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Gigi Barto passed her Instrument Airplane checkride today! This makes Gigi’s third certificate she has earned starting with her PPL then MEL and now the Instrument Airplane in her DA42. Great work, Gigi! Ready to start your commercial?
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Congratulations to Adam Truran for completing the first round of ATPL written exams! Adam passed the first 8 of 14 written tests required to earn his frozen ATPL license. Adam visited us in October with fellow pilots Francesco Conti and Tim Brannon who hired a couple of DA40s to explore the southwest US. During their trip they hitched a ride in a Challenger Jet to visit Las Vegas and joined us camping on Catalina Island.
Good work, Adam! We look forward to seeing you again soon!
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Congratulations to Kelly Craig for completing his first solo flight in a Diamond Star DA40! He had been “straining at the tethers” for a couple of weeks but something always prevented him from flying. Kelly was patient, however, and the day arrived where schedules, weather and daylight all cooperated and off he flew to experience the three most exciting circuits in a pilot’s logbook. Great job, Kelly!
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Congratulations to Dominic Blunt who completed his ATP course in a short week. Dominic was visiting from his home office in Macao where he flies Airbuses for a living. Flying out of Long Beach was an old trick for him, however, as in another life he spent time time as an instructor in Cessnas. Dominic will return to the airline and convert his FAA ATP to a Chinese ATPL where we’re sure he will collect even more stories about flying in the Far East. Great work, Dominic, keep us updated!
An unlucky fella filed an urgent pirep while flying near San Diego today. Notice the use of proper radiotelephony procedure…
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Congratulations to Sophie and Mark Fitzgerald for passing their checkrides! Sophie (pictured below) had previously earned her Single Engine PPL and Multi-Engine Private at ACF and now can add Instrument Airplane to her list of ratings.
Her husband Mark (who respectfully declined to be photographed for this article) has been working on his Instructor Ratings. While Sophie was working on the Private Pilot certificates, Mark earned his Multi-Engine Instructor rating and then his Instrument Instructor on this trip.
Well done to the both of you! We’ll see you back sometime soon!
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Sunday was a big day at Angel City Flyers. The morning started out gloomy and overcast (a rare occasion in Long Beach) but the clouds were high enough to fly. We took full advantage of it, too: congratulations to Justin Toner on his Initial Solo in a Diamond Star DA40! As luck would have it, the wind picked up a bit but that did not dissuade Justin who piloted the plane in for three great landings.
Later in the afternoon, Federico Massano passed his Commercial Multi-Engine checkride. Federico joined us from Italy where he earned his Commercial Certificates, his Instrument rating as well as a frozen ATPL. His goal was to have stand-alone FAA certificates so studied diligently and passed his Instrument Rating then his Commercial Rating (including two written tests) in only two weeks.
Great work, Justin & Federico!
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It was a big day on Friday when Catherine Woods earned her Private Pilot rating in a Diamond Star DA40 then Joni Kalanderi passed his Multi-Commercial checkride in a DA42 Twin Star! The weather was a bit unpredictable during the day so Catherine went first and enjoyed the calm, tranquil morning and Joni battled gusty conditions in the late afternoon. A couple of points of interest: Catherine completed the Private Pilot rating in four weeks and Friday was Joni’s graduation from the Professional Pilot Course. Fantastic flying, Pilots!
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Congratulations to Dwayne Robinson for passing his Multi Engine Private Pilot practical test! It was a little windy as Dwyane and the FAA examiner Reed Novisoff jumped into the DA42 and took off to practice maneuvers and landings. Afterward Dwayne was a bit battered but none the worse for wear and all smiles as he recounted his flight. Good work, Dwayne – see you for your Instrument Rating!
Congratulations to Catherine Woods for scoring a perfect 100% on the Private Pilot Written Exam! What more need be said?