Since 2011, I began preparing to move to the United States. I was determined to start my own business there and finally obtain my pilot’s license! I had heard that general aviation in America was well-developed, with many flight schools and small airfields, and far fewer restrictions.
In November 2012, I arrived in San Jose, California, and settled just 15 minutes away from the small Reid-Hillview Airport. Proximity to the airfield was one of the top requirements I considered when looking for an apartment. Now I could fly as often as I wanted, even several times a day!
The airport was conveniently located right within the city, equipped with two paved runways, each 3,100 feet (945 meters) long, a control tower, visual approach slope indicators, and lighting for night flights. Overall, it was a very “cozy” and well-maintained airport. You could access the apron through a gate with a code lock, and the code, I believe, hadn’t been changed in over 10 years!
I didn’t have a specific flight school in mind, but according to Google, there were at least three based at this airport. After getting minimally settled into my new place, I drove to the airport to check everything out in person.
My English is a whole different story! To put it briefly, I spoke “Russian-English” which I had acquired at the Polytechnic University. I had very little conversational practice and was really hoping that studying at the flight school would accelerate my progress in learning English. Spoiler: it did.
I liked TradeWinds Aviation from the first sight. They had the most modern fleet of aircraft, and there was a sense of order and perfection in everything. As I learned later, the owner of this flight school, Walter Gyger, had moved from Switzerland 20 years ago and ran the school to the highest Swiss standards. Their fleet was very well maintained, and the office had a pleasant and friendly atmosphere. Every week, they also hosted BBQs where aviation enthusiasts could meet and share their experience. Walter himself was very supportive and encouraging, and once I got my license, he started calling me “Captain” with a very serious expression on his face :)
When I first came to Tradewinds Aviation, the dispatcher, Nick, managed to explain in clear, easy-to-understand English how the training process worked and what I needed to do to enroll in the school. The first step was undergoing a special TSA Background Check, including fingerprinting. This process takes about a month and was introduced in response to the infamous September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. I also had the opportunity to take an introductory flight with an instructor, which took place on December 7, 2012.
That day, on my way to the airport, I witnessed a major car accident right before my eyes. The car overturned at the intersection. The thought involuntarily crossed my mind — could this be a “sign”? Generally, I’m not a superstitious person, but in Russia, pilots have certain beliefs they hold onto. For example, they never say “last” because of its fatal connotation, using only “previous” instead. Once, without thinking, I said, “the last landing was…” and all the pilots in the briefing room immediately turned to glare at me, as if I had said something really bad! They also never take pictures before flights. I noticed that Americans don’t have similar superstitions. They have only one “superstition” — if you strictly follow all the required procedures, everything will be fine :) My introductory flight went ahead as planned, and it was perfect.
The plane we flew in was brand new, a 2012 model. It was a Cessna 172 G1000, and you could still smell the leather seats in the cabin. It was equipped with all the modern systems and large multifunctional displays. For me, coming from 1970s aircraft, it felt like something from the future. It was absolutely fantastic!
The instructor, of course, let me feel the plane. He had essentially already started the training, trying to get me as involved in the flying as possible. I was particularly impressed by the intense radio communications with the air traffic controllers. Everyone on the radio spoke very quickly and unclearly, and the interference made the speech absolutely indecipherable. At that time, I understood maybe 10% of what was being said. The instructor mentioned that we were fourth in line for landing.
It’s worth noting that although there is a lot of freedom for general aviation in the U.S., the requirements are also quite strict. The idea is “We allow you to fly in the same airspace as commercial flights, but we will demand the similar level of knowledge and skills from you”.
My dream of obtaining a private pilot’s license looked more and more challenging, and it was hard to imagine that the day would come when I could fly solo. Anyway, I decided not to rush and enjoy the fact that I could fly, even if I was still flying with an instructor.
Our introductory flight took us over the hilly terrain surrounding Silicon Valley. It was a clear sunny day without a single cloud in the sky. California is considered a very favorable state for general aviation with almost perfect weather year-round.
By the way, there’s a joke about the unspoken rivalry between pilots on the West and East coasts of America. It’s said that California pilots handle the complex terrain very well and are better prepared for flights to high-altitude airfields. However, as soon as a single cumulus cloud appears on the horizon, no one even approaches the planes! In contrast, in Florida, it’s the opposite — it’s all flat, so there’s no need to worry about precise descent profiles when approaching for landing. However, Florida pilots are adept at catching hourly windows and “navigating” through passing storm fronts.
And so, on January 29, 2013, after receiving approval from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), I officially started my training with instructor Cecil Chapman, with whom I later became good friends.
Scary to even think, but at the beginning of my training, I was considering changing my instructor. The thing is, Cecil is a high-level instructor with a Gold Seal Flight Instructor Certificate, and back then, his time was more expensive than that of less experienced instructors. And learning to fly itself is not a cheap endeavor. One day, I asked the flight school dispatcher Lisa if I could change my instructor and who might be a good fit for me. She replied that while I could certainly change instructors, Cecil would be very disappointed because he considered me to be one of his best students. After such high praise, how could I go to another instructor? Moreover, I felt very comfortable and at ease with Cecil.
Besides being professional instructor, Cecil is a very sociable person, with expressive speech, a great sense of humor, and a story for every occasion. In aviation, there are hardly any accidental people, and Cecil’s life journey deserves its own story. He is truly devoted to “giving people wings” and does so with sincere joy. During our training flights, Cecil was constantly showing, advising, explaining, and emotionally exclaiming. He filled the pauses in our training process with his numerous exciting stories.
I think he liked that I never argued and always listened to him very attentively. In reality, at first, I understood very little of what he was saying and could say even less, so I just nodded and agreed with everything he said. That might be the reason why I became one of his best students :) Jokes aside, my training went really well, and thanks to this intense “language immersion”, my English was improving rapidly.
The story continues in Part 3 —First Flights with the Instructor
All Links:
Part 1 — Russian Origins
Part 2 — New Page in the U.S.
Part 3 — First Flights with the Instructor
Part 4 — First Solo Flight
Part 5 — Cross-Country Flights
Part 6 — Night Flight
Part 7–100% on Written Exam
Part 8 — Checkride and I am a pilot!
