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Talk about jumping on the moment! As soon as the smoke cleared today, this OSU graduate came to us to keep working on his private pilot rating and managed to get to the milestone of solo flight today. Dillon Davidson soloed N37JA at KRTS today on Runway 26 as his instructor, Ethan Chinowsky, looked on with a smile. Dillon has been training hard while balancing other life responsibilities. Today, those all took a proverbial back seat as Dillon took to the sky on his own for the first time. Nice work, Dillon! Keep up the good work. We’ll make sure you get the orange plane on the Wall of Fame. 
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What better way for a local PE teacher to spend his summer than learning how to fly! Ben Mallery, teacher turned student, soloed today in N328ME at KRTS, runway 26. Ben has been working hard on this goal and today his instructor, Jacob Hetland, blew the whistle and cut Ben loose in the pattern to knock out some touch-and-go laps. Being a PE teacher and now a soloed pilot, I don't think anything scares Ben. Which is good because summer flying throws the challenges of thermals, wind, and now smoke into flight training. Ben is making awesome progress and well on his way to his Private Pilot! Congratulations again to Ben and Jacob!!  Want some mint jelly with that New Zealand lamb chop? Yes, our very own Kiwi Ethan Chinowsky (AKA Lamp Chop) added one more rating to his growing list of FAA ratings: Certified Flight Instructor - Instrument. He valiantly flew N752DW in the hazy skies around Silver Springs, Hazen VOR, and all around our general neck of the woods to a successful ride with his examiner. Ethan kicked into high gear for this additional rating just a short while ago and made it happen. We’re proud of his drive on this one and for him getting another successful ride. Cheers to his instructor, Sean Torbett, too!  Adelle Kukla soloed!! This motivated North Valleys High School incoming Senior earned The Flight Academy Scholarship through the US Air Force and is currently at a Purdue satellite campus in Florida to earn her Private Pilot. All expenses paid. Today she hit that huge milestone of the first solo flight! Awesome job Adelle! Private Pilot is right around the corner!  Disclaimer: This post is in no way meant to offend accountants or anyone in financial services…it might, but it is not “meant” to What do accountants do for fun? Add the telephone book. Hahahaha! Well, that is all accountants except for Andrew Spanier. This morning he learned that aviation is not accrual world as he flew his first few solo laps in N328ME at KRTS, runway 26. Andrew and his CFI Jack Darlington ran a full risk assesment and concluded that based on the figures, today was the day to cut Andrew loose in the pattern! If you haven’t guessed it yet, Andrew is a local accountant who spends his days solving problems you didn’t know you had in a way you don’t understand. He made the decision to put down the calculator, trade in the dark grey socks for the light grey, take off the tie, and learn to fly!! And he is loving every minute of it. Now the fun solo flights begin, and if our calculations are correct, it will be no time and he will be checkride prepping. Huge congratulations to Andrew and CFI Jack!! Be audit you can be :)  The Summer 2021 Newsletter is hot off the press! Check it out on our website at this link: https://www.greatbasinaviation.com/.../gba_summer_2021-3.pdf. We hope you enjoy reading through it! Let us know if you would like to contribute to future issues.  What do you call a guy who drives into Reno from Truckee for flight training on a consistent basis, endures the heat, wind, and thermals, and still has a smile on his face? Some might call him crazy but we call him brand new Private Pilot Scott Koch! As if the oral exam portion of the checkride was not exhausting enough, Scott and the DPE hopped into N2291C in the late morning heat and took off for the flying portion of his checkride. Scott focused on his maneuvers and proficiencies and showed the DPE that even in the not ideal conditions, he still has the skill set to safely fly a single engine aircraft. With work, family, flight training, and the commute into Reno, Scott definitely had his hands full. To make any kind of change, one has to have the will and determination to do it. Scott definitely has that determination. Huge congratulations to Scott and his instructors Steven Lutsch and Logan Krupp!  Muscles did it again...Weston Levine is now a CFII!! Weston endured some pretty hot, bumpy conditions as he demonstrated his ability to successfully teach the instrument rating. It has been a joy working with Weston as he earned his advanced certificates and ratings over the last year. Now that he has his CFI and CFII, he will be leaving Northern NV for a position flight instructing in Auburn University’s reputable 141 program. It has been great having Weston around the ramp and his love of aviation and eagerness to learn will surely be missed. Huge congratulations and best of luck to Weston on this next chapter of his life. Awesome job as well to his CFII Sean Torbett!  While the north valley residents were tucked away in their nice warm beds early this morning, Grace Cisler was tearing up the pattern at KRTS, all by herself…yes, that is right, Grace soloed!! No diggity, this gal can fly! Grace was all too willing to let her CFI Sean Torbett out on the side of the ramp so she can start logging that PIC time. Sean watched from the sidelines as Grace joined the other planes in the pattern and earned her solo wings. Grace, a retired professional cross country skier, now baker/wrangler/tractor driver/GBA office entertainer, moved out to the Truckee area from New Hampshire a while ago for her love of skiing. However, the sport took its toll on her so she transferred that passion and craze (literally) to aviation. Grace, drives in from Truckee for those 5am slots to get her training in before she goes to work or school. She is definitely on track to earn her Private Pilot soon then quickly move into her next rating. Huge congratulations to Grace and Sean on this milestone!!  Chris Buckely is now a GBA CFI!! Chris has been a ground instructor for the past several months and we are so excited for "Pink Flamingo" to expand her role to now also being a GBA CFI. Chris achieved all her current ratings and endorsements while flying with Great Basin Aviation. She's a journalist by trade, but has always looked to the sky for inspiration. If you have had the pleasure meeting her, you know her enthusiasm for aviation is contagious. Her schedule is up in FSP and she is excited to help you meet your goals!  |
AuthorAll posts are either written by Great Basin Aviation's staff or shared articles from other aviation sites. Source will be referenced in post. Archives
May 2025
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