Success Stories
Lane
Graduate Is Flying High With Success
Story by Chris Cunningham
“.
. . the first thing that came to mind was Lane Community College. I’d
always heard good things about the college.”
—Amber Bleadon
Visionary as they were, the Wright brothers couldn’t have imagined that college instructors would one day be teaching the principles of air flight and providing hands-on learning in dual- controlled Cessnas, Warriors and Seminoles. And they certainly wouldn’t have dreamed that students would be learning piloting skills in classroom-based computer labs that simulate a cockpit, such as the one in Lane’s Flight Technology facility adjacent to Mahlon Sweet Airport.
But Lane graduate Amber Bleadon, and hundreds like her, have taken advantage of the college’s Flight Technology curricula for more than 30 years, earning two year associate of science degrees that include Federal Aviation Administration commercial pilot certification.
“The
classes taught me so much,” says the 23-year-old Bleadon, “But
the best thing was the hands-on experience.”
Bruce Gustafson, Lane’s chief flight instructor, says, “Amber
was a delight to have in the program, and we have a good deal of pride
in her success.”
Bleadon didn’t know what she wanted to do after high school graduation. All she knew was that she was ready to explore the world beyond Grants Pass, where she had lived since she was eight-years-old. So Bleadon, who is fluent in French, moved to Belgium and used that locale as a jump-off point for travels across Europe.
When she returned to the U.S., Bleadon decided to pursue employment in the airline industry. It seemed a natural career choice, given her passion for travel and the fact that both her parents are Continental airline retirees.
“I’ve never not known flying,” admits Bleadon. “For me, flying is like getting in a car.”
At first she applied to flight attendant programs with both United and American airlines. But after she failed to progress beyond second interviews, Bleadon remembers thinking, “I’m not meant to be a flight attendant, so I’ll be a pilot.
“When I came to that decision, the first thing that came to mind was Lane Community College,” says Bleadon, who entered the program in 2001 with about 40 other students. “I’d always heard good things about the college.”
She describes the Flight Technology program’s instructional approach as “very safety oriented.” For example, it gives students opportunities to pilot in adverse weather conditions — under the direct supervision of a licensed instructor. “It’s completely different in the clouds,” Bleadon explains.
Lane’s curriculum provides students with 30 hours of flight time per term, which qualifies them to become FAA certified pilots. In addition, Flight Technology instructors give in-depth attention to the aircraft’s dozens of complex internal computer systems, Gustafson says.
Bleadon, who graduated in 2002, also completed jet training at Flight Safety International in Tucson, Arizona. She is now employed as an air cargo co-pilot who transports executive-level professionals all over North and South America. Her yearly gross salary is $19,500, and she also receives health and retirement benefits, mileage reimbursement and a per diem allowance.
Employment prospects look good for future graduates too, says Flight Technology Department Chair Harvey Birdseye. Industry projections indicate that the domestic airline industry is expected to grow more than 50 percent by 2012 and that regional air service and air cargo businesses will increase by more than 75 percent, Birdseye notes.
Costs for the two-year program range from $35,000 to $40,000, which include tuition and air flight instructor fees of $39 per hour. Birdseye says that virtually all students receive financial aid.
“I had such a great time at Lane,” says Bleadon, who hopes to work for a large commercial airline one day. “I really did work hard. But that was easy because I was doing what I wanted.”
The Wright brothers would no doubt be pleased with Bleadon’s enthusiasm.
For more information about Lane’s Flight Technology program, call 541-463-4195, or see http://2011sitearchive.lanecc.edu/flight/
