Guess who took a break from shredding the pow-pow to get his Private Pilot Certificate? Ryan Mills!! Ryan came, he thawed, and he conquered. Today he learned that with great powder comes great responsibility as he was handed that coveted temporary private pilot certificate! Ryan had some weather set backs but came back once it cleared and flew like there is snow tomorrow to prepare for today. He already got himself enrolled in the instrument syllabus before he left the office today. Talk about getting this snow on the road! He also wished for some big storms so he can hit the slopes…if it grounds us we will let you where he lives :) Awesome job to Ryan and his CFI Kurtis Hornung! Ski ya later!

Aviation can take you anywhere, but where do you take aviation? Meaning GBA swag. Send us your pictures of where you are showing off your GBA pride. See a couple below. David, GBA renter and C172 belly washer took his GBA to Tokyo. Cody, GBA CFI represented in Half Moon Bay. Let's see where you show it off! Send your pictures into goflying@greatbasinaviation and we will post them here.

There is a newly soloed student pilot at GBA!! N495SP on 16L at KRNO will forever be an awesome memory for Shane Smith. He definitely has something to celebrate! And once he is done living large, he can think about how to capitalize on this milestone and finish his private pilot training. When he is not shredding the pow-pow or exploring new adventures, Shane can be found behind the yoke of a super sleek Cessna 172. This UNR grad also works full time and maintains 100% enthusiasm and dedication for aviation. He always comes prepared for his lessons and ready to learn from his CFI, Ethan Chinowsky. Shane has now moved to a new level, but he knows it is not all downhill from here. Earning this new privilege also brings up new challenges. But, that exuberance he feels after losing the 200lb “Lambchop” that squishes in next to him in that tiny cockpit, is just a sample of what it will be like once he completes his training. Awesome job to both Shane and Ethan! ​

Few things in life are as gratifying as getting your private pilot’s certificate. Mark Conklin realized that today! Over the course of a couple years, work, life, and all the other things that can be obstacles, Mark stayed persistent and overcame. He spent long hours studying everything from aerodynamics and weather to mechanical systems and airspace. He practiced steep turns, short field landings, and pilotage until he could do them in his sleep. And in spite of some restless nights and lots of sweat in the days leading up to his check ride, especially this morning, he showed the examiner that he is airworthy!! Now that the sky, quite literally, is the limit, what’s next? We will let him celebrate a bit, breathe a little, let it all sink in, then go have some fun exploring the sky! Awesome job Mark and congratulations as well to his CFI Chris Buckley!

"Do or do not. There is no try.” - Yoda 
“Do" is exactly what awesome aviatrix and avid Star Wars fan Kaitlin Hughes did today as she used the force (her own amazing abilities) to demonstrate her private pilot skills like she was making the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs. End result, Kaitlin Hughes is now a private pilot. Holy Snokes!! The force is strong with this one. She went after her flight certificate like an exogorth going after the Millennium Falcon. All while attending college, working full time, pit crewing at the Air Races, and being the Treasurer extraordinaire for the local Women in Aviation chapter. What’s next for this Red Leader? Start logging those cross country hours for her Instrument Rating. You can’t stop her progress any more than you can stop the suns from setting. Great job Kaitlin and awesome job as well to her Scruffy-looking Nerf Herder instructor, Ethan Chinowksy! You are both one in a Maul-lion. ​

Thank you to all who applied for the 16L GBA Scholarship! We had a record number of applicants which did not make the decision easy. Our panel of judges reviewed each essay and based on the scholarship criteria, we are excited to announce the following winners:

$2500 - Sammy Lanz
$1000 - Haylie Hattrup
$1000- Cleidson Cleber Barros dos Santos
$1000- Claire Eberle

Thank you again to local follow aviator Zac Glass for helping fund these scholarships! This allowed for additional funds to be distributed to these awesome future pilots. 

Also, the Reno Tahoe Aviation Group scholarship window is still open. The deadline to apply is January 31st. The group is offering private, advanaced, and tailwheel scholarships. Check them out at this link: https://www.renoaviation.org/scholarship. Let us know if you need anything for that application. 

Thank you again to all who applied and congratulations to all of the scholarship winners!!

Happy New Year!

GBA

Just in time for the New Year, we are super excited to offer another round of in-house, lecture based, Instrument Ground school classes taught by incomparable CFI/CFII Bob Bennett. Below is the information for the class. Please reach out ASAP if you are interested in attending as space is limited and classes will fill on a first-come, first-served basis. 

• Instrument - $400, 6 weeks every Tuesday and Thursday night starting on January 11th. Books included. This class also requires electronic charts. Basic Foreflight subscription is all that is needed for chart access. Contact GBA for details.

 
All classes will be held at Atlantic Aviation. Active participation, attendance, and studying are key for class success. Successful completion of either ground school course satisfies the requirement needed in order to be eligible to take the FAA Knowledge Exam. 

If you are looking for Private Pilot in person ground school, the TMCC course will begin on 1/25. That course also runs 2 nights a week. Contact Richard Brong for more information. He is the instructor for that course. All registration is through TMCC as it is a credited course but Richard can help with your questions. This too is an incredible opportunity to satisfy a ground school requirement in a lectured based class. 

Please reach out asap to secure your spot in the Instrument class! We look forward to helping you reach your aviation goals.