Surprise Visit and More

Vaughn senior Erika Barcenes

Jan. 12, 8 a.m.: The recent visit of Martha and John King (and their letter of encouragement) was a great surprise. They arrived at Skyport in their Citation Mustang, which was awesome. I was pleased to meet them once again, and just in time, too: I had just completed their ground school online course and received my certificate of completion. The best part was their autograph of my certificate. After meeting the Kings, we went back to Skyport on our day off to work on our pre-solo exams really hard. Mr. Ken Kaplan of Vaughn arrived and has been such a wonderful resource. It is very kind of him to help us out in our time of need.

-- Erika Barcenes

A Bit of Aviation History



The "Yellow Rose" of
Texas, from World
War II, above,
and "Glacier Girl" 
replica, below. 



Jan. 11, 5 p.m.: History buffs take note: Less than a mile from Redbird's Skyport facility is one of the Southwest's leading aviation museums, where tales of Jimmy Doolittle and his World War II raiders echo through generations.

The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) museum is situated on the grounds of San Marcos Municipal Airport, walking distance from Redbird Skyport. While Redbird and its Vaughn College guests look into the future of aviation, the CAF reminds of a time in the not-too-distant past, when Naval and Army aviation galvanized the country to win World War II.

Open four days a week and staffed by World War II veterans, the CAF museum boasts vintage aircraft that include a P-39 Bell Airacobra, P-40 Warhawk, Lockheed T-33 jet trainer, a PT-17 Stearman and more. Replica aircraft include a Japanese "Kate" torpedo bomber and a Japanese Zero, built for the Pearl Harbor film Tora, Tora, Tora.

The museum pays particular tribute to Doolittle, the Army lieutenant colonel, whose brazen raiders were the first Americans to retaliate against Japan, in 1942. Doolittle's group did little lasting damage, but did provide a valuable morale injection at a time when Americans were wondering if Japan was vulnerable at all.

Included in the Doolittle exhibit is the B-25 seatback used by the raid leader and uniforms of raid members donated by family.

Another exhibit recognizes the contributions of San Marcos area residents in the recovery of the P-38 "Glacier Girl," which was downed over Greenland. In 1992, 50 years after its downing, the frozen remains of the aircraft were unearthed from under 25 stories of ice a mile from its original location.

-- James Stephen Smith,

Director of Public Affairs

Vaughn's First Soloist

Jan. 11, 3 p.m.: Franklin Pillcorema emerged from the cockpit exhilarated and a touch exhausted on Wednesday, but he has the honor of being the first Vaughn College student to complete a solo flight at Redbird Skyport. 

Under the clearest of skies, Pillcorema, a Vaughn junior, took the pilot's chair for about an hour, completing three landings. Upon finishing, he was greeted enthusiastically by Redbird instruction staff and his fellow Vaughn students.

"It was amazing," Pillcorema exclaimed. "It felt real different than flying in New York. The view was incredible."

It was a learning experience for the 20-year-old Pillcorema, who is from Ecuador and now lives in the Bronx. His landing form wasn't perfect, but that only gives him something on which to build.

"My landing flaps were a little off," he said. "They were at a 10 percent angle and they need to be at zero percent. It gives me something to work on."

-- James Stephen Smith,

Director of Public Affairs

Franklin Pillcorema completed a solo flight on Wednesday.

Congratulations from King Schools' John and Martha King

Jan. 11, 2 p.m.: You might already know this: When people learn to fly, it changes who they are and how they feel about themselves forever.

That’s why we were so pleased recently to stop by Redbird Skyport in San Marcos to congratulate the students from Vaughn College for passing their ground school and starting flight training.

As Vaughn and Redbird Skyport work together to determine the most effective use of simulators in private pilot certification, the goal is to turn out a pilot who is not only physically proficient but a good risk manager truly ready to be in command.

The accelerated program at Skyport uses the latest computer-based software from Cessna, developed by King Schools. Instructors introduce flight maneuvers in a full-motion simulator, and then have students practice what they have learned in an actual airplane. The folks at Skyport aren’t worried about how much or little credit the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will give for the simulator time; they’re just interested in providing the most thorough, cost-effective training. (Very few finish private pilot training in the FAA minimum time anyway. The average flight time is about 73 hours.)

Skyport also will be testing the Redbird Parrot program (interactive air traffic control) with the Vaughn students as well as its GIFT program (Guided Independent Flight Instruction, which provides video instruction from the simulator before and after practiced maneuvers) to see what changes should be made to provide maximum help to students. Skyport also will test the results from a fun, competitive cross-wind simulator.

