Runway clear and dry
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January 17, 2014 |
By Ashley Glaza
Northern Air
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Zach Byler |
It has not been a busy year for the airport plow
truck, so the runway is clear and dry. On the
days when the sky is blue and the wind isn’t
blowing too hard you will probably see a few new
pilots out and about.
Zach Byler has earned his wings. Zach took the
private pilot ground school in January of 2013
and has been taking lessons in his family’s
plane since then.
He took his first solo flight on May 6, and then
on December 27 took his private pilot practical
exam.
Zach was under some pressure to finish before
the new year because on January 1 he headed off
to Chile to help his family build a house.
On January 3, Dalin Hubbard became the county’s
newest private pilot.
Dalin was one of the 2013 Youth Flight
Scholarship recipients and has worked hard to
keep up with his flying to earn his pilot
license. Dalin took the 2013 ground school,
followed by his first solo flight on July 9.
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Dalin Hubbard |
Both Zach and Dalin are cool-headed, bright
young men who will do well as pilots and in
life. Congratulations to both of them.
The 2014 Private Pilot Ground School started on
January 6 and is into its second week with a
good sized class of new future pilots.
The ground school will be held one class per
week for 15 weeks, and at the end the students
will be ready to take their private pilot
written exam – the first big hurdle in earning a
pilot certificate.
Ground school is a great way to learn for anyone
who prefers the classroom setting with a real
instructor. For those that prefer to study on
their own, or in a more accelerated fashion,
there are numerous online or DVD ground school
programs that are excellent preparation tools
for the written exam.
These programs are also an excellent option
because they can be started at any time and
completed at your own pace, which makes them
excellent for anyone wanting to start flight
training but unable to commit to the timing of
the ground school at Northern Air.
Anyone interested is encouraged to call Northern
Air and get a referral to one of these other
programs.
The local Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)
chapter meets the second Tuesday of the month to
discuss interesting aviation-related topics,
Young Eagles flights and planning for this
year’s huckleberry pancake breakfasts.
Last year’s breakfasts raised enough donations
to fund three youth flight training scholarships
this year each valued at $3,000, as well as
several smaller scholarships.
Starting this month, Tana Schneider will be
taking over the position of office manager at
Northern Air, so if you are stopping by give her
a warm welcome.
Tana was the original EAA Youth Flight
Scholarship recipient in 2009, and has gone on
to finish her private pilot license as well as
her float plane rating. She just graduated as an
air traffic controller from University of
Alaska, Anchorage.
With the FAA cutbacks and limited job
availability, she has returned home to Bonners
Ferry to work for Northern Air and further her
pilot training.
Tana will be taking over for Ashley Glaza (yours
truly), who is embarking on the new adventure of
motherhood!
For any aviation related questions feel free to
stop by the airport or give a call to (208) 267
4359. Northern Air also has an updated website,
with a new webcam soon to be up and running.
Take a look at
www.northernair.biz. |
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