Congratulations to Valérie Hallet on completing her Certified Flight Instructor – Instrument Airplane (CFII) checkride! Valérie is a graduate of the Professional Pilot Course and becoming an instructor has been a goal of hers since she returned to Angel City in October. She is currently working on her Multi Engine Instructor (MEI) certificate and will then start the Flight Instructor Single Engine (CFI) rating. Valérie will be a valuable asset to the Angel City family; her flying background includes ultralights, gliders and sailplanes as well as a JAA PPL private pilot certificate in Belgium. Her passion for flying and her enthusiasm for teaching will be beneficial to her students individually as well as the  aviation community as a whole. Well done, Valérie! We look forward to watching your success soar!

Congratulations to Joni Kalanderi for passing the Instrument Written test. Joni has been studying diligently for weeks to ensure his success and was all smiles today with his goal complete. His favorite part? It was the Primary & Supporting section, of course! Well done, Joni!

We’re heading up to South Lake Tahoe once again! Click on the image below to download the details or check our Fly Outs section for the story from last year. See you there!!

ACF to TVL 2010 PDF

Flying was once very much a spiritual pursuit. To fly among the birds and clouds was to be closer to heaven. Pilots were regarded as heroes and passengers were “intrepid explorers” seeking exotic lands and people imagined only by the most open-minded of citizens. This “Spirit of Aviation” was enriched by such iconic works as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Wind, Sand and Stars and Earnest K. Gann’s Fate is the Hunter.

While flying is still exciting, the historically long life expectancy of today’s pilots has demoted their status from “heroic” to “damn sexy”. At the same time, adventures come from visiting new airports rather than from engines failing at night in icy turbulent clouds over water, airfoils separating from airframes or co-pilots being eaten by cannibals. The romance is not completely gone, though. Spectacular sunsets, crystal clear vistas and cotton ball-like clouds are reminders of that distant time. Occasionally we capture these images for posterity. Yesterday was just such an occasion, so I offer the following as a tribute to the softer side of aviation:

My eyes welled with misty emotion as I was struck by the majesty of the picture before me. Only a week until St. Valentine’s Day, that most precious of commercial holidays when love is proven annually by purchasing boxed chocolates and finding that one greeting card which alone can express amorous feelings, the cosmos had chosen to paint a timeless memorial to peace and harmony. The specific detail of Long Beach Airport being chosen as a canvas was not lost. Yesterday proved to me, beyond any doubt, one irrefutable fact: aviation will save the universe.

Happy Flying

Rainbows, Hearts and Flying

Congratulations to Simon Powell who passed his Multi-Engine Private Pilot checkride on Wednesday! Simon was meant to complete the course in four days straight with a checkride waiting at the end, but Mother Nature had other plans. His schedule coincided with the worst storms in recent memory: tornado warnings, water spouts, flooded taxiways, 50 kt wind gusts and hail were among the weather phenomenon we saw during the week-long series of storms. On the day of the checkride, though, the skies cleared, the clouds parted, the sun shined brightly and Simon flew perfectly. Well done, Simon!

Dave Gardiner has popped in for a visit to keep his flying skills sharp and do a little sight seeing at the same time. Dave completed the Professional Pilot Course last may and returns every few months to stay current. During this trip he flew to St. George, Utah (KSGU) partially because it has a “proper British name” and partially so could add another US state to his logbook. Dave suggested we plan a fly-out there as Zion National Park is a short 15 minute bike ride from the airport. Sounds like a great idea, Dave! (Autumn might be an ideal time…)

Happy flying, bon voyage and we look forward to seeing you soon

Valérie Hallet passed her Instrument Instructor Knowledge Test today – with flying colors, of course! She is working towards her initial instructor rating which will be a CFII (Certified Flight Instructor – Instrument). Last year Valérie completed the Professional Pilot Course, from Private Pilot to Multi-Commercial Instrument with a Single Engine Commercial certificate as well. She has returned to complete the Instructor Ratings with a goal to finish by her birthday at the end of March. Congratulations, Valérie!

Over the weekend Bill Wise and Frank Rimkus passed their Private Pilot Knowledge Exams. Both students are working towards their Private Pilot ratings in Diamond Stars (DA40) and are currently pondering checkride dates. Congratulations, guys! That’s a big step completed!

Congratulations to James Haugen for passing the Multi Engine Commercial Checkride in a DA42 Twin Star yesterday! James took time off from his busy schedule with Civil Air Patrol and the US Air Force to complete his training in two weeks. To complete the requirements, he and his instructor Nik Gavalas took the Twin Star to some interesting airports including Lee Vining (O24) and Mammoth (KMMH) – at night. Nice job, James & fly safe!

Congratulations to Steven Natvig on completing his first solo cross country on Sunday, January 11th! He flew his family’s DA-40 N541AJ (recognize the tail number from the G1000?) to Camarillo which despite the general chaos on weekends was appealing because “I really want Tri-Tip and eggs”. He was number 5 for landing (a first for him), had to overfly the runway to join the traffic pattern, was forced to do a go-around because of a Cessna sleeping on the threshold and was cut-off while taxiing to the runway. Was it worth it? “Absolutely!” said Steven. Good job, Steven! Gotta tackle the written next… Hey! Who sends their students to Camarillo solo on a Sunday, anyway? (Hmm… Erick B….)