Experimentation with these Vaughn students and others who follow will establish the best ratio and sequence of simulator time to airplane flight time. That’s why Redbird calls the Skyport a "flight training laboratory." More good news: Skyport will publish its results and conclusions so every flight school in the country can benefit from what Skyport learns.

You might be asking: Are these Vaughn College students handpicked and special? They’re special only in that everyone in love with aviation is special – they are excited, enthusiastic and motivated.

So congratulations to these groundbreaking, soon-to-be-pilots from Vaughn.

-- Martha King, co-chair and co-owner, King Schools

Click here for more information about the Kings and King Schools.

Martha and John King visited Vaughn students in San Marcos earlier this week.

Thought of Everything

Jan. 11, 8 a.m.: Arriving for the first time in Redbird Skyport in San Marcos, it is hard to underestimate the size and scope of the facility nor its potential value to aviation students such as those at Vaughn. At more than 27,000 square feet, its expanse is that of a small, planned community; a newly built community as well.

Clean, uncluttered and well-designed, it's no wonder Vaughn students have to be, in the words of Skyport General Manager Randy Clark, "ushered out of the building at the end of the day." Who would want to leave?

For those interested in dimensions and statistics, Skyport boasts two 5,000-plus feet runways and another in excess of 6,300 feet. A hangar, similar to Vaughn's, anchors the center of the facility, which Skyport officials plan to use for alternative revenue generation. Imagine a wedding reception in May or a vintage car show in October!

A state-of-the-art simulator lab and conference rooms dominate one end while classrooms and even a restaurant sit on the opposite side. In between is a computer area open to all, so a laptop or iPad is hardly a necessity.

Redbird seems to have redefined state-of-the-art. Still, it is hard to conceive of such a facility wholly constructed in less than five months, but the partnership between Redbird, Texas Aviation Partners, which manages the facility, and the city of San Marcos seems to have benefited all parties.

"We wanted a location that was near our corporate headquarters in Austin," Clark explained. "Here, we're only 40 minutes away."

Link to the Redbird Skyport homepage here and discover more about the facility.

-- James Stephen Smith,

Director of Public Affairs

 

Vaughn students from left, Cajetan Ferrao, Ryan Barren, Erika Barcenes

and Gagandeep Munder discuss assignments. Below, 

Margarita Cholakova reviews her morning's work.

Sunny Day; Support from Home

The Cessna 172S that awaited Vaughn's Jaen Villalvir; below, Jaen with

fellow Vaughn student Daniel Turner.

Jan. 10, 11 a.m.: Waking up to a sunny day and a temperature of 65 degrees was thrilling, considering the 20-degree weather in New York City. Tuesday continued to improve as we drove into San Marcos Municipal Airport. I was elated when I saw the myriad of aircraft lined up and waiting to be flown, and was greeted by a cheerful, smiling flight instructor, who said:  “Go preflight your aircraft.” 

Walking dutifully over to the new Cessna 172S, I realized I was accomplishing my childhood dream. We flew up in the air and performed the maneuvers that I had worked on in the simulator. We ended the training day by studying, followed by a hearty dinner at Gordo’s Burgers. (By the way, the burgers were affordable and made with the restaurant’s own homemade recipe, which was delicious.) The football fans in the group watched the game on the restaurant’s television and the food enthusiasts such as myself were occupied devouring the messy goodness. We ended the night in our hotel room and used the additional time to call our families and loved ones, who are motivating and cheering us on from home.

-- Jaen Villalvir

Hard Work, But Worth It

Jan. 8, 10 p.m.: Today was another successful day in blissful San Marcos, Texas. The weather was pleasant and warm, very different from what I am used to in New York at this time of the year. Today was especially satisfying for me because it was the first time I got to fly since arriving here. I have been most looking forward to the experience of flying the aircraft. Besides flying for the first time, today was also very special because we had a visit from legendary flight instructors John and Martha King, who stopped at Skyport while on their way home to San Diego. They were kind enough to sign our ground training completion certificates that we stayed up completing the night before. Although we were very tired from hard work in the past couple of days, we knew that we had to complete the course and that our efforts would be worth it. All of us here are grateful to Senior Vice President Sharon DeVivo and pilot Emerson Allen for being great motivational speakers and supporting us on our journey through this process. I am having a great time surrounded by people who share a common goal and who love the same things I do. This has been a very fulfilling experience and I look forward to learning more as time progresses.

—Cajetan Ferrao

Vaughn flight training students with renowned flight instructors 

Martha King, left and John King after receiving their course completion 

certificates on Saturday, Jan. 7.