Checkrides passed
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New Instrument-rated Pilot – Trevor Orr
Mar 05 2022Instrument Checkride: March 1, 2022
Instructor: Zibin He
Aircraft: Cessna N54102
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Trevor Orr earned his instrument rating! Trevor picked up the checkride and nailed everything with DPE Scott Rohlfing to get his new rating. We are super proud of all his hard work on one of the most challenging checkrides.
New Private Pilot – Alex Bonne
Feb 16 2022Private Pilot Checkride: February 11, 2022
Instructor: Ivan Stanojevic
Aircraft: Citarbria N990WY
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Congrats to Alex and CFI Ivan on a first-time pass on his Private Pilot checkride with DPE Tom Hornak! Alex earned his PPL in our Citabrias but will soon begin transitioning to his newly acquired Maule M7-235, which he also leases to us to train others in. Way to go, Alex!!!
New Sport Pilot – John DeRuiter
Nov 30 2021Sport Pilot Checkride: November 3, 2021
Instructor: Sergey Kataev
Aircraft: SportStar N712MF
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
“I come from a flying family that has 2 retired KLM pilots and 1 KLM flight engineer and now a cousin that is also a pilot at KLM. I always wanted to fly and do have a paraglider rating but actual powered aircraft never seemed possible. Then a few years ago I decided to give it a go. I started at a school in Livermore and the plane I was learning in was a 1946 Champ, it broke and was taking forever to fix so I found Serge and started sport pilot training with him and the Aerodynamic team. It has taken me longer (not Serge’s fault) and has been more of an effort than I ever imagined it would be but it is an accomplishment that I am very proud of. I have a lot more respect now for people that go through pilot training especially when you figure out it’s not about being some hot shot in a plane but it’s about a whole lot more, actually you will be humbled and can leave the hot shot attitude at home. Also I have a lot more to learn. So I want to thank all of you for helping me get to this point in my flying adventure and am sure you’ll be seeing more of me at the school.” ~ John D.
New Private Pilot – Brian Baumgartner
Nov 16 2021Private Pilot Checkride: October 19, 2021
Instructor: Thao Do
Aircraft: Cessna N98485
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
“Ever since seeing Top Gun for the first time as a child I wanted to be a pilot. After a few false starts in the past, I finally made it happen this year. While I knew it would be difficult, I never dreamed of the knowledge, skill, and determination required to make it happen. You truly will experience every emotion as you navigate the process, including elation when you finally achieve your goal. I could not have made it all the way without the help, support, and instruction provided by the CFIs and office staff at Aerodynamic Aviation, including Matt Fall, Chris Bonneau, Kevin Oliver, Graham Harbman, Daniel Sims, and especially my primary flight and ground school instructor, Thao Do, who spent countless hours with me in the classroom and cockpit fine tuning my skills and molding me into the pilot I am today.” ~ Brian
New Private Pilot – Vinay Shiva
Nov 04 2021Private Pilot Checkride: October 1, 2021
Instructors: Mitchell Templeton & Thao Do
Aircraft: Cessna N54102
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
“Growing up in the vicinity of an Air Force base, it’s always been a dream to fly. Although I didn’t pursue it as a career, I’m excited and grateful to have been able to reach this milestone.
Many thanks to Thao for helping me prepare and ensuring I reach the required perfection, and to Mitchell for pushing me through when I hit the plateau before my solo.
Looking forward to exercising my private pilot privileges and exploring the skies!” ~ Vinay
New Private Pilot – Cameron Fitchener
Oct 06 2021Private Pilot Checkride: September 14, 2021
Instructor: Graham Harbman
Aircraft: Cessna N9027H
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
“My Dad is a recreational Cessna driver back home in Australia who inspired me and was teaching me about stalls, pitch for speed, power for altitude while I was still in nappies. I have 4 kids who I’m hoping to inspire in a similar way.” ~ Cameron
New Private Pilot – Craig Stanley
Sep 27 2021Private Pilot Checkride: September 9, 2021
Instructor: Thao Do
Aircraft: Cessna N12234
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Congrats to Craig on a first-time pass of his Private Pilot checkride with DPE Tom Hornak! His instructor Thao is incredibly proud.
New Instrument Rating – Derrick Gendron
Sep 23 2021IFR Checkride: September 7, 2021
Instructor: Brian Engh
Aircraft: Cessna N98485
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Congrats to Derrick on acing one of the most challenging checkrides you will have. IFR training is fun, valuable and a lot of hardwork. Well done! Now time to look outside again as you prepare to become a Commercial Pilot.
New Commercial Pilot – Sergey Kataev
Sep 13 2021Commercial Pilot Checkride: August 31, 2021
Instructors: Dick, Thao & Evgenii
Aircraft: Cessna N54102
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Happy birthday, Sergey!
“I got my first PPL Scotland and flew in the US with AeroDynamic on that license. Eventually I found the taildragger challenge to be great fun and got my US PPL in a Citabria, then added glider rating as a safer alternative to hang gliding.
Light sport planes have always appealed to me as the most fun to fly, so I got a CFI-Sport license, and I’ve introduced quite a few people to flying over the last 3 years.
Last year I decided to go for the full CFI, completing the Instrument rating in April and now Commercial Pilot license. Thanks to Dick Chang, Thao Do and Evgenii Sikachev for teaching me. CFI is next!” ~ Sergey
New Private Pilot – Kevin Healy
Sep 08 2021Private Pilot Checkride: August 26, 2021
Instructors: Daryll and Steph
Aircraft: Cessna N915L
Location: Monterey, CA (KMRY)
Kevin passed his Private Pilot checkride with DPE Jon Thornton on his first try. Congrats to him and CFIs Steph & Daryll from our Monterey location. Well done, all!