GBA representing at Galena High School Baseball. Go Drew Britson and all the Grizzlies!! ​

​David Streetman is a pretty amazing student pilot! So much so that he kicked out his instructor, Ethan Chinowsky, and soloed in N328ME on Runway 08, KRTS early this morning! With five beautiful landings, Ethan hopped back in and flew back to KRNO with David. However, with a little extra time left over and enjoying that taste of freedom, David decided to continue his solo at KRNO, kicking Ethan out yet again (we don’t blame him), and added an additional four landings to this already amazing day! David is hardly a stranger to aviation. With prior exposure in his father’s Bonanza, this pilot certainly had an edge coming into this journey. Commuting from Susanville for flight training, being an active member in the National Guard, full time work in law enforcement, and time for his family, David’s motivation, work ethic, and drive are beyond inspiring. We can’t wait to see him get his private pilot certificate! Congratulations to David and his instructor Ethan on this great accomplishment! Keep up the awesome momentum.

Ethan can fly in the clouds!!  Ethan Vincent, 17 years old, had a great round this morning adding this tough rating as he navigated with precision in N2291C. Successful multitasking is nothing new to Ethan. When he isn’t at the airport working on advancing his aviation certificates/ratings, he is studying to finish his senior year strong, working at Home Depot, or tearing up the green as a member of his school’s golf team.  Ethan definitely kept things in the fairway today proficiently demonstrating the VOR-D, ILS, and RNAV, reporting “Bread,” and showing the examiner he is a safe, competent pilot without having to look out the window. Only birdies from here on out Ethan (just don't hit them while you are flying)! Next comes schooling for his A&P, then commercial certificate, CFI, and who knows, you might see his name added to the GBA instruction roster in a couple years :) Huge congratulations to Ethan, a super motivated young aviator. Great job as well to his CFIIs Danny Britson and Cody Lucero. Enjoy the 19th hole! ​

Gustavo soloed!! If you were listening to CTAF this morning, that cool, calm, collected voice with a Brazilian accent was Gustavo Riggio. He enjoyed some solo laps in N752DW, runway 24 as his CFI Kurtis Hornung looked on. Gustavo came to the States from Brazil several years ago enjoying all that Northern Nevada offers. Snowboarding, RV-ing with his family in the gorgeous Sierras, and other outdoor adventures. Then he took a discovery flight and the rest is history. He has been hard charging in the little spare time he has. Gustavo completed ground school, aced the knowledge test, and now soloed. Private Pilot will be here before he knows it. In the meantime, enjoy that feeling of freedom from this most memorable flight! Huge congratulations to Gustavo and Kurtis! All the efforts are paying off :) 
"De grão em grão a galinha enche o papo."

Calling all creative minds!! GBA is excited to announce a t-shirt design contest. Join fellow creative aviators by putting your spin on a GBA t-shirt. The GBA logo goes on the front, Cessna Pilot Center logo on the sleeve, but the back of the shirt is your blank canvas. Let your design take flight! Winner will receive a free t-shirt, the joy of wearing that sweet shirt on a hour of flight, and bragging rights until we do this again. Pilot Sam Roberts designed the last few shirts and we will continue to stock those, but now more will be added to the wall. Submit your idea to [email protected] by March 25th, 5:00pm. Instructors and staff will vote on the winning design(s), winners will be announced, and t-shirts will go into production. Good luck to everyone and we are excited to see what you come up with! ​

​There’s this nice quote: “A good landing is one in which you can walk away from. A great landing is one in which people can use the plane after you” and in the case of Wilson Liang, you never know which one it’s going to be… joking! Wilson Liang, stud, and lollipop-stealer extraordinaire has earned his wings as a private pilot today in N328ME! Wilson is a common face around the office and one pretty radical dude. Being a Beach Patrol Officer for Sand Harbor sparked his interest in aviation when he met a Coast Guard Pilot, and now, with the prospect of getting a navy pilot slot, Wilson is one step closer to fulfilling this dream and Great Basin Aviation is proud to be a part of his amazing journey! Congratulations to the legend himself and his instructor Cody Lucero! Keep it up you guys!

Holy Moley!! Max Gratrix is now a Private Pilot! Local Dermatologist and decorated and highly accomplished Army Veteran took to the sky with the examiner this morning. It was clear that no pore maneuvers were made as Max now is a certificated pilot! Earning his Private Pilot Certificate was no rash decision. Max definitely had a lot of skin in the game balancing priorities with his family, successful career, and somehow popping flight training in there. He started from scratch with that Discovery Flight and today that hard work paid off!  Aviation is like a fungus, it just keeps growing on Max. Next step is to go have some fun and build those cross country hours. Huge congratulations to Max and his CFI Danny! Time to celebrate with some topical drinks :) ​