Runway clear and dry
Northern Air
 |
| Zach Byler |
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.
 |
| Dalin Hubbard |
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.