Ground school opens at Watsonville airport

Bob Van Wagenen, ground school instructor for United Flight Services, talks to his class Thursday evening inside a hangar at the Watsonville Municipal Airport. (Photo by Jon Chown)

Jeanne Sabanaya of Santa Cruz almost earned her pilot’s license more than 30 years ago, flew solo once, but never finished the classes.

“I was in my 20s,” she said. “I basically just ran out of money.”

But now she’s back, taking a ground-school class at the Watsonville Municipal Airport and on her way to earning her license to fly.

“I’m just doing it for the fun of it,” she said. “I’ve waited a long time — too long.”

It’s the first semester of the new ground school, taught in a hangar at the airport and run by United Flight Services. Laura Mohler, who manages the flight school for United Flight Services, said the company saw a need and decided to fill it. Cabrillo College had run a ground school, but the program was closed due to budget cuts.

For the complete article see the 10-29-2011 issue.

Click here to purchase an electronic version of the 10-29-2011 paper.

Share on Facebook