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    One giant Leep(er)!

    Chris Leeper soloed today!! Runway 26 at KRTS will always hold a special spot in Chris’ heart as that is where he logged his first solo time. Nothing like a surprise 10 knot crosswind sneaking up on a first solo too, but he handled it like a pro. Chris is used to working under pressure being a site manager for an oil and gas development company in Alaska. The cold morning temps are a heat wave for the usual subzero temps he is in. He works two weeks on/two weeks off and we are so lucky that Chris spends his two weeks home, here at GBA (sarcasm font). Between flights at GBA, he is working on ground school, spending time with his wife, dogs, home improvements, bugging office staff at the flight school, and careening down steep switchbacks on his mountain bike. He is looking to get his private pilot for the love and fun of flying and is now one step closer. Awesome job Chris!! Congratulations as well to his instructors Troy Ware and Matt Helleckson!
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    Happy Thanksgiving!

    ​Wishing you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving! May your day be filled with love, joy, blessings, and endless moments of holiday cheer! Plus football, good wine, and tasty desserts :)
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    Derek is a commercial pilot!

    ​Derek Davis is a commercial pilot!! Normally he spends his weekdays working with and selling concrete masonry products, but today he played hooky so he could fly. And it was so worth it! Some lazy eights, chandelles, eights on pylons, steep spirals, then wrap it up with a power-off 180 to earn this awesome certificate. Derek not only works full time plus for his day job, he coaches youth football, works the GBA line on the weekend, hits the gym, and, most importantly, is preparing for his biggest, most rewarding job yet, becoming a Dad! Derek and his beautiful wife Staci are expecting a baby boy after the New Year. Now the CFI training starts too. Knowing Derek, he is working on his lesson plans tonight :) Great job Derek and congratulations to both Derek and his CFI Cody Lucero!! 
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    Watt's Up?

    Justin Cooper is electrifying!! Today even more so, as this local electrician passed his checkride and is now a private pilot. Justin was ex-static walking out of the room after passing the oral exam portion. Into the plane this superconductor left the ramp in N752DW without resistant.  Justin has been studying non-stop until it hertz. Now he can relax and enjoy the current reality, he is a certificated pilot! Justin is a former Marine Corps Infantryman and served as a SAW gunner. He is definitely no stranger to hard work and perseverance. He can relax a little now and celebrate with his wife and kids while picking out which Cub he wants to buy so he can go explore more than 9,000 feet of paved runway. Awesome job Justin!! Huge congratulations to him and his CFI Kurtis Hornung. Remember, with this great power comes great current squared times resistance.
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    A solo to wrap up the day!

    ​Talk about a Power On 180! Today one of our local-area glider pilot instructors, Preston Parrish, decided to solo an airplane with one of those spinny things out front. This Glider CFI took the plunge to powered aircraft and flew like a pro. He soloed N670CS, runway 08 at Stead while his instructor, Kurtis Hornung, shivered on the sidelines in this cold fall air. Preston shared the pattern with some aircraft just a bit faster than a C172 (pictured), but no biggie, there was room for everyone. Congratulations, Preston! On to finish up your rating and then bigger and fancier airframes (which are nothing more than gliders with spinny things). Great job to Preston and Kurtis! 
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    Andrew is Instrument Rated!

    Andrew Spanier, weekend line tech extraordinaire and enemy of extended flaps (he has the scar to prove it), is now an instrumented rated pilot!! The man who reorganizes our hangar every time he has an OCD fit , flew N40RF with precision even with using 35R rather than our usual 17L. Nothing like the surprise of switched runways the morning of a checkride. Obviously, he has the skill set to make the adjustment because he hopped out of the cockpit with a huge smile on his face knowing he passed. Andrew is an accountant by day, pilot by night. Master of the spreadsheet which unfortunately does not carry over to his logbook organization (ask Jack about that one). Now that this checkride is complete, he can have the night off, then start on commercial tomorrow. When you see him on the ramp on Saturdays make sure to tell him congratulations! Awesome job Andrew and great job to his CFII Jack Darlington too!
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