020
Aircraft: Citabria N990WY
Instructor: Batelle Waksberg
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
“I remember being interested in airplanes since I was a young kid. My grandpa would take me to UWGG/GOJ and we would watch planes land, taxi and take off. When not at the airport, the aviation would turn my head up with windows-rattling sonic booms coming from silver tips of bright white contrails. As life went on, flying remained just a dream. I want to think that now is a great time to finally live it.” ~Mikhail
First Solo Flight – Matt Cole
Nov 20 2019Solo Date: November 3, 2019
Aircraft: Citabria N2508Z
Instructor: Scott Holland
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
“My grandfather is one of my life mentors and some of my best memories growing up are of listening to his stories about flying an A-20 during WWII and the Korean War. For me, it has always been a life goal to become a pilot and to share that skill with my grandfather. Before he passed last March, I was able to tell him that I had begun training to become a Pilot. I’m excited to have gotten to this milestone and my wife and I are starting to plan out where we will fly after my training is finished.” ~Matt
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 – Thomas Seymour-Cozzini
Sep 19 2019Date: September 1, 2019
Certification: Private Pilot
Instructor: Grainne Gilvarry
Aircraft: Citabria N9081L
“I’ve wanted to fly since I was a kid, and have always been fascinated with airplanes. During high school, I decided to start on my pilot’s license during my first Summer in college. I did, and now that I have one more semester left before I graduate from San Jose State University, I finished my private pilot’s license. I’ll try to keep flying during graduate school, but between the workload and the lack of money, that may prove difficult. At some point, I hope to gain a rating for MES; I’ve always liked flying boats.” ~Thomas
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.
New Private Pilot – Kaustubha Suresh Raut
Jul 29 2019Date: July 22, 2019
Certification: Private Pilot
Instructor: Jason Brown
Aircraft: Citabria N11681
“As a teenager I wanted to pursue a career in Aviation but things weren’t conducive for that back then in India. After moving to Bay Area 3 years ago, I decided to chase my childhood dream of flying and started training at Aerodynamic Aviation. Tailwheels were the obvious choice for me since very few schools actually offer training in them and I did not want to miss that opportunity. Balancing training and a full time job wasn’t easy but I was in good hands of CFI Jason Brown. I look forward to exploring California and many more places by air with friends and family.” ~Kaustubha Suresh Raut
Congrats on a first-time pass!!! You and Jason knocked it out of the park, complete with an awesome photo after the checkride 😉
New Private Pilot – Adam Jansen
Jun 24 2019Date: June 14, 2019
Certification: Private Pilot
Instructor: Scott Holland
Aircraft: Citabria N2508Z
“Earning the PPL has been very rewarding. It took a little over a year of dedication and hard work to earn the certificate, but I am happy that I finally did it. Next up: mountain flying, aerobatics, and maybe a seaplane rating!” ~ Adam
First Solo Flight – Heather Hayden
Feb 28 2019Solo Date: February 28, 2019
Aircraft: Citabria 7KCAB – N11681
Instructors: Jason Brown & Jen Watson
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
You rock, Heather! After taking a few months off due to a broken wrist, Heather came back with a vengeance to tame the taildragger. Boy, did she! After nailing all her landings, Heather’s instructor signed off her solo endorsement and stood by the runway to proudly watch as Heather completed her 3 solo full-stop landings in the pattern at Reid-Hillview Airport. You’ll never forget the feeling, realizing it’s all on your skill to safely land an airplane, of your first solo flight. Well done on a hard-earned solo!
First Solo Flight – Edgar Xiong
Dec 17 2018Solo Date: December 3, 2018
Aircraft: Citabria N9091L
Instructor: Grainne Gilvarry
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
“Aviation has been in my life since day one from frequent overseas travel. Flying was always the dream, but I was hesitant to chase it due to a medical condition. After encouragement and help from fellow friends and CFI’s, I’ve got my medical and am pursuing that dream! After my PPL, I’m eager to go for a Commercial License so I can continue to explore the vast azure skies.” ~ Edgar Xiong
