2024 Leading Edge Flight Academy & Central Oregon Community College Helicopter Instrument Rating

By WG#2330 Sarah Jackson 

My name is Sarah Jackson, WG#2330. I am so excited and grateful to have received the opportunity to earn my instrument rating at Leading Edge Flight Academy in Bend, Oregon. On December 24, Christmas Eve, I received a call from the scholarship committee with the Whirly-Girls letting me know that I was the recipient of the 2024 Leading Edge Flight Academy & Central Oregon Community College Helicopter Instrument Rating Scholarship. Talk about a great Christmas gift! I was ecstatic and overwhelmed at the same time; filled with gratitude and also questions. How was I going to make this work with my job? Do I have to move? Can I afford to move?

The “issues” with this incredible blessing dissipated as I discussed my options with my boss, potential housing opportunities, and school administrators at Leading Edge. I was able to sink into it and enjoy the process! As my housing fell into place, so did my work and school schedules. I was able to have a quiet place of my own to live and study for a few months on a friend’s property. I am filled with so much gratitude for the way my bosses and workplace championed me and allowed me such flexibility to complete this rating away from the office. 

While this was an amazing adventure, being away from my normal life and routines was difficult. The time I spent in Bend fostered new friendships and accelerated courses but also loneliness and extreme stress. I was still working full-time remotely while submerging myself in full-time instrument training. But, this was all worth it for the result: I passed my instrument checkride on July 20! Passion makes hard things easier. 

Instrument training was so fun! Having only a private license and little pilot experience when starting training at LEFA, I found that my proficiency grew exponentially. During training, I was challenged by radio communications with Center and single-pilot cockpit management; facing these challenges caused my confidence in myself as a pilot to increase. My experiences while enrolled at LEFA will positively impact my future career as a pilot.  Career goals have been formulating as I get more involved with aviation, but I am very interested in search and rescue. I believe that obtaining my instrument rating not only makes me a more well-rounded pilot but also makes me a safer and more desirable pilot.

I look forward to further establishing the relationships I have been making through and because of the Whirly-Girls and I am very thankful for this experience. My time spent with Leading Edge was pleasant and rewarding; they pushed me towards excellence with efficiency and helped me reach my goals swiftly. Thank you, all!