An early-morning time-building flight up to Jackson Hole (KJAC) in a Mooney M20G, featuring a double moonset, sunrise over the Great Salt Lake, mountain FBO remote work, and vivid fall foliage in southeast Idaho.
Passing my Certificated Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII) practical test out of South Valley Regional (KSVR) after waiting out a multi-month schedule delay, featuring an easy oral exam, simulated hood instruction into Tooele (KTVY), and compliments from the examiner.
A night commercial cross-country flight to Idaho Falls (KIDA) with my son Daniel to fulfill 14 CFR 61.129 requirements, complete with realistic scenario training, an airfield layout illusion, crew car luxury, and night currency landings.
A family dinner flight out to Wendover after Daniel earned his Private Pilot certificate, picking up Julie and Taylor at Tooele before heading west to the Salt Flats Cafe.
An ambitious 10-hour cross-country time-building loop taking in Moab, Lake Powell, the Grand Canyon, Phoenix Deer Valley, Lake Mead, and a sunset departure out of St. George.
A time-building night flight with Eric from Tooele to Logan, south over the Great Salt Lake, and an unexpected bird strike on final approach into South Valley.
Putting ~3 hours of continuous cruise power on the engine for break-in, capturing Deseret Peak rising above the clouds, and flying practice instrument approaches into KTVY.
A day-after-Christmas IFR cross-country to North Las Vegas (KVGT) featuring early-morning vectors around airliner traffic, traditional VOR navigation on the Northtown 5 departure, and a flyover of Nellis AFB.
A full-day multi-engine time-building trip in the Piper Seminole with fellow CFII Johnny, featuring an IFR under-the-hood diversion, Grand Canyon VFR corridors, and a gusty storm approach into South Valley.
A multi-leg cross-country journey with fellow instructor Cody ferrying Randon Aviation's newly acquired Piper Seminole across six states from Miami, Florida to South Valley Regional (KSVR).
A crisp Thanksgiving morning flight from South Valley to Jackson Hole, looping around the Grand Tetons and returning along the Idaho side before the holiday feast.
A crisp autumn local flight around Mount Timpanogos, Heber Valley, Park City, and the U of U campus to take in Utah's peak fall foliage with the family and Izzy.
Traded the cockpit seat for a jump harness to celebrate Daniel turning 18 with a tandem skydive.
Conquering the Initial Certificated Flight Instructor (CFI) practical test after six months of weather delays, scheduling cancellations, proficiency decay, and multiple attempts before earning my flight instructor certificate.
Completing my Commercial Single-Engine Land add-on rating out of South Valley Regional (U42) with a smooth flight, crisp commercial maneuvers, and a precise power-off 180 accuracy landing.
Passing my Commercial Multi-Engine Land checkride in a Piper Seminole just one week after my father passed away—a flight marked by mental fatigue, a shared altimeter misread, single-engine operations into Tooele (KTVY), and a firm short-field landing.
An IFR night flight to Boise (KBOI) in a Piper Archer featuring wildfire sunsets over Burley, an unexpected handoff to my cousin at Salt Lake Center, and a complete primary transmitter failure while clearing into U42 at 1:15 AM.
Flying up to Idaho Falls (KIDA) a week after earning my Instrument Rating with my brother Scott and his girlfriend Alina for birthday pancakes at Smitty's, featuring a morning fog punch, cross-cockpit radio troubleshooting, and an F-35 flight show over Hill AFB.
Earning my Instrument Rating in a Piper Archer out of Ogden-Hinckley Airport (KOGD), overcoming a weather discontinuation during the oral exam and an expired nav database requiring a full checkride flown on raw VOR/LOC data.
A cross-country flight to visit family in Brookings, Oregon turned into a lesson in coastal weather, diversion planning, and summer desert turbulence.
First major cross-country with my dad and youngest daughter featuring scenic views of Arches, Canyonlands, and the Grand Canyon, an MLB game, and a surprise symphony stop.
Passing the Private Pilot practical test out of South Valley Regional (U42), featuring an unexpected test of situational awareness and Pilot in Command decision-making from the DPE.