Sisters grad has her classroom in the sky

Mandi Alderman, a 2010 Sisters High School graduate, is following her dreams.

"Ever since I was a little kid, I've been interested in flying," Mandi said as she was pre-flighting the Robinson R44 Raven helicopter on the flight line of Leading Edge Aviation at the Bend Airport.

Alderman is a very serious pilot; she has earned her FAA Certified Private Pilot Helicopter Rating, and has accumulated a total of 95 hours in helicopters. As soon as she got her act together after high school graduation, and had the full support of her family, she headed for Hillsboro Aviation at the Hillsboro Airport and set herself on the flight path to her private pilot rating.

It took her six months of concentrated effort, a lot of book work, more oral exams than she enjoyed, passing the FAA private pilot written exam and exhausting flight check before she had her rating in hand.

Her next step is a commercial rating