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Congratulations to Cameron Shepard on flying solo in a Diamond Star DA40! Cameron is “enroute” towards his goal of earning a Private Pilot Certificate and is driven to finish. He started flying in the beginning of December, soloed just after Christmas and is now eagerly awaiting his checkride. After earning his certificate, Cameron plans on flying professionally, serving with Air National Guard where we’re sure he will succeed.

Congratulations Cameron, well done!

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Congratulations to Kevin Allen on his successful solo flight! Kevin started flying during his summer break before college and was immediately hooked. Prior commitments prevented him from accomplishing  his goal before the fall term started but he was standing in our doorway on his first day home for winter break. The requirements were completed straight away and the big day arrived quickly. The pressure was on for Kevin as he had an audience watching, but he flew the three traffic patterns with style. His vacation is over now and school has resumed so we look forward to seeing Kevin this summer to finish his Private Pilot Certificate.

Congratulations again, Kevin, great flying!

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Congratulations to Daniel Liguori on earning his Commercial Airplane Multi-Engine Land rating in a DA42 Twin Star! Daniel was commuting from San Diego, braving the traffic to fly with us at Angel City. The training course was straight forward, though, as Daniel flew like a commercial pilot from the day he arrived. Well done, Daniel – we look forward to seeing you soon!

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Congratulations to Jonathan Lewin on completing his Private Pilot Multi-Engine Land add-on rating! Jonathan came to us in November (I know, I know, I’m catching up) from New York where, among other things, the weather was conspiring against his efforts. Jonathan opted for a four day course with Angel City and completed a lot of training in that time. As Murphy would have forecast, the weather was once again an issue with clouds threatening to ground him on the day of his checkride. Jonathan remained calm and flexible, watching the skies until he caught a break and they launched into blue-ish sky amidst scattered clouds. When he taxied back in, Jonathan had a big smile and a new certificate in his hand. Well done, Jonathan! See you for your Commercial!

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Congratulations to Herve Fontaine for soloing in a Diamond Star DA40! Herve was visiting from Monaco where he flew a DA40 at a school in France. He soloed there in pursuit of a JAA PPL then came to us to fly around a bit while on vacation. We had a great time flying to Sedona, the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas during which Herve decided to return to earn his FAA PPL. He soloed soon after his arrival, determined to finish his private pilot rating within a month. So check back for an update on Herve as there will be another post soon.

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Congratulations to Ed Grech on earning his Multi-Engine Certificate! Ed had been flying a Diamond DA40 and started looking at the DA42 for its range and safety. He came to us to become proficient flying a twin, finding time from his busy schedule on weekends to commit to the training. Ed worked hard and flew well, earning his wings with style.

Congratulations, Ed! See you for the instrument training!

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Congratulations to Tony Chang on earning his Pilot In Command Multi Crew then PIC Single Pilot in the Citation Mustang!

Tony has been diligent in working towards the Pilot in Command – Single Pilot rating in the CE510 and has achieved his goal. His first step was earning the Pilot In Command – Multi Crew which allowed him to act as PIC of a Citation Mustang with a co-pilot. He then jumped back into the DA42NG to practice acting as Pilot in Command – Single Pilot utilizing the NG’s equipment which has the G1000 & GFC700 avionics package and a remarkably similar cockpit. Once feeling comfortable performing each task of flight as though he were solo, he was ready for his checkride.

It was a cloudy day the morning of his checkride, which in the Mustang is little more than perhaps a delay. The skies cleared, though, and Tony flew well. So congratulations to both Tony and his instructor Jim Yoder, for a job well done!

Great flying Tony!

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About a year ago, Angel City Flyers became interested in the Citation Mustang. Its heritage promised docile handling and easy landing characteristics while retaining  jet performance. Another particularly intriguing feature was the cockpit which is very similar to the DA42. It is built around a Garmin G1000 and GFC700 autopilot with Synthetic Vision, TAWS terrain awareness and TAS traffic awareness system. The engines are FADEC controlled so have push-button start and one lever per side featuring full-power full-forward operation, leaving the job of engine management to the computer. Anyone comfortable with the DA42, especially the NG, will feel right at home in the cockpit of the Citation Mustang.

So we flew it and got hooked. We started quietly talking about it with our current clients and found an interest. Within the past year a couple of clients earned their Second-In-Command ratings as an introduction to flying jets without needing to prepare for a checkride. Others have chosen to go all the way by earning their Single-Pilot Type rating and one has opted to earn the Single-Pilot Type by earning the SIC then Multi-Crew Type along the way. The best part is they all had a great time in the process!

So, to make it formal, Angel City Flyers is offering Citation Mustang type rating courses. We have published a Second-in-Command course and a Multi-Crew then Single Pilot Type Rating course! Please take a look under the courses section of the web site for descriptions and send an email to info@angelcityflyers.com if you have other questions.

See you soon!

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Congratulations to Tony Chang on earning a Second-In-Command Type rating in the Citation Mustang! Last November Tony finished the Professional Pilot Course when he earned the Single Engine add-on rating to his Multi-Engine Commercial certificate. He spent a few months abroad then came back to fly the jet. So he completed step one in August by earning the SIC rating. Now it’s on to the CE510 Multi-Crew Type Rating. Great flying, Tony!

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Congratulations to Edson Williams on passing the Commercial Multi-Engine practical test! Edson has been braving the 405 freeway on weekends to work to this goal and giving his free time to us for training. The plan worked and Edson was well prepared on test day. Great flying, Edson! What’s next… hmm, maybe a Citation Mustang course…