Tim Unruh

Months before Sebastian Khoshabeh graduates from Kansas State at Salina, he’s well into a career as a businessman and flight instructor.

The San Diego native who ventured to Middle America to win his wings during the fall of 2021, is the co-owner of SK Flight Instruction, with partner and girlfriend Lani Prudent, of Minneapolis, MN. She became a Salinan in March of 2022.

They met during a campus tour.

Both are 21 and eager to build on their futures; Khoshabeh as an airline transport pilot after he certifies with 1,000 or more hours of flight time (rising from 250 as an instructor). Prudent is leaning towards veterinary medicine.

“I came here with the intention to work for K-State and teach, then realized I could do my own thing,” Khoshabeh said.

Enrollment in the K-State professional pilot program is so saturated that students are placed on a waiting list to begin flight training, he said.

So the flight instructor decided to provide an outlet for students to snare the license before entering college training — and locals who would like to learn to fly.

Tim Unruh

Adding more space is part of a natural progression for Geoprobe Systems, a well-known Salina tooling and drilling rig manufacturer.

A global leader in technical drilling equipment, the 38-year-old company builds and services a wide range of equipment for environmental geotechnical, water well, cathodic protection (to prevent corrosion), geothermal, exploration and construction work.

“We’re in growth mode,” said Tom Omli, company president. “We currently have 15 models of machines we make, and we’re looking to add a few more. We just have to prepare for those new models.”

How Geoprobe fills those space needs has yet to be determined.

The company bought 10.33 acres of land in July 2024 from Salina Airport Authority in the southern area of the Salina Airport Industrial Area. It’s near Geoprobe’s campus at 1835 Wall Street.