Mach 5 Aviation - Student Testimonials

Gary M:

The Mach 5 Family!

It does feel like a family… from my first impression, one lazy afternoon, meeting Darcy – the enthusiasm, the energy! I was merely inquiring about flight lessons, to fulfill a lifelong dream of mine. A dream I thought was too expensive and too time consuming. To this day, Darcy remains the MOST enthusiastic pilot I have ever met. It was her energy that made me sign up with Larry Uzelac for an intro flight, just to check it out…the date was August 19, 2007.

I was hooked! My instructors got me thru many power-off landings, countless patterns, and a few cross country flights. Mike Duncan was always encouraging, a story and smile handy, with coffee cup in hand…

I received my Private pilot ticket on January 17, 2008. I remember Mike helping me melt the frost off the airplane for my check ride appointment in Chico that morning.

I had heard of the “famous” Air Force pilot that was coming to Auburn to be a flight instructor. Dennis Pearson arrived the summer of 2008 and soon thereafter I began my IFR training. Dennis is a joy to fly with, doing all he can to prepare a student for the challenges of flying, in all conditions. The airplane we flew was not much like the F-15 he was used to, but he made it work! He was the first to give me a high five when I passed my IFR check ride on May 15, 2009. Thanks Major!!

I have also had the pleasure to fly with Beau Perry, Greg Patelzick, Mike Duncan, Larry Uzelac, Darcy Brewer & Carol Karp. They are all amazing pilots and friends. The “clubhouse” is a better place to be, now that Peggy, Abby and Ash are there. Stop by just to see the smiling faces and visit for a while… it is always a treat.

After all this, I have decided learning to fly was less expensive and less time consuming than I thought, and a whole lot of fun. Thanks!!

The best part, without a doubt, is the new group of friends I have from Mach 5 and our wonderful Auburn airport. I absolutely love flying and stopping by the clubhouse for laughs and entertaining stories.

A dream will always stay a dream, unless we take that first step to make it a reality…

Clear Skies!

Gary M (GMATT)

Justin S:

I was at work one day working for my father and on the way home he stopped in at his friend Brett Scheild’s ranch and as we pulled in, a yellow super cub had landed. I was about 11 years old. And after the plane was put away, I found out it was Brett’s. As I sat there waiting for my dad and Brett to wrap up their conversation I proceeded to ask Brett, "hey when are you going to take me for a ride in an airplane?"

He replied, “Well I don’t know Justin, whenever you’re not busy.”

I said, “how about now?” Minutes later I was on an airplane for my first time, above the ranch cruising. It was at that moment I found out I had a passion for flying. It felt so phenomenal. I loved it.

So years passed and there was more and more airplane rides. And my dad had started to find a little extra time to take a trip or two in the plane. He also wished to get his certificate. He even went as far as trying to buy himself a piper super cruiser or cub. Plans fell thru and whatnot. But my dad loved flying. More so to fly around his rice and ranch, but he loved it. He had also turned into quite the pilot with some informal flight instruction.

So time moved on and our love for planes was still growing, we found ourselves at the Reno Air Races year after year, and all the local air shows. In November 2008 my dad was looking at planes once again to buy, and then he found out he had skin cancer (melanoma) and as much as he wanted a plane, he was sure that it was not a smart investment at the time.

From then on our family was hurt and lost. Months went by and as we had conversations and time with each other, when the plane talk came up again, my dad sat down with me a promised me something, he said, "hey bud, as soon as I get cured of this cancer, I promise me and you are going to get our Pilot’s License together. I promise".

June 5th 2009, my dad passed away from cancer stage 4melanoma. After I finally started to sort of get a grip on myself, I got invited to a Fly-in for an Open House for Mach 5 Aviation with Dave Paige. Dave and I flew up there and had a good time, I had already talked to a flight school in Lincoln and another at Auburn, but they were not very welcoming to me at all. They were kind of snobby, but at the open house Dave introduced me to Mike Duncan, and I will never forget how nice and welcoming he was. He had a very positive attitude and was willing to actually answer my questions, and if you know me, you know I am a big talker. It was at that time I decided that I wanted to take flight instruction from Mike Duncan at Mach 5 Aviation.

That was last year, and now I have a Private Pilot’s License. And I owe a big thanks to Mike Duncan and the crew at Mach 5 Aviation, one big happy family. And last but not least, my mother and father for giving me such an opportunity and financing such a big goal I i had. I absolutely love my license, and am very grateful for my mom’s support.

Michael L:

Ask me how I got interested in flying, and I’ll give you my standard, now-clichéd answer: “I’ve always wanted to fly!” And it’s true—from as early as I could remember, I always knew I would become a pilot when I grew up. Others picked up on this fact pretty quickly, as I seemed to leave a trail of paper planes and airplane drawings wherever I went. As a five-year-old, my drawings won me entrance into an airliner cockpit several times and one jolly British Airways captain enjoyed getting my picture so much, he invited me to watch the landing from the cockpit jumpseat!

Fast forward to high school, a time when life starts speeding up in ways you might not like, while at the same time slowing to an agonizing crawl in other areas. In my case, it seemed like flying was so far away in the future. I would have to get through college and start working before I could afford to take flying lessons. But my senior year, a certain special person (who wishes to remain anonymous) changed all of that. A few years before, I had decided that I wanted to make missionary aviation my career, and this person believed in what I was aiming for and decided to help me get there by financing my training. Even before I turned 18, I was already starting to live my dream!

