Instructor's Corner

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Ethan Vincent is a commercial pilot!! Not sending those applications out to the airlines just yet, but this remarkable young man can now start earning more experience as a paid pilot! Talk about working around cruddy weather too. Ethan is home for a quick break from his full-time role as a student at Southern Utah University and had to manage his training around the cruddy weather all week. But what a success! He’s got a little more time off and will leisurely spend it celebrating it on the beaches of Hawaii. Then he’s back to school and back to training. It has been incredible to see how Ethan has managed his training from a far. Flying with instructors in Cedar City and here in Reno. What an amazing accomplishment, and a wonderful example for students in showing them what hard work and dedication can accomplish. We are so happy for you Ethan and your success thus far. Keep moving forward!! Congratulations as well to his CFI, Richard Brong!
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​Ok everyone, this is not a drill!  Local Fireman Jaden Protain was on fire as he soloed this morning in N37JA at KRNO, Runway 35R!! He might be used to coming in hot, but today he was cool and calm as he logged that first PIC time. He gave his instructor Chazz Sandoval the axe and made him watch from the ramp. Jaden stopped, dropped, and enrolled in flight school a few months again, battling the crazy Reno weather but his motivation never got extinguished.  No doubt he will successfully move forward with the burning passion of earning his private pilot certificate and additional ratings/certificates.  Awesome job Jaden!! Your success thus far is lit! Great job as well to his firecracker CFI, Chazz!  
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We aren’t saying Jeremy said this, but…why is Halloween the San Francisco Giants favorite holiday? It’s the only thing in October they have to look forward to. Hahaha! Jeremy Martinez, proud Dodgers fan, is a Private Pilot!! He completed a successful checkride this morning and left the airport with new bragging rights. He obviously makes smart decisions, based on his baseball pick, but today he showed he also makes good decisions in the air. When this hard-working young man is not flying, he can be found up at the Lake probably still shoveling, school, and working in his family’s construction business. Jeremy lives in Kings Beach and has been another one of our commuters battling the never-ending winter road conditions. It has not stopped him from succeeding. Jeremy was also the recipient of a recent local aviation scholarship. His hard work in all parts of his training paid off. Awesome job to Jeremy and his CFI Austin White! And…Go Dodgers!
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It’s plane to see why Nathan Morin is so fly!! Today we are happy to announce he is a CFI!! Talk about “stick-with-it-ness.” Nathan has persevered life and training obstacles and came out the end with huge success. Fall, learn, get up and do it again (and again and again). Nothing keeps this hard-working guy down. You all know Nathan as our line tech, but rumor has it, he might be sporting the coveted blue polo soon. He was bugging Richard for a CFI interview before the ink on his commercial certificate was dry. Nathan is a zero to CFI student at GBA and definitely eats, breathes, and sleeps aviation. When Nathan is not pushing planes around and cleaning bellies, you usually see him propped up against a tow bar taking pictures of airplanes, eating his 5th lunch, or getting yelled at by office staff. In all seriousness, we could not be prouder of Nathan and the work, time, and investment he has put into earning this huge accomplishment. Plus the humility he has maintained since he walked into his first ground school class. Continue to be that inspiration Nathan! Congratulations and great job as well to his CFI Richard Brong!
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​Jaw ready for this? Shane McAlister, who usually spends a lot of his time in the water swimming and playing water polo, had a splashing good time today in N328ME at KRNO, runway 35R. His CFI Austin White never wondered “water you doing” as Shane logged that PIC time. And it went swimmingly. Yeah, buoy!! Back on the ramp, Austin got some good poolaroids. Like so many, Shane has had delays due to weather, but today he was back into swim of things. Hard work pays off! Today reiterated what a waterful life it is to be flying airplanes. Awesome job Shane!! Huge congratulations to Shane and Austin!! 
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​Wait a second…two posts back-to-back for the marvelous Ann Leeper?! That's right, April's pilot of the month, Ann Leeper, kicked her flight instructor, Matthew Helleckson, out of the airplane at KRTS this morning (we don’t blame her) and "leeped" her way into the sky, soloing on runway 26! With friends and family actively watching her from thousands of miles away in Alaska, Ann had all eyes on her. Buttering all three landings, Matt urged her do another lap, but the mountain biker responded by saying "something always goes wrong when you say one more." Cool Ann fact; she soloed in the same plane, at the same airport, and same runway as her husband. She just did it better ;) When she's not here being an incredible pilot, you can find Ann out mountain biking, drinking a cup of Joe early in the morning on her deck, tolerating her husband Chris (another GBA pilot), or working hard as a local arborist. What an amazing accomplishment and a memorable morning before the winds hit. Huge congratulations to Ann and her instructors on this incredible milestone!!
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Wake up, fly, gym, fly, sleep, repeat. That pretty much sums up Christian McCabe’s days. High School fits in there somewhere too. Today he may or may have not played a little hooky but it was for a good reason, he earned his Private Pilot Certificate!! Came in at 6am and walked out a few hours later as a certificated pilot. Talk about full immersion into aviation...he is here all the time (seriously, ALL THE TIME), flew more solo hours than dual (we could not keep him out of the sky), always sporting aviation gear, every conversation is about aviation, has started his model aircraft collection, wearing out his simulator at home, plane spotting, and now, once he graduates in June, taking his certificate to Embry-Riddle to continue on his path to a career in aviation. Begin with the end in mind, right? Today he began with that first hard-earned success on his goal to a permanent window office in the sky. Huge congratulations to Christian and his CFI Austin White!!
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New York is known for many things. The city that never sleeps, fast-paced living, pizza, New York slang, and accents, to name a few. But, most importantly, New York State’s greatest “known for” is Pablo Stein, GBA’s most recent soloed student! Today Pablo logged his first PIC time in N670CS on runway 26 at KRTS! Does he need an instructor? Fuhgettaboutit. Pablo was mad good up there. Pablo recently moved to Reno from Rochester, NY and is loving this high sierra flying. His goal is to fly as a career and is today he hit that first milestone to an incredible life in the cockpit. Huge congratulations to Pablo and his CFI Ryan Mill! Stop by the bodega, get some mimosa fixin’s and celebrate your success! 
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Home of the free and the soloed! 🇺🇸Cole Atkinson soloed this evening at KRTS, runway 08 in N328ME. His CFI, David Lynn, watched from the ramp as Cole experienced that first taste of aviation freedom. Cole is no stranger to hard work. This incredible guy put in the time and effort to earn his American Citizenship last fall and also decided to take on another hard-earned task, his Private Pilot Certificate. Today was a huge step toward his aviation goal. Current mood: Cue the sparklers. Keep up that American Dreamin’ Cole! Huge congratulations to Cole and David on this memorable milestone! Sip on some libertea and celebrate like a Patriot!
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​Chris Buell soloed!! Runway 08 at KRTS will forever hold a special spot in this former Marine’s heart. That is where he greased his first four PIC take-offs and landings in beloved N37JA. His CFI Matt Helleckson watched from the ramp as Chris showed off his skills. And, like a Marine, he left no one behind. Despite the better climb performance, he still went back and picked up Matt and gave him a ride back to KRNO. Chris is such a joy, always has the biggest smile, shows up early, and even after spending a couple hours with Matt, he is still smiling when he leaves. Chris is making awesome progress toward his private pilot while working full time, flying his RC plane, and probably keeping his tactical skills up to speed. Already finished his ground school and written test with a brag worthy score. Awesome job Chris!! Huge congratulations to him and his CFI Matt! 
 
***You all might think we are being too nice to a Marine, but we are saving the crayon jokes for his next milestone***
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