Instructor's Corner

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You know him and you love him… or maybe he’s ratted on you for your watering habits… but regardless, we need to celebrate Alex. That’s right everyone, Alex Ramirez, Ted Lasso’s biggest fanboy and Reno’s cream of the crop water nark, is officially a certified commercial pilot! When Alex isn’t binge watching Ted Lasso or being bullied by the GBA staff, he has been working day in and day out to achieve this amazing accomplishment. It is like Alex fell out of a lucky tree, hit every branch on the way down, ended up in a pool full of cash and Sour Patch Kids (Lasso reference). For all the grief we give him, we’re actually really proud of his hard work, and perhaps you’ll see him in the infamous GBA blue polo in the near future (the world may never know ). Awesome job to both Alex and his instructor Danny and Austin on this incredible accomplishment!

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​Best grad cap ever!! GBA pilot Connor Peterson represented at his High School graduation last week. Everyone in the room knew he was a pilot, as they should. He has worked hard for his success so far. But, more to come. He left for Florida and will be attending Embry Riddle. The best is yet to come for this young aviator. Keep at it Connor! 
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​Our very own Jackson Bellard, soon to be aerospace engineer extraordinaire, is on a quick trip home from college, and kicking off his speaking tour with a presentation here at GBA. This FREE presentation will be on Aerodynamics for Pilots. It will be held this Sunday, 6/25, at 1pm in the large upstairs conference room at Atlantic Aviation. We had a chance to preview his presentation and it is really great info! We all have the basic understanding how planes fly but let’s get together with Jackson and dig in a little deeper. No need to RSVP. Tell your friends and we hope to see you there!
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To all the amazing dads, happy Father's Day! Your hard work, love, and dedication are the reasons we're all here today. Keep being awesome and we will keep following your lead. ​
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What do you call a student pilot who flies at commercial standards? Well, it’s not what, but who….The answer is Justin Fulton! Granted he’s not new to aviation from all the buzzing around he does in Fallon in all sorts of fast planes, but Justin has learned to enjoy the scenic speed of the Cessna 172. Today he demonstrated he can fly without Nik and kicked him out and took to the sky. Justin soloed at KSPZ, runway 24!! Not a bad way to start a Saturday. Justin is doing awesome in his training, keeping up on studying in between his busy Navy life. Plus, he drives in from Fallon for flight training. At this rate you will see his name again very soon. Awesome job Justin!! Congratulations as well to his CFI Nik Joshi!
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​Ground control to Major Mike. Lock your Cessna door and put your headset on. Commencing countdown, engine on. Detach from Atlantic and may good luck be with you....but, Major Mike, aka Mike Zacieracha, did not need luck. Well, maybe just a little. He showed the DPE he has the skills and proficiency to earn his Private Pilot this morning!! He was up there floating in the most amazing way. And the skies looked very different today, being yesterday he had to discontinue due to weather. Mike has truly earned this PPL. Moved to NV from NJ mid training, working full time as an engineer, learning a new area, and dealing with us yelling at him. His ultimate goal it to be an Astronaut (hence the Space Oddity references, but some of you are too young). Ground control to Major Mike…you’ve really made the grade. And GBA wants you to now start your instrument training. Today the Northern Nevada skies, tomorrow Galaxies far, far away (always need a Star Wars reference). Awesome job Mike!! You definitely put in the work. Congratulations as well to his CFI Grant Muzzio!
 
*If you get the references right away, might be time to start pulling from your ROTH IRA*
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“More right rudder” is something Reed Bennett better get used to saying. Why, you may ask? Because this guy is now a CFI!! Reed worked hard, studied hard, and evidently is a pretty awesome pilot/teacher because he ended the day with a new certificate! We have been fortunate to have Reed as a part of GBA for a few years as he worked on his certificates, helped on the line, volunteered at events, and sometimes even worked on our planes. Reed is super close to earning his A&P through a program at one of the local repair stations. A skill that will always be in demand. CFI, A&P, and many more acronyms to come for Reed. Another example of what hard work, dedication, perseverance, and focus gets you. Awesome job Reed! We are excited to see your next step! Huge congratulations as well to his instructor, Bob!
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Alpha Speech
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​Great Basin Aviation is proud to partner with Alpha-Speech to help ensure pilot candidates are always understood when speaking with Air Traffic Control. Alpha-Speech is a trailblazing practice that utilizes patent-pending speech therapy techniques to assist pilots with verbal communications while speaking via radio intercom systems. Per international mandates and laws endorsed by the Federal Aviation Administration, pilots are required to speak intelligibly for their own safety and the safety of the flight crew and passengers. The voice of one pilot speaks for hundreds of passengers. 
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Dr. Katie Pierson works exclusively with aerospace professionals to ensure their individual way of speaking does not interfere with their professional ambitions and dreams. If you need assistance or have been flagged by your CFI, DPE, or FAA as requiring pronunciation education, Dr. Pierson would be happy to assist you. 
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Before the insanity of the afternoon winds came in, this jack of all cocktails, master of one cockpit, Anthony Marrone, took to the sky and earned his Private Pilot Certificate!! Nothing like starting a checkride flight in nice conditions and coming back to mother nature’s fury. Did not throw him off at all. He has been flying in all our unique northern Nevada conditions and truly is a skilled pilot. Plus, he is an expert at time management. Not having the time has never been an excuse for him. Although it easily could be. He is a bar manager up at the Lake, teaches ceramics at a local community college (made us our awesome GBA mugs), drives in from Carnelian Bay, bikes, snowboards, road trips, even ran a 50k (why???), and still finds time to flight train. Plus, I am sure he spends time with family and friends somewhere in there. Awesome job Anthony!! You show that it can be done while juggling two jobs and having some fun still. He will be wasting no time and heading right into his instrument training. You will read about him again soon. Huge congratulations as well to his CFI Ryan Mill!
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Damien McKeown, this guy again…he has quite the impressive aviation resume, but he still has had to put in the hard work to get his fixed wing add-ons. Today, he can add a couple more accomplishments to his resume. As of today, he is now instrument rated and commercial certificated!! That’s right, two checkrides. All while only flying every couple weeks when he is town. Determined is an understatement. As soon as his commercial airline lands in Reno, he is here training up until he flies out again. It has been non-stop. We see him A LOT! When he isn’t flying an eggbeater for work or drinking our office coffee (although he does replenish it), you can find him also collecting marathon medals. He is on a quest to run a marathon in all 50 states and he is getting close. Now that these two flying accomplishments are done, maybe Damien can take a little break and bake us some of these treats he always brags about making, and then get his instructor certificate. Awesome job to our favorite Irishman and his CFI Danny Britson!!

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This is the spot for instructors to share their brains!