I had met an instructor by the name of Dennis Pearson when I had taken an intro flight during the summer. Remembering how much I liked his teaching, I immediately looked him up and found out he and a few others were starting a new flying school: Mach 5 Aviation. I was one of the first to sign up. As soon as everything was in place, I was rolling—down the runway and into the blue sky.

I absolutely loved the training, experiencing a new thrill of being aloft each time Dennis and I took off. It wasn’t long before solo day arrived and after a brief practice session, Dennis had me land the plane and stop by the side of the runway, where he stepped out. “It’s all yours now,” he grinned, shutting the door. To describe what it was like to take off and fly away into the bright blue morning sky all by myself really is impossible. Only someone who’s done it can really understand. Let’s just say there are only a few days that you remember for the rest of your life, and the day you solo is one of them.

Flying twice a week, I completed my training in four months and then I was off to see the examiner. I could hardly bear the suspense as my quiet examiner and I taxied back to his hangar after the check-ride. I shut down the plane and waited. After what seemed like an eternity, he turned to me, reached out and shook my hand. “Congratulations, you passed.”

That was just over a year and a half ago now, and I’m still flying and working toward my dream of becoming a mission pilot. Each time I go up, I feel a tremendous sense of gratitude towards those who have helped me this far—to the awesome instructors at Mach 5 who made me the pilot that I am and to the individual who made it all possible. And the flying never gets old. I love seeing sunsets from the air, looking down at the twinkling city lights at night, or taking a friend up for their first flight.

Hang around me long enough and you’ll realize I’m sold out on aviation and that I’m always trying to convince people they should take up flying. I can’t help it—why should just a few people have all the fun?! Since almost everyone at some point in their life has dreamed about flying, I think more people should take advantage of the “intro flight”, a no-obligation first flight lesson offered at the local flying school in which you actually get to do most of the flying. It’s probably one of the most fun things money can buy—I took three intro flights while I was passing the time in high school.

Ultimately, it’s the people who see you through that really make the experience of becoming a pilot the most fun, and Mach 5 Aviation has that all-important ingredient—fun-loving, professional flight instructors. That, along with the awesome office staff, is part of what’s kept me coming back. It’s great to see an operation start from the ground up and grow into something really great, and I’ve felt privileged to be a part of it. As usual, I can’t wait for the next time I’ll go flying, and hopefully one of these days, I’ll see you there too!

Melody D:

I was first introduced to flying by my grandfather who is a retired FAA inspector and Airplane Mechanic. My family has a history of aviation; my grandfather had a commercial pilot rating, my mother had a private pilot certificate, and my mother was a flight instructor. My grandpa has owned and worked on many planes, but took me up in his Piper Archer when I was 6. Since I was so young, I didn’t really comprehend how flying could affect my future, but throughout middle school I began to be interested in Airplanes.
    The moment that truly began my interest in flying was when my mom and I were standing in line at the Safeway in Auburn, after a soccer game, waiting to check out. I was a freshman in high school and at the time very busy playing competitive soccer. The unknown gentleman in front of us turned to my mother and me and said that the EAA was holding free flights for kids on the upcoming Saturday and suggested that we go. I eventually would know this man as Tom Brady, an inspiration and mentor to me. It really was a weird coincidence that he happened to turn around in Safeway, or I probably never would've gone to the EAA's free flights. I went on a free EAA flight, and I absolutely loved it. With the huge smile on my face, I told my mom that I wanted to come back and fly again. It always made for a fun morning and afternoon to hang out at the airport listening to all of the stories that many of the older pilots had to tell, while I helped them out.
             Tom Brady nominated me as a candidate for a scholarship to attend the EAA Air Academy summer camp in Oshkosh Wisconsin during the Air Venture Airshow. EAA Chapter 526 Generously sponsored me to attend the camp. That week of attending the Air academy was an incredible learning experience and one of the most memorable week’s I’ve ever been through. Along with meeting many aviation enthusiasts, I got to attend ground school type classes, go to hands on workshops, and experience one of the largest air shows. During that Airshow, I saw so many different types of aircraft; it was almost hard to comprehend. While being extremely educational, it will be a week forever to be remembered. Along with the scholarship to attend the air academy, I was also chosen to receive the Harrison Ford scholarship through the EAA.
      I found an outlet that would encourage my passion for aviation, and that was Civil Air Patrol (CAP). CAP, the auxiliary of the air force is a volunteer program that teaches aerospace education and gave military training to its volunteers. After having been involved in Squadron 92 at the Auburn Airport for 2 years, I have become a Cadet Master Sergeant and had many rare flight opportunities on military aircraft such as a Coast Guard C-130 and a C-5 Galaxy. Through the CAP I was given insight on many different aviation careers.
      I wanted to fly, and got a job in the community to save up for flight training. For my senior Project at placer High school, I chose to solo an aircraft. Having previously attended a Mach 5 Aviation Ground school, I chose this reputable company to peruse my training. My Mach 5 flight instructor, Jen Meiners, is continuing to teach me as I peruse my private license. Although senior project ended with the solo in late November, I am continuing on with my cross country training to obtain my private pilot certificate. The funds I have obtained from my part time job and the generosity of an Auburn Aviation Association scholarship has helped pay for my flying.
     I have been accepted into the aviation program at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, where I plan to major in Commercial aviation. I hope to make flying a career, by becoming a commercial pilot someday.

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