taildragger
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First Solo Flight – Thomas Seymour-Cozzini
Jul 03 2017Solo Date: June 28, 2017
Aircraft: Citabria 7ECA
Instructor: Grainne Gilvarry
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
We love to see a student solo, especially in a taildragger! Hitting the mark of solo is quite an accomplishment. In a tailwheel airplane it can take a bit longer to master the landing technique and feel comfortable flying without an instructor there to help. Congrats to Thomas and his instructor Grainne for this notch in the pilot’s belt!
Although you may not see him, Thomas is the reason our airplanes are fueled and ready to go for those early morning weekend flights. From all of us, thanks for the hard work!
New Private Pilot – Shawn Nikkila
Mar 31 2017Date: March 29, 2017
Instructor: Jason Brown
Certification: Private Pilot
Whoot Whoot! Congrats to AeroDynamic’s newest tailwheel pilot! With a family of pilots, Shawn earned his wings and plans to fly for fun in his dad’s Cessna 120, another fun taildragger. Shawn soloed in Citabria 990wY with us in November and passed his checkride in Citabria 1806G just a few days ago. He flew to Calaveras Airport, at the base of the Sierra Mountains, to take his checkride with tailwheel examiner Rob Davids. And he passed with flying colors! Congrats to both Shawn and Jason for this achievement. Happy flying!
Examiner: Rob Davids
Aircraft: Citabria N1806
Checkride Location:
Calaveras, CA (KCPU)
First Solo Flight – Elliot Young
Feb 17 2017Solo Date: February 15, 2017
Aircraft: Citabria 7ECA
Instructor: Batelle Rachmian
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Thanks to this unusual weather California is experiencing, student pilot Elliot Young patiently waited over a month to finally take his first solo flight. Some things are worth the wait, like the first time you takeoff in a taildragger without an instructor in the backseat. At first the quietness, there’s no instructor shouting “more right rudder!” from behind you, then the taste of freedom as you realize it’s really just you and your flying machine, and finally the exhilaration as you bring that airplane in for landing…ALL…BY…YOURSELF! Congrats on this amazing accomplishment to both Elliot and Batelle.
First Solo Flight – Eric Jones
Feb 11 2017Solo Date: February 5, 2017
Aircraft: Citabria 7ECA
Instructor: Batelle, Jason, Grainne & Jen
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Traveling all the way from Arizona, Eric Jones made a commitment to himself that his first solo flight would be in a taildragger…and he did it! Using his first vacation in years, student pilot and aircraft fueler from Phoenix flew with quite a few of AeroDynamic’s tailwheel instructors and was able to solo just before departing for home. We are so honored he made the trip here to fly with us and accomplished what he set out to do – tailwheel endorsement and first solo flight. Way to be awesome, Eric! We wish you lots of luck with finishing your pilot’s license and hope you come back someday soon to do some more taildragging with us.
New Private Pilot – Edan Ben-Moshe
Jan 31 2017Date: January 28, 2017
Instructor: Jen Delp-Mallet
Certification: Private Pilot
After soloing a taildragger with us at 16 years old, Edan earned his Private Pilot License in a Citabria at 17! Talk about bragging rights. Shortly after holding up his temporary airmen certificate, Edan took to the skies with his first passenger, his dad, a Private Pilot who earned his instrument rating with AeroDynamic’s chief instructor Jen. We hope to see the family traditions continue. Edan plans to attend aviation college after graduating high school this summer and continue on with a professional pilot career. We are so honored to have been part of his journey and can’t wait to see all he will accomplish. The biggest hurdle may be getting his dad to be a tailwheel pilot, too…
Examiner: Scott Rohlfing
Aircraft: Citabria N1806G
Checkride Location:
San Jose, CA (KRHV)
First Solo Flight – Terrel Hill
Nov 25 2016Solo Date: November 20, 2016
Aircraft: Citabria 7ECA
Instructor: Grainne Gilvarry
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
On a slightly overcast Sunday, taildragger student pilot Terrel earned the solo notch in his aviation belt. With instructor Grainne watching closely from below, he tamed the taildragger with an empty rear seat. It won’t be long now before he’s holding up that hard-earned Private Pilot Certificate!
“I grew up overseas and so I flew a lot. I loved the planes as a young boy wanted to be a pilot.
One summer as a teenager I flew in a Cessna taildragger from Challis, Idaho to Mahoney airstrip and took care of my uncle’s horses and mules at his hunting camp at Cougar Creek for 8 weeks (middle fork of the Salmon river). I loved flying in the mountains.
Later in high school, I enrolled in an aviation course my junior year. After passing the FAA test (our course final exam), I had to make a tough decision: to save for college or take flying lessons. The dream to fly has been tucked away in the back of my mind for 25 years. Life situations changed – I now have the time and means to learn.
Once I complete my private license training, I hope to take Aerodynamic’s mountain flying course. My dream is to buy a plane and fly to all the remote places that I want to fly fish.” ~ Terrel
Happy 70th Birthday – Champ N2791E
Nov 10 2016AeroDynamic prides itself on training in historic taildraggers. Sadly, it’s rare for a flight school to have tailwheel aircraft anymore, let alone one built in 1946 that still requires handpropping (no electrical system :-o). We are honored to preserve the legacy left by Amelia Reid and later carried on by one of her instructors, Zdravko Podoliski. After 56 years in business and training many aviators and aviatrix, Josh & Jen, two of Zdravko’s pupils, hope to keep the history alive and flying for years to come. Thanks to all of you who support us!
Happy 70th birthday, Champ Two-Seven-Niner-One-Echo. May you teach many more students, give many more first solo flights and keep the dirty side down (most of the time).
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- Ready for the next passenger
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- Cheers to you!
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- I hope I look this good at 70!
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- In the runup with taildraggers
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- Downwind at KRHV
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- Hauling rides
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- Awesome cake by Eric’s wife
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- Jen & Logan up for CFI training
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- Let’s get this party started
First Solo Flight – Christian Goetz
Nov 09 2016Solo Date: November 4, 2016
Aircraft: Citabria 7ECA
Instructor: Tom Morley
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Christian joined an elite club of aviators who take that first solo flight in a taildragger (conventional-gear aircraft). He began his flight training with Instructors Jason and Batelle, and recently took to the skies alone with Instructor Tom watching from the ground at Reid-Hillview Airport. He’s picking up steam in his training and should enjoy the next phase of cross-country flying as he gets to explore the beautiful fall landscape of California in the fall. Have fun!!
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!)
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. 😉