What goes on in Jarrett McDonald’s brain? If he is not thinking about airplanes, he is thinking about race cars. If it isn’t race cars, then it is airplanes. This guy likes to go fast. However, today he had to throttle back a little on his speed obsession and be happy with about 100kts. But, those were the most memorable 100kts ever. Today Jarrett McDonald soloed in N495SP at KSPZ, runway 24. And, in front of an audience. His Mom and Dad joined his CFI Nik Joshi, on the ramp as Jarrett greased his landings. Jarrett is a RARA scholarship recipient and working to earn his Private Pilot before he starts his senior year at Reed. Based on his success so far, I’d say this guy will be walking the halls as a private pilot once mid-August comes around. Awesome job Jarrett!! Congratulations as well to his CFI Nik!
0 Comments
Nothing like adding another “I” to your CFI. And that’s exactly what CFI (now CFII) Ryan Mill did today! He taught the DPE a thing or two about flying and not being able to look out the window, and looked pretty snazzy doing it. Then back into Reno and a new temporary certificate now in his hands. Ryan is kinda a legend around these parts. He is zero to CFII at GBA, 141 extraordinaire, and now sharing his love of aviation as a GBA instructor. When he is not flying you can find him doing some pretty extreme sports including back country skiing (the kind where you drop off cliffs) or careening his mountain bike down some sketchy switchbacks. We would wrap him in bubble wrap if we could, but he seems to always show up for his flights with no broken bones. Awesome job Ryan! It has been inspiring watching you succeed. Great work as well to his CFII Richard Brong!
All the way from Rochester New York, ladies and gentlemen, Pablo Stein, GBA’s newest Private Pilot!! Woohoo!! Pablo moved to Reno to continue his flight training and now has goal #1 checked off his list. Today he demonstrated he has the skills to handle these Northern Nevada summer skies. It was no surprise Pablo succeeded. He flies a few times a week, attends every Monday night study group, and excels in his ground knowledge. All while adjusting to life out west, exploring Northern Nevada, working full time, and sipping mimosas. For a guy who wants to be a career pilot, he is off to an amazing start. Awesome job Pablo!! Congrats as well to his CFI Ryan Mill!
What is more awesome than a cool, calm morning Discovery Flight? Well, not much…unless you get to share the excitement with the ones you love! This morning, husband and wife team Alex and Kelsey, both took their own plane (with an instructor) and got to experience single engine flight, taking in all the sights, chatting with the tower, and learning about the four fundamentals of flight. There might have been a little 100-ish knot racing going on this morning up there too. If you blinked, you would have missed it. Look at these smiles!! That is what aviation is all about.
It’s getting hot out there! But even in the midst of 90-degree weather, student pilot extraordinaire, Randy Harsey, was able to squeeze in his first ever solo flight this morning in N495SP at KRTS on runway 26! That’s right, Randy wiped the sweat from his forehead and locked his sights for 26, and after some great pilotage, Randy buttered all landings with extra flare (pun fully intended 😉). But this isn’t Randy’s first ride-in with aviation by any means. When he’s not flying GBA planes and cruising at a calm and comfortable 90kts, he oversees the systems of the good ol’ C-130 for our local Air Guard as a flight engineer! So if you’ve ever had to do a go-around because of C-130 wake turbulence, you can probably blame Randy… When he’s not spending all of his time at KRNO, you can find Randy going to Disneyland with his family and avidly snowboarding in the winter. Huge congratulations to Randy and his instructor, Kevin Marshall, on this incredible accomplishment! Now get out there and fly!
|
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 2024
|