Every day we get to do what we love, living our lives off the ground and a lot of times behind a desk too. We maintain a comfortable yet very professional atmosphere, conducive to learning and growing as a pilot and enjoying the fellowship that comes with being an aviator. The team at Great Basin Aviation are skilled professionals with several years of experience preparing students for the aviation industry.
Jennifer Fonda
Owner Jennifer is owner of Great Basin Aviation and a licensed pilot. She loves anything and everything aviation and is a proud advocate for it in our schools and communities. Jenn loves being part of the celebration with aviation students from solo to CFII. She also proudly serves in the Nevada Air National Guard. In her spare time she enjoys flying with her husband, outdoor activities, attending sporting events with her son, and traveling.
Contact Jenn |
Richard Brong
Director of Aviation Education Richard has been enamored with all things flying from an early age and earned his pilot's wings here in Reno in 2006. He has continued his training and has been active in many roles of the local aviation community ever since. He has spent 20 years of his working life as an educator and has combined his talents with that and aviation. Richard comes to Great Basin Aviation as an Advanced Ground Instructor and Certified Flight Instructor. Jennifer has promised to keep him busy helping in many capacities around the school, too. He is an aircraft owner and a family guy and also enjoys cycling, running, and just about anything outdoor.
Contact Richard |
Jon Aytes
Operations and Safety Manager Jon joined the team as both a licensed pilot and an aircraft owner. He grew up here in Reno and served as a US Marine for over 30 years. It was his first flight his parents gave him for his 8th birthday present that ignited the spark to start flying, which continued through his Marine Corps career. He retired in 2018 after finishing his final tour of duty, and worked for a heavy civil construction company in California as the Director of Corporate Safety before returning to Nevada in 2023. After years of being away from Nevada, he's happy to be back and ready to pay it forward to help the next generation of new aviators. Jon is a 1990 graduate from the US Naval Academy and a 2000 graduate from the Colorado School of Mines. He and his wife Lisa have three adult sons and a couple of Labrador retrievers. When not around GBA he enjoys a variety of outdoor activities and spending time with family and friends. Contact Jon |
Hailey Bogle
Office Manager Born and raised in good ol’ Reno, NV, Hailey’s no stranger to the activity of northern Nevada’s aviation community. Absolutely terrified to start, Hailey took her first general aviation flight at a young age with her dad in the classic Cessna 172. Quickly after said flight, she fell in love with aviation. Since then, Hailey has received her private pilot certificate at Great Basin Aviation and attends UNR full time pursuing a Bachelor of Science in geographic information systems. After finishing her degree, she plans on jumping headfirst back into training in order to work towards a career in aviation. If you don’t see her at GBA or UNR, you can find Hailey with her nose in a book, attempting to go for a run, or spending time with family.
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Nacayla Franey
Office Assistant Nacayla works at Great Basin on the weekends, attends UNR full time during the week, got her private pilot's license, and is now onto instrument training. She is getting her bachelor's degree in general studies with hopes of pursuing flying commercially. Nacayla has grown up around flying. Her dad is a pilot at Southwest. She made the jump into the aviation world, and she's loving every minute of it!
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Not actually Noreen
Noreen Leary
Office Assistant If Noreen’s in the office it must be Wednesday. Convinced by her dear friend Jenn to come out of retirement for five hours a week, Noreen is having lots of fun learning about flying and living vicariously through all of the GBA students and instructors. When asked about getting her pilots license, she said, “Don’t think so, but then again, one never knows.” Noreen, retired CEO of the Veterans Guest House, is still figuring out what to do with all this free time. She loves getting together with friends, traveling, good scotch, photography and “trying” to play the ukulele.
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Shane McAlister
Line Technician |
Derek Davis
Line Technician Derek’s uncle and grandfather were both in aviation, and were large contributors to his interest in flying. During a small hiatus from college, Derek took a discovery flight with the one and only Great Basin Aviation; an addiction to flight ensued, and he has been challenged to balance his love of flying with his role as a husband, father, and Pop Warner football coach ever since. As an avid wilderness enthusiast, you can find Derek anywhere there isn’t pavement while he is stuck on the ground.
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