Instructor's Corner

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From Georgia to the sky, Derrick Craine is ready to peach his way to new heights with his commercial pilot’s license! Our line tech warrior, biggest smile award winner, loudest laugh echoing down the hallway, and Waffle House aficionado is now a pilot for hire! Derrick is no stranger to handling pressure, whether it’s on the football field at the University of Tennessee or in the cockpit. When Derrick’s not flying, you’ll find him in South Lake Tahoe, either chasing after his daughter’s latest adventure or swinging for birdies on the golf course—because even when he’s grounded, he’s still aiming high! While we love giving Derrick a hard time, it has truly been a privilege to watch him conquer one checkride after the next, making him that much closer to his dream of flying professionally. The next time you see this country fella, give him some of that southern hospitality and wish him a huge congratulations, he’s certainly earned it! Awesome job, Derrick! And a huge shoutout to his CFI Eric Harned! We hear CFI is right around the corner…
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Hello! Or, if you’re Shelby Sellers, Nǐ hǎo! Today is a fantastic day for this lady of languages and prime time adventurer because Shelby Sellers has officially conquered her instrument checkride! That’s right everyone, if Shelby wasn’t already awesome enough, this is surely the icing on the cake. Shelby has been deciphering approach plates, understanding the innerworkings of a WAAS GPS, flying the most beautiful straight lines, and conquering the world of IFR flight. With all that said, she can now navigate her way through the clouds with precision and elegance. Shelby is always keeping us entertained in the office. From teaching us words in Mandarin (she could be teaching us pretty obscene things and we wouldn’t know the difference, so hopefully it’s PG 😅), gushing over her last fantasy book with Hailey, or telling us about her crazy amazing life, Shelby is truly one fantastic human being that we’ve had the utmost privilege of working with. Shelby, the time has come. After those grueling hours under the foggles, it’s time to take them off and enjoy the views. Let’s give Shelby, and her CFII, Ryan Mill, a huge congratulations on this amazing achievement! Incredibly well deserved! Keep it up Shelby and go fly!
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*Deep gravely voice* It’s Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAYYY! And today you’re in for a thrill as you watch the epic Mitchell Martin soar to extreme heights as he solos at KRNO on runway 17L in N752DW *crowd cheering*! Mitchell Martin has some pretty amazing motorcycle skills (hence me trying to be a monster truck announcer… just role with it) and today he took to the skies and absolutely dominated the pattern here at KRNO while his flight instructor, Eric Harned, watched form the sidelines with a big smile on his face. Mitchell has been dreaming of this moment for a while now… I mean, when you’re an adrenaline junky like this guy, how can you not? Battling weather delays and fighting the wind, Mitchell finally found his window of opportunity and capitalized on it. When Mitchell isn’t studying hard, flying like a madman, or riding motorcycles, you can find him laying down some smooth saxophone jams, enjoying the powder on his skis, or gorging himself on a big ol’ plate of pizza and wings. Mitchell, it’s so awesome to see you reach this incredible milestone. Let’s give Mitchell and Eric Harned a huge round of applause on this absolutely amazing achievement!! Awesome work, Mitchell! Keep up the momentum! 
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Rey is GBA’s March Pilot of the Month! Oh great… it’s Reymond Arango again? Didn’t we just celebrate this guy? You better believe it! But why is he here again? Well, since Hailey was going to award this sooner (preferably on the day he soloed) but definitely forgot to order ink for the printer… here we are again! And I mean come on, what’s wrong with a little more of that Rey Arango smile in your feed?! Rey has been absolutely crushing his flight training these last couple of months! Since starting in January, Rey has been on fire. He’s battled weather delays, crushed his ground school, and just recently took to the skies solo for the very first time. Through it all, he’s brought that signature Rey smile and positive energy that lights up the school. Rey, it truly goes without saying that you earned every bit of this. Watching your growth as a pilot has been nothing short of awesome. You're hardworking, humble, and an absolute joy to have around. We know this is just the beginning, and we can't wait to cheer you on through your checkride and beyond! Awesome work Rey, 
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Whoa, did you see that? It looked like a man, but it was truly too fast to tell... If I had to guess, it had to be none other than the fast and fantastic Jesse Surry! I know Jesse is a running fool and can quite literally run laps around pretty much everyone here at GBA, but why is he running around like a mad man? Well, it’s because he’s passed his private pilot checkride and he’s flying high with excitement (and probably still burning off that adrenaline buzz)! Jesse Surry has been impressing us left and right. From battling the weather, studying his ground, running literal marathons, enjoying the powder, serenading people with his music, and on top of all that, flying and enjoying the skies, suffice to say Jesse has had his hands full these last few months. But today, Jesse came in cool and collected and absolutely dominated his checkride! Jesse, we’re so incredibly happy for you and we’re so excited to see you achieve such an incredible milestone. Let’s give Jesse and his flight instructor Shane Smith, who has been by Jesse’s side this entire adventure, a huge round of applause on this awesome accomplishment! Amazing work you guys, now get out there and enjoy the skies!
