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First Solo Flight – Brian Kuhl
Apr 02 2020Solo Date: March 27, 2020
Aircraft: Citabria N2508Z
Instructor: Ivan Stanojevic
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
“I was introduced to aviation at a young age by my aunt and uncle who are both airline pilots. Growing up, they’ve always shared amazing stories of their adventures flying around the US. They have seen everything and have been involved with all aspects of flying- crop dusting, skydiving, glider towing, float panes in Alaska, family trips to Oshkosh, etc. At the time, I thought it was just a cool passion and career they were lucky to be involved in but it was something that seemed out of reach for me. As I’ve gotten older, I realized that there was no reason to hold these limitations on myself and that it was time for me to fly as well. My aunt’s advice was that I needed to be a real “stick and rudder” guy and that this can only be achieved in a taildragger which is why I’m at Aerodynamic today training in your Citabrias!” ~ Brian
Our Chief Instructor, Jen Watson, earns “Master CFI”
Jan 24 2020AeroDynamic’s Chief Flight Instructor, Jen Watson, has been awarded Master CFI accreditation by the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI). This distinction is held by only an average of 300 flight instructors per year!
“The NAFI Master Flight Instructor designation is a national accreditation for aviation educators that is based on a system of advanced professional standards and peer review. The designation is granted by NAFI and has two levels: the NAFI Associate Master Flight Instructor, and the NAFI Master Flight Instructor or Master Ground Instructor. These accreditation’s publicly recognize aviation educators who demonstrate an ongoing commitment to excellence, professional growth, and service to the aviation community, and they set professional standards to which all professional aviation instructors and educators can aspire.
Both levels of the accreditation process focus primarily on the individual’s training activity and evaluation of pilots as well as his or her experience—the foundations of what an instructor is able to pass along to his or her students. They emphasize active instruction and pilot evaluation, not simply taking courses or the tenure of an individual’s instructor certificate. They are not honorary awards that recognize long-time service; rather, they are recognition for the individual who continues to practice aviation education at the highest level.
Accreditation requires a rigorous process of on-going professional activity. Like a flight instructor certificate, NAFI Master Instructor accreditation’s must be renewed every 24 months to assure a dedication to continuous involvement.”
First Solo Flight – Mikhail Mikhaylov
Jan 24 2020Solo Date: January 18, 2020
Aircraft: Citabria N990WY
Instructor: Batelle Waksberg
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
“I remember being interested in airplanes since I was a young kid. My grandpa would take me to UWGG/GOJ and we would watch planes land, taxi and take off. When not at the airport, the aviation would turn my head up with windows-rattling sonic booms coming from silver tips of bright white contrails. As life went on, flying remained just a dream. I want to think that now is a great time to finally live it.” ~Mikhail
AeroDynamic Aviation Receives 2019 Best of San Jose Award
Nov 30 2019San Jose Award Program Honors the Achievement
SAN JOSE November 23, 2019 — AeroDynamic Aviation has been selected for the 2019 Best of San Jose Award in the Flight Instruction category by the San Jose Award Program.
Each year, the San Jose Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the San Jose area a great place to live, work and play.
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2019 San Jose Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the San Jose Award Program and data provided by third parties.
About San Jose Award Program
The San Jose Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the San Jose area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.
The San Jose Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy.
SOURCE: San Jose Award Program
First Solo Flight – Matt Cole
Nov 20 2019Solo Date: November 3, 2019
Aircraft: Citabria N2508Z
Instructor: Scott Holland
Location: San Jose, CA (KRHV)
“My grandfather is one of my life mentors and some of my best memories growing up are of listening to his stories about flying an A-20 during WWII and the Korean War. For me, it has always been a life goal to become a pilot and to share that skill with my grandfather. Before he passed last March, I was able to tell him that I had begun training to become a Pilot. I’m excited to have gotten to this milestone and my wife and I are starting to plan out where we will fly after my training is finished.” ~Matt
New Flight Instructor – Ivan Stanojevic
Oct 09 2019Date: September 26, 2019
Certification: Flight Instructor (CFI)
Instructor: Jen Watson
Aircraft: Pacer N8712D
Wahoooo! A big congrats to Ivan for achieving this major milestone in his piloting life. Ivan passed his CFI checkride on his first try, which is a serious accomplishment! His hard work has paid off and we are so excited that he will be teaching at our San Jose location in the Cessna and Citabria.
Ivan has been fantasizing about flying planes since he was a child. His first general aviation flight was in a Cessna to the Grand Canyon for a boy scout trip. Ever since that flight, he knew aviation would one day be a part of his life. He began taking introductory flying lessons in high school and later studied aviation at San Jose State. His aviation aspirations, however, were put on hold while he redirected his focus on a software startup. A decade and a half later, he found himself in a great position to continue exploring flight while also pondering the use of fixed wing aircraft to access the wilderness. After earning a private pilot certificate, Ivan began hunting for a capable back-country aircraft, which ended up being the tailwheel Piper Pacer. During his time as a private pilot exploring the backcountry, he added a seaplane rating at Kenmore in Seattle, WA. Loving all his new flight privileges, he realized a desire to share his joy of aviation with prospective pilots and friends. Ivan is excited to bring new pilots into the skies, help experienced pilots access new destinations, and support all pilots in achieving their aviation goals.
New Private Pilot – Thomas Seymour-Cozzini
Sep 19 2019Date: September 1, 2019
Certification: Private Pilot
Instructor: Grainne Gilvarry
Aircraft: Citabria N9081L
“I’ve wanted to fly since I was a kid, and have always been fascinated with airplanes. During high school, I decided to start on my pilot’s license during my first Summer in college. I did, and now that I have one more semester left before I graduate from San Jose State University, I finished my private pilot’s license. I’ll try to keep flying during graduate school, but between the workload and the lack of money, that may prove difficult. At some point, I hope to gain a rating for MES; I’ve always liked flying boats.” ~Thomas
New Private Pilot – Ryann Powell
Sep 03 2019Date: August 31, 2019
Certification: Private Pilot
Instructor: Jason Brown
Aircraft: Citabria N11681
“She’s a rock star!” are the words so many of us hope our Designated Examiner will say about us after our checkride. Sadly, very few us do well during that stressful test. However, Ryann (and most of us in the office) got to hear her examiner say this about her. Did we mention this was in a taildragger, too? Wow! But if you’ve flown with Ryann, you would say the same. After selling a car that she built, spending every spare dime on flying and dedicating all her free time studying, Ryann definitely earned her rock star title. CFI Jason couldn’t be more proud. Ryann plans to take her friends and family out to share the amazing views from the air. Next up – seaplanes and backcountry flying.
New Private Pilot – Kaustubha Suresh Raut
Jul 29 2019Date: July 22, 2019
Certification: Private Pilot
Instructor: Jason Brown
Aircraft: Citabria N11681
“As a teenager I wanted to pursue a career in Aviation but things weren’t conducive for that back then in India. After moving to Bay Area 3 years ago, I decided to chase my childhood dream of flying and started training at Aerodynamic Aviation. Tailwheels were the obvious choice for me since very few schools actually offer training in them and I did not want to miss that opportunity. Balancing training and a full time job wasn’t easy but I was in good hands of CFI Jason Brown. I look forward to exploring California and many more places by air with friends and family.” ~Kaustubha Suresh Raut
Congrats on a first-time pass!!! You and Jason knocked it out of the park, complete with an awesome photo after the checkride 😉
New Private Pilot – Adam Jansen
Jun 24 2019Date: June 14, 2019
Certification: Private Pilot
Instructor: Scott Holland
Aircraft: Citabria N2508Z
“Earning the PPL has been very rewarding. It took a little over a year of dedication and hard work to earn the certificate, but I am happy that I finally did it. Next up: mountain flying, aerobatics, and maybe a seaplane rating!” ~ Adam