Commercial Pilot

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New Commercial Pilot – Daniel Henriks

Feb 22 2021
Date: February 6, 2021
Instructor: Stephanie, Anton & Bentley
Aircraft: Cessna N915L

Congrats to Daniel on his newest pilot certificate! Next month he will become a Certificated Flight Instructor as well. Thanks for letting us be part of your journey. Way to go!

CPL, AMEL, checkride

New Multi-Engine Pilot – Mitchell Templeton

Aug 09 2020
Date: July 28, 2020
Certification: Commercial Multi-engine
Instructor: Jen Watson
Aircraft: Twin Comanche N40DA

CPL, AMEL, checkride

One of AeroDynamic’s instructors, Mitchell, has nailed a first-time pass of his Commercial AMEL add-on rating with DPE Eric Cook. Mitchell is continuing on to earn his MEI (Multi-engine instructor) certificate in the next couple of months and will soon be teaching in our Twin Comanche, affectionately known as “Twinkie.” Way to rock the checkride, Mitch!!

commercial pilot, checkride, Cessna 172

New Commercial Pilot – Rick Vander Kam

Jan 04 2020
Date: December 31, 2019
Certification: Commercial Pilot ASEL
Instructor: Dick Chang
Aircraft: N915L

commercial pilot, checkride, Cessna 172

“I grew up building and flying model airplanes and rockets, and it seems I’ve always had an interest in aviation-related things. I’ve been flying with AeroDynamic for about 15 years, from initial solo and Private certification in taildraggers to an Instrument rating and other endorsements, recurrent training, and flying just for fun. I’m thankful that over all those years, at each step, AeroDynamic’s instructors and airplanes have met and surpassed my own needs.
This past summer, after a few years of friendly urging (we won’t call it nagging) from instructor Dick Chang, and finding myself suddenly between jobs, it was a great opportunity to go after the Commercial license. Mastering all of the knowledge and skills and maneuvers takes significant time and effort on the part of both pilot and instructor. I want to thank Dick for all those dual hours and good lunches, and also Kat, Jen, and Matt, who stepped in and helped me along at different times. Reflecting on the recent checkride, I can honestly say I was well-prepared — thanks to those just mentioned.
Although I have no immediate plans to exercise Commercial Pilot privileges, this step opens up new options for me. Over the years, I’ve given more than 20 people their first rides in small planes, and I really enjoy sharing the joy and excitement of flying. There’s a decent chance that I’ll someday follow the same path as Dick, with a high-tech career eventually morphing into a flight-instruction career. I will admit I’ve started thinking about what to work on next — CFI? AMEL? ASES? Tough call!” ~ Rick
We think you’ll make an excellent instructor!
multi-engine, checkride, pa-30b, twin comanche

New Multi-Engine Pilot – Mike Grachek

Nov 20 2019
Date: November 6, 2019
Certification: Commercial Multi-engine
Instructor: Jen Watson
Aircraft: Twin Comanche N40DA

multi-engine, checkride, pa-30b, twin comanche

Congrats to Mike on a first-time pass of the Commercial AMEL add-on rating. Mike is already beginning work on his ATP Multi-engine written, then will return to us for his ATP multi-engine flight training. His future plans are then for corporate flying in a Citation around Salinas, CA. Nice way to ace your checkride, Mike!

AMEL, multi-engine, pilot

New Multi-Engine Pilot – Kelsey Moore

Sep 24 2018
Date: September 15, 2018
Certification: Commercial Multi-Engine
Aircraft: Twin Comanche N40DA
Instructor: David Waksberg & Jen Watson

While most of us would be thrilled to pilot such a single-engine plane like the Pilatus, Kelsey just added multi-engine rating to her license so she can qualify for airline and corporate jobs. With a dedication to studying that most of us only dream of having, Kelsey completely rocked her Commercial Multi-Engine checkride with Eric. We are so proud! And to celebrate…she hopped into her first tailwheel flight and now has another passion to pursue. Welcome to the AeroDynamic family, Kelsey!

AMEL, multi-engine, pilot

amel, multi-engine, N40DA

New Multi-Engine Pilot – Matt Bragen

Apr 07 2018
Date: March 28, 2018
Certification: Commercial Multi-Engine
Aircraft: Twin Comanche N40DA
Instructor: David Waksberg

Another notch in the pilot belt for Matt! After completing his CFI with us a few years ago, Matt has now accumulated enough flight hours to be a candidate for the airlines. With his Single- and Multi-engine Commercial Pilot License, he will soon be flying right seat on a commercial airliner! It’s great to see your success, Matt! Congrats to CFI David for another amazing job.

amel, multi-engine, N40DA

New Multi-Engine Pilot – Brian Hendrix

Apr 05 2018
Date: March 26, 2018
Certification: Commercial Multi-Engine
Aircraft: Twin Comanche N40DA
Instructor: David Waksberg

Brian, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant, has been pursing a career as an airline pilot. Really, who doesn’t want that? Recently he reached a major milestone in earning his license to fly aircraft with more than one engine. This Multi-Engine Commercial Pilot License allows him to move into the airlines and realize his dream. We are so glad you came to our school for flight training! Congrats to CFI David for all his hard work, too. Way to go, guys!

pilot, AMEL, twin comanche

New Multi-Engine Pilot – JP O’Dell

Dec 31 2017
Date: December 31, 2017
Certification: Commercial Multi-Engine
Instructor: Jen Watson

pilot, AMEL, twin comancheLast November JP earned his Instrument Rating with us. In March he earned his Private Pilot Multi-Engine Rating. Today JP added Airplane Multi-Engine Land to his Commercial Pilot License! Talk about coming in under the wire for a New Year’s Resolution 😉 JP is a full-time student of aeronautics at Cal Poly in Santa Barbara and often gets to fly cool airplanes with his dad, who is an airline and corporate pilot. It has been such a pleasure to be part of your journey. Maybe one day soon we will see you teaching in our Twin Comanche, aka “Twinkie.” Good luck out there and keep the dirty side down.twn comanche, feathered prop,

Examiner: Eric Cook
Aircraft: Twin Comanche N40DA
Checkride Location:
Salinas, CA (KSNS)
AMEL, twin comanche

New Multi-Engine Pilot – Sandro Filho

Nov 02 2017
Date: October 28, 2017
Instructor: David Waksberg
Certification: Multi-Engine Commercial Pilot

AMEL, twin comancheAnother successful Multi-Engine Commercial Pilot graduates under Instructor David’s excellent training! Sandro flew our Twin Comanche to Hayward to meet with the examiner and walked out with a new pilot credential: multi-engine rating. Nice job on a first-time pass! You’ll have to join our next fly-out dinner 🙂

Aircraft: Twin Comanche N40DA
Checkride Location:
Hayward, CA (KHWD)
commercial pilot, cpl, C172 RG

New Commercial Pilot – Nick Vandevoorde

Oct 03 2017
Date: September 14, 2017
Instructor: David Waksberg
Certification: Commercial Pilot

commercial pilot, cpl, C172 RG

Congrats to Nick for earning his Commercial Pilot License! After Private Pilot and Instrument Rating, the Commercial license is the next step in becoming a professional pilot – it allows you to be paid to fly. From this achievement, pilots can continue on to either earn their CFI (Certificated Flight Instructor) or become a commercial operator flying tours, cargo, skydivers, etc. We wish Nick lots of success in his future and were glad to be a part of it!

Examiner: Jeff Hitzberg
Aircraft: Cutlass N616SF
Checkride Location:
Hayward, CA (KHWD)
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