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What what! If you thought one Arango pursuing flight training was enough, then think again! Aviation has been thrumming in the blood of the Arango brothers for a while now, and today the youngest brother, Reymond Arango, has taken to flight and soloed in N37JA at KRTS on runway 8! Rey is truly an amazing aviator, student, and character. He’s always got a positive outlook on his pursuits and is always making us smile in the office. It’s truly no surprise that Rey has conquered solo flight and we’re so incredibly proud of him and all the hard work he’s put in to get to this point in his training. Rey, you’ve been drilling your ground school, flying airplanes, balancing school, and today’s the day, you’re a solo pilot! When Rey isn’t busy being absolutely awesome, you can find him playing sports (he doesn’t like to admit it, but he’s kinda a track star), enjoying the warmer weather, spending time with friends and family, and indulging in some amazing food (he’s a big foodie). Let’s give Rey and his flight instructor, Lucas Murphy, a huge congratulations on this amazing accomplishment! Keep it up, Rey!
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The sky was calling, and today Cameron Morrill answered by soloing in N752DW at KRTS on runway 8! Calm and collected, Cameron stepped up to the challenge with quiet confidence. After a quick pep talk and a ceremonial “boot” to his flight instructor, James Morgan (a rite of passage, of course), Cameron embraced the skies on his own for the first time and was met with cheers over the radio from fellow pilots in the pattern at KRTS. From day one, Cameron has been an incredibly focused and determined student. Whether he's flying or meticulously tabbing his FAR/AIM, he's shown time and again that he’s in this for the long haul. His dedication is obvious—and today, it paid off in a big way. When Cameron isn’t at the airport, you’ll likely find him camping, carving down snowy slopes, exploring great eats around town (he’s a true foodie), or trying to convince his dog to take a break from playing fetch. Huge congratulations to Cameron and his instructor James Morgan on reaching this unforgettable milestone. You’ve earned it! Just don’t get too comfortable—that private pilot checkride is just around the corner! Awesome work!
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The other day I saw a picture of Andy Glenn with a naked lip, and I swear… I’ve had nightmares ever since… HEHE just kidding! You know him, you love him, his name is Andy Glenn and he’s officially a commercial pilot! In all honesty, how can you truly call yourself a commercial pilot if you don’t have a mustache? I mean look at him, Andy looks like he’s been a commercial pilot for years now! But on second thought… maybe it’s just a line tech thing? Come to think of it all of the GBA line guys seem to have glorious mustaches 🤔. Andy has been balancing the ramp as a line tech, battling weather these last few weeks, getting in his hours, and mastering his power-off 180s, and today it all came down to the moment of truth: the commercial checkride. While we love to give Andy a hard time, Andy has been working incredibly hard to get to this point in his training and we’re so incredibly excited to celebrate this absolutely awesome accomplishment with him. Let’s give Andy and his flight instructor, Richard Brong, a huge round of applause on this milestone! Keep up the amazing work, Andy! I’m sure we’ll see more of him here again soon as he battles CFI training. Until then! ​
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Let’s give a standing ovation for Ruben Lara, who just took center stage in the sky with his first solo flight this morning at KSPZ! Kicking his instructor out and taking off from Runway 24 in N752DW, Ruben stayed cool and calm in the face of the feat ahead: solo flight. Hitting all the right notes, Ruben soared through the air and dominated the pattern entirely on his own (with maybe a few words of encouragement from his flight instructor, Andrew Spanier, on the ground). When Ruben's not flying, he’s wowing crowds with his incredible voice, performing gigs with his band around town, but today, the only sound he needed was the hum of the engine and the rush of the wind beneath his wings. Despite the bad weather trying to throw off his rhythm lately, he stayed in tune with his training and made this solo flight a chart-topping success! Let’s give Ruben Lara and Andrew a huge congratulations on this awesome accomplishment! And this is just the opening act—there are many more great performances to come in Ruben’s aviation career. Bravo, Ruben! Keep flying high and making the skies your stage!
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Finally, some good weather! And what better way to take advantage of it than by earning your private pilot license? Well, GBA’s January Pilot of the Month, Jacob Hulsizer, did just that this morning and aced his private pilot checkride! After a brief hiatus from flight training due to weather, there was truly no doubt that Jacob would come in today and absolutely crush his ride. I mean come on, how could he not? He is Mr. Pilot of the Month after all 😉. Jacob has been sharpening his ground knowledge and fine-tuning the smallest details of his flying—when I say they were minute changes, I mean they were MINUTE changes. This guy’s an absolute stud in the plane. It’s evident that Jacob's true place is in the sky and we’re so excited to celebrate this incredible accomplishment with him today! On that note, let’s give Jacob and his flight instructor, Andrew Spanier, a huge round of applause in celebration of this incredible milestone! Jacob, we have no doubt that you’ll continue to impress us as you move on through your ratings. Next step is instrument! Awesome work!
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