What a month!!!!!

Wow, I can't believe that April is almost over and this is the second blog for the month. There has been a lot going on here at Fly Corona, so here are the hilights....

We welcomed our very first 2011 Skycatcher on Friday and there is quite a buzz around the office.

The aircraft comes with the G300 avionics system, which is quite easy to master. The aircraft will be available for private pilot or sport pilot licenses and for rent, with a special checkout required.

Today, we also welcomed another aircraft to the fleet. N20556 which is a Cessna 172M. It is IFR equipped with dual CDI's, dual comms. She is clean and ready to fly!





We are also launching our official 150 day Fast track Professional Pilot Program which will take you from 0 to 250 hours in 150 days. With the new hiring regulations with the airlines, this program will get you to the CFI level faster, which means you will start building your total hours sooner. You will finish with enough hours and experience to pass the ATP.
Classes start on June 1 and this will be an academy style class with fellow students. Call the office at (951) 272-3942 or email me at kevin@flycorona.com for more details.

Checkrides in the month of April...

Congrats to the following new Private Pilots!!

Jordan Pastor - one of our youngest private pilots at the young age of 17, just got his wings on April 29th with DPE Andrea!

Ken Johnson who earned his private pilot wings on April 24th with DPE Andrea

Sohail Simjee who earned his wings on April 16th with DPE Andrea

Jake White who is now one of the most excited private pilots in Corona. He earned his wings on April 10th with DPE Andrea.

Here is what's up in maintenanceland......

Let's start with the twins....

Seneca is expected to be back online at the end of the week and will be ready for all those multi engine students and time builders!
Twin Comanche will be ready in a few weeks, going through a 100hr inspection.

61Q - Is still waiting for an engine overhaul, we anticipate another month till it is ready to go
526 - Has a new carb and mags and is flying better than ever
68U - is going strong
739 - is flying IFR students and time builders these days
4DT - has a great following and is flying much better after a well needed rest with the mechanics
94M - had its pitot static test done and is ready for more IFR training!
556 - our newest member to the fleet. It is a 172M and IFR rated. Come by and grab some sky!
63B - just helped another student pass the checkride and is on a time building mission
17J - Just had an annual inspection and is ready for another 100 hours of training and time building.
182 - our beloved Debonair is running stong and loving the Garmin 530 GPS and audio panel upgrade!
241 - Skycatcher...our new addition to the fleet is a fun flyer. She is sport pilot rated. Come by and take a gander and a test flight.

Winfleet flying club is also up and running, Come on by for more information or go to our website at www.wingfleet.com to checkout the aircraft and rates. We are always looking for additional aircraft to add to the club. Rumor has it that there maybe a Mooney and a Cirrus joining up soon.
We will keep you posted.

The weather forecast is expected to be nice and sunny, so come on by and grab some sky!

--Kevin.

check rides anyone???

First I wanted to send a shout out to our newest Commercial Pilot, Richard M. who earned his commercial pilots license in style with DPE Andrea, Congrats Richard.

We have a new IFR rated pilot in Paul C, who adds to his credentials as a Private Pilot Airplane, Rotorcraft CFI and Rotorcraft CFII

Congrats to new Private pilot Jimmy M, who scored his wings with DPE Andrea and CFI Nick.
He comes from a long line of pilots and his entire family is so proud, even his extended Fly C family!

Congrats to new Private pilot Hod C. He earned his wings with DPE Andrea and in our beloved "Julie" with the G1000. He was instructed by Will and Nick. I know that he is looking forward to some long cross countries.

Congrats to new Private pilot Erich A, who also scored his wings with DPE Andrea and CFI Nick in aircraft 4DT. We have already seen him giving rides to some of his friends and family.

 Congrats to Kody H, who earned his wings with DPE Andrea and instructed by Nick. Such an amazing feat for a 17 year old and most likely the coolest guy in school!



We also have some new friendly faces here on the ranch, let me introduce you to them...

Andrew K, CFI, CFII, MEI: He comes to us as a graduate from ATP and is a wealth of knowlege. You may see him helping out in the office from time to time and is available anyday of the week for flight training.

Jason S, CFI, CFII, MEI: Another graduate from ATP, he has experience flying in all parts of the country and can tell you some great stories. He is also avaialbe any day of the week for your flying pleasure.

Brian C, CFI, CFII, MEI: Yet another graduate from ATP.... I see a trend happening here! He and Jason flew together in Jacksonville, FL and found their way to us at Fly Corona! He is always willing to fly, even at the last minute.

Come by and say "Hello" to them, get acquainted and grab some sky with them, and our other CFI's on the team. Just for the records, we have 8 CFI's on staff and will be updating the website with new pictures and bios very soon. Just a rundown, this who we have on staff:

Matt C: CFI, CFII, MEI - our new chief pilot

Nick K: CFI

Asa C: CFI, CFII

Kim P: CFI, CFII, MEI

Bill S: CFI, CFII, MEI, ATP

Andrew K: CFI, CFII, MEI

Jason S: CFI, CFII, MEI

Brian C: CFI, CFII, MEI

Our friendly office staff:

Kate, Marc, Lauren and Chris G.

So, here is what has been happening in maintenanceland.....

61Q: is looking for a new engine and will be down for awhile

526: is taking over as top dog in the 150 category

68U: just came out of annual inspection with a clean bill of health

739: is going strong and enjoying all the flights

4DT: has a new 4 place intercom, great for the backseat passengers

94M: is getting a great IFR workout and flying strong!

63B: is keeping up with everyone else, she has a price drop to $119/hr

17J: is feeling a little lonely, but should go into 100 hour next week

182: is finally out of the avionics shop with a new GNS530 and Garmin 340 audio panel, new 4 place intercom and avionics master switch. She is ready to fly!

0DA: had its fuel bladder fixed and is running strong, just in time for another round multi engine students

0PA: is a very nice Piper Archer 2, fully IFR equipped with airconditioning! She is ready to go at $99 per  hour.

387: is our new 1973 Piper Seneca, she comes complete with dual KNX155 radio stack, dme, Garmin 340 audio panel with 6 place intercom, can carry ~1,000 lbs. She is a great training aircraft and a long cross country hauler. She has a great fuel burn of ~9 gal per hour. Come by and check her out!

Wow, that is a long list of aircraft and instructors. We are also keeping busy with our office renovations as we added new floors and even a new sign in the office!

We will be having an IFR ground course on every Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6pm to 8pm starting on April 17. This is a great time to learn what IFR flying is all about or a great refresher course for those of you like me, who need a little brushing up now and then. The cost for the course is $495 and includes materials. To register, call the office at (951) 272-3942 or email: fly@flycorona.com

Wingfleet update.... There has been many inquiries regarding Wingfleet flying club and I am happy to say that we are relaunching the club! We are starting out with 3 great aircraft that are part of the Fly Corona fleet, the Debonair, Piper Twin Comanche and Piper Seneca. We are anticipating on adding a Cessna 182 and a Diamond DA40xls or Piper 6x in the very near future. Brochures will be at the Fly Corona office by the weekend and the website will be completed very soon as well.

Speaking of website updates, we will be updating the Fly Corona website as well with new pictures, information, aircraft rates, new courses and international multi engine program. Also, don't forget to like us on facebook as we do offer deals exclusively to our facebook friends.

Fly safe and keep your wheels towards the ground!

-- Kevin.