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And one more to end a busy Monday…Richard Brong, the Leaf driving, almond smoking, marathon running, man behind the desk, passed his Commercial checkride this afternoon!! This newly minted 50 year old took to the bumpy afternoon sky in his trusty Tomahawk and showed he had the skills to earn his Commercial Pilot Certificate. A lazy eight here, a chandelle there, maybe a few steep spirals, plus whatever else the examiner requested. Richard then had a smooth touchdown into KNRO and heard the words every student on a checkride wants to hear…Congratulations! Richard has been with Great Basin Aviation for a couple years as our Advanced Ground Instructor and now Director of Operations and Academics (we call him something else though…). Now that he has this goal knocked out, we will be nagging him to get his CFI. Please join in and remind him every time you are in the office. Congratulations to Richard and his instructor Moe!! Enjoy celebrating! And start working on your CFI :) 
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Today Seth Freedman-Peel jumped into action like Flash Dunalino, The Jumper Pony, and earned his way into the Private Pilot Aviator’s Club. Seth came to Reno from the other side of the world (or at least the other side of the country) and set up shop as a wrench-twister and salesperson in the local mountain bike world (one of his passions). Seth may hold the record for fastest student to earn their rating as he started in August and is already done. When he sets a goal, he gets things finished - stat! Today Seth flew N752DW for his ride and showed his DPE he has the right stuff to be a Private Pilot. Congrats, Seth (and instructor Pete Applegate). Welcome to the group!  With such a wonderful morning, why not solo another student! Keenan McDonald took to the Northern Nevada skies today at KRNO in N495SP as instructor, Levi Mellows, watched from the sidelines. He did several laps in the pattern for Runway 16R. Keenan started his training in August and quickly moved to this lofty benchmark in his training. His goals are to fly in the Air Force and he is currently serving in the Nevada Air National Guard. We tried to find him a t-shirt that fits but his ripped guns kept getting in the way. That will come in handy when pulling G’s in some serious metal, I'm sure. Congrats, Keenan! Keep up the excellent work. We’re grateful you are flying with us - and Mom is proud!  Congratulations to Mason Koonce who became a Private Pilot today!! Mason demonstrated his pilot abilities flying over Sierra Valley and the North Valleys of Reno in N495SP. He sported his trademark lucky “blades” and wild, flowing mullet. Not that he needed luck...His instructor, Levi Mellows, had him well prepared for a successful private pilot checkride. Mason is already planning his path to the instrument rating and then on to his commercial certificate! Congratulations to Mason and Levi!! Let the responsible, making good decisions celebrating begin!  Smoky Saturdays still allow for superb student solos! Congratulations to Logan Moore who soloed at KRNO, runway 16R in N328ME this morning!! Logan gladly kicked his instructor Danny Britson off on the ramp, taxied back and logged his first PIC time cruising around the pattern. Logan works in aviation and around commercial airlines all day then comes and flies little single engine aircraft on his time off. He is focused on his ground school, shows upon prepared for each lesson, and definitely on the right path to make it to his goal of becoming a professional pilot. Congratulations again to Logan and Danny! Most memorable flight ever.  Congratulation to Derek Davis who soloed at KRNO, runway 16R in N328ME!! This focused student pilot started with GBA about a month ago, flying before he goes to work in the morning. He met all the requirements to complete his first PIC flight and today he was cut loose. His instructor, Austin Tanner, watched from the Atlantic ramp as Derek made his first few solo laps in the pattern. Derek obviously was still on a solo high when he took his picture as he felt it was necessary to pull out the Whitesnake “Here I Go Again” pose (admit it, you were all singing it in your head when you saw the picture). It is on social media forever, Derek :) Congratulations to Derek and Austin!!  How does that sound for a title on a business card? Ben started training here at Great Basin Aviation about four months ago but soon realized he was going to be leaving us and moving to Oregon - WHATEVER! He rushed to the finish line with his instructor Austin Tanner in the right seat. Today he made the plunge into the Private Pilot world in N328ME. He was super focused like a high schooler rehearsing for the lead role of Gretel Von Trap in The Sound of Music. Nice work, Ben!  Happy Fall, Pilots!
We just wanted to let you know that the cooler afternoon flying is much improved over the hot days of summer. It's a great time to get up! The afternoon breezes may kick up but Runway 25/7 is open again. The aircraft schedules are currently pretty open in the afternoon and are ready for your flights! If the breezes make you nervous, don't hesitate to call up your favorite instructor and have them ride along for a little refresher. Happy Flying! Awesome things happen on Tuesdays! Congratulations to Austin White who soloed this morning at KRNO, runway 16R in N495SP! Austin added time into that PIC column of his log book after having fun in the pattern for a few laps while his instructor Levi watched from the ramp. Austin has been with GBA for a few weeks and flies 3-4 days a week while also working full time as a project manager/estimator for a heavy civil construction company. When he isn’t tapping into his Geophysics degree, you can finding him tearing up the roads (at a safe, legal speed) on his R6. His aviation goal is to fly Charter and based on his expedited trajectory so far, he will be there in no time. Congratulations again to Austin and Levi!!  Attention Renter Pilots! You can now check in and check out your flights using Flight Schedule Pro. In the near future we'll be able to do away with having to write times into the logbooks. This is how it will happen instead! Have a look at the attached video and be sure to ask us questions if you need any help with the process. We'd love it if you'd give this a shot. Thanks for watching!  |
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
July 2025
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