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GREAT BASIN AVIATION
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When Experience Counts
​LEARN TO FLY HERE!

Like anything truly worthwhile, pilothood is a journey. It's a journey of challenge. Of excitement. Of self-discovery. It's a journey that ends with a monumental sense of achievement - your pilot's license! And then begins anew each time you climb into the cockpit and take to the sky. You cannot get there without solid instruction. Great Basin Aviation is proud to employ the best instructors in Northern Nevada that will aide you in becoming a safe, proficient pilot. Click to the Learn to Fly Here link above to go to a quick overview of the process. Read on below for a more detailed description of our offerings. 

Flight Instruction

Great Basin Aviation is a full-service flight school and aviation resource center. We specialize in flight training from student pilot to CFI/II, endorsements and special emphasis on Mountain Flying techniques and Safety priorities. Great Basin Aviation is Northern Nevada’s only flight school offering modern Cessna aircraft, manufactured in this century; sporting Garmin glass cockpits, and autopilot. Our business model provides professional, experienced full-time Flight Instructor- Pilots who are committed to the achievement of your aeronautical aspirations; rather than that of their own. 

In addition to basic flight instruction, our instructors are also certified for certain endorsements, IFR instruction, Commercial, CFI/CFII, flight reviews, mountain flying skills, and more. Please call or email (goflying@greatbasinaviation.com) for rates and questions. 

Ground Instruction

Have you dreamt of becoming a pilot or earning your instrument rating? Make it a reality! We offer Cessna's new scenario-based flight training course, developed exclusively for Cessna by the experts at King Schools. This web-based course provides everything you need to obtain your Sport, Private Pilot Certificate or Instrument Rating. It's been designed to provide you with the knowledge, skills and confidence to embrace your future in aviation. 

This course is for the pilot who is training in either a technically-advanced full-glass cockpit airplane or in an airplane with analog gauges. The training includes flight preview videos and full-motion diagrams of the course material, plus a complete FAA knowledge exam review program—and it's available anywhere you have Internet access. Your personal login will maintain a record of which sessions you have completed and will allow you to continue where you left off if you are interrupted. The course never expires and it is always kept up-to-date, so you'll have access to all of the in-depth knowledge sessions and flight previews well after you have completed your training. 

You can take your Cessna Sport/Private Pilot course on your iPad—even when offline! The Cessna Sport/Private Pilot and Instrument Rating course lessons can be downloaded onto an iPad/tablet and viewed later when online or offline, with the Cessna Companion App. Kits include flight bag and Garmin Pilot access. Other Cessna courses are available. Please give us a call to let us know if you are looking for a specific course. 

We also have specialized ground instructors (Richard Brong) available for you to assist in ground school training (basic and advanced), FAA Knowledge Test preparation, and Checkride oral exam preparation. Check out the profiles below. 

Cessna Pilot Center

Great Basin Aviation is proud and privileged to be affiliated with Cessna as a Cessna Pilot Center (CPC). A Cessna Pilot Center is a specially selected flight school that represents top-quality, professional flight training. Each CPC is hand picked by Cessna to ensure that they maintain Cessna’s high standards for flight training. 

Talk to any certified pilot. They will likely tell you they learned to fly in a Cessna. More people have obtained their private pilot certificate in Cessna aircraft than all other aircraft types combined. There is a reason for that: Cessna's are easy to fly and safe. 

A Cessna Pilot Center is where you go to take advantage of Cessna's years of experience in training most of the world's pilots to fly. At a CPC, you learn to fly in less time than other programs while following Cessna's computer-based curriculum that stresses safety (on a National average).

When you learn to fly from a Cessna Pilot Center, you are truly learning from the best. It’s not just that you’ll learn from the world’s best-trained instructors. Or that you’ll train with innovative computer-based instruction. What really matters is that you will be learning to fly in the world’s greatest aircraft, Cessna’s forgiving, reliable single engine airplanes. For more information on the advantages and benefits of training at a Cessna Pilot Center visit: cessnaflighttraining.kingschools.com/Index.aspx

Our Instructors

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Bob Bennett
Bob is a CFI/CFII who has instructed with Great Basin Aviation for the last several years. Bob has been a pilot since 1972 and a flight instructor since 1988, with over 8000 flight hours in general aviation aircraft. Bob is an advanced instructor with Great Basin Aviation and specializes in advanced instruction including CFI/CFII, flight reviews, endorsements, and discovery flights.
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Levi Mellows 
Levi, a Nevada native, is a full time CFI. Levi earned his ratings in Nevada, Wyoming, and Oregon, then taught in Alaska for a summer. On his way back to Reno, he stopped in Bend, Oregon and earned his multi engine license and is now here in Northern Nevada sharing his love of aviation with the community he was raised in. Flying isn't Levi's only adventure sport, he also enjoys skydiving and wing suit base jumping all over the world. Levi even competed in Norway at the World Base Race and won third place! If he is not in the air you can find Levi on the slopes or working on projects around the house. 
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Danny Britson

Danny is a part-time CFI/CFII who enjoys all aspects of flight training, especially primary and instrument training. He learned to fly and received his instructor ratings while serving in the US Air Force, since then he has flown as a corporate pilot and has over 1600 hours as an instructor. Danny has a Bachelor’s Degree is in Professional Aeronautics with a minor in Aviation Safety from Embry- Riddle Aeronautical University.
 Danny enjoys skiing, home improvement, watching his kids play sports and flying his Cessna 421C all over the West Coast. Danny is an avid Manchester United fan who does not allow any Liverpool or Manchester City clothing on any of his flights.​
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Brenden Georg
Brenden is a full time CFI, CFII, and MEI. He received his Private Pilots License here at Great Basin in the spring of 2018 and completed his training at ATP flight school in Sacramento. Aside from flying, Brenden enjoys outdoor photography, hiking, and skiing.
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Josh Bunker

As an ATP, Josh spends his days flying for Skywest and instructing part-time with Great Basin Aviation, specializing in Rotor Transitions. Most of his flight hours are as a Chinook pilot, instructor pilot, and instrument flight examiner for the Nevada National Guard. Nevada has always been home for Josh and he and his wife are lucky enough to raise their two young boys in Northern Nevada. When he is not flying regional jets, instructing, or hovering above in a Chinook, he enjoys spending time with his beautiful family and creating fun, delicious, intoxicating home brews (and sharing them with GBA staff).
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Richard Brong 

​Richard learned to fly in Reno in 2006 and has been active in the local flying community ever since. His FAA certificates include CFI, Instrument, Commercial, Advanced Ground Instructor, and UAS Remote. Richard attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where he earned a Master of Aeronautical Science with a specialization in Educational Technology and spent about 20 years as a high school science teacher. He also volunteered in the Civil Air Patrol for several years. Richard is an educator at heart and enjoys using his background in education and aviation to help students reach their goals to their highest potential. 
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Steven Lutsch
Steven is a CFI/CFII/MEI who got his private pilots license in Carson City then his advanced ratings in Southern California. Strong dedication for his students’ success helped Steven climb the ranks to lead instructor with ATP in San Diego, where he provided students with mock checkrides and ground instruction to ensure they were prepared and feeling confident for their next checkride. He went to school for Aerospace Engineering and worked in the field for multiple years before realizing how rad flying is. Now nothing makes Steven happier than taking to the skies and seeing his students grow into successful, competent pilots..

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Tristan Armstrong

Tristan arrives at Great Basin Aviation where he is excited to be teaching primary through advanced students in the pursuit of their aviation endeavors. Most recently his instruction has been conducted in a Citabria and gliders. He is a CFI, CFII, MEI, & CFIG. He grew up in northern Nevada but has also instructed in Maine. He has a true passion for aviation. On his current aviation pursuit list is attaining his balloon rating and he would also like to learn to paraglide. He has a strong dedication to his students and enjoys mentoring them whether just learning to fly for fun or pursuing a career in aviation, he is here to guide you through the process. When not at the airport his interests include golf, skiing, hiking, off road exploring, and spending time with his family.
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Ethan Chinowsky

Ethan is a CFI who completed all his advanced training with Great Basin Aviation. He originally started flight training in New Zealand where he received specialty instruction in mountain flying and crosswind takeoffs/landings. Growing up, he was always that one kid that would get distracted by airplanes, no matter what he was doing. Now, he enjoys sharing his passion and love for aviation and flying with everyone! When he’s not flying he’s enjoying the outdoors, mountain biking, lifting in the gym, planning his next adventure, or cooking up a meal.
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Sean Torbett

Sean, a CFI/CFII/MEI, spent 5 years in the 82nd Airborne (jumping *out* of planes). After returning from the Persian Gulf War, he transitioned to working in the engineering side of broadcast television at several stations around the country and then here in Reno. While in Reno he began working on his private pilot certificate. At the conclusion of his television engineering career, he took the opportunity to make aviation his main focus. He left town to attend ATP and earned his CFI, CFII, and MEI. Sean enjoys flying and wants to help others realize how attainable being a pilot can be and how piloting skills can be progressively built on to grow into something larger if desired.
Stefan Arnone
Stefan is a full time CFI-Airplane and CFI-Glider. He grew up in Reno and learned to fly at the Carson airport in 2013. He later completed his instrument, commercial, multi-engine, and CFI-A training at Rocky Mountain College in Montana, where he earned a B.S. in Aeronautical Science, graduating in May 2019. He has also spent summers since 2011 working at Truckee-Tahoe Soaring Association, where he earned his private glider (2014), commercial glider (2018), and CFI-G (2019) add-on ratings. Stefan speaks fluent German and enjoys skiing in the winter and soaring in the summer, and is excited to be back home in northern Nevada to continue his aviation adventures as a flight instructor! ​​

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Nik Joshi

Nikul (Nik) grew up in East Africa, Tanzania. He moved to USA when he was 11. He began his aviation career at Stead Airport. He then  finished his Commercial single, multi-engine rating and CFI rating in Reno. Nikul earned a college degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, he received a degree in BA in Aeronautics from ERAU in 2009.  Nikul is in  the Nevada Air Guard, he enlisted in 2013, then commissioned in 2018. When he isn't working and flying, he likes to mountain bike, hike and camp.
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Eric Tallberg

A former US Air Force Firefighter, Eric learned to fly in New Hampshire in 2004 and has been continually adding to his aviation credentials. Eric holds a full-time software product manager job for a Boston-based company, but he can be available for those 9-5’ers wishing to learn to fly but have a limited scope of time in a typical workday. His experiences since he started flying in 2004 include flying his Piper Warrior across the country (NV – NH) and into Canada a few times. He is also working on his CFII,  Glider rating, and Multi-engine while also participating in other pastimes: running, hiking, biking and skiing with his wife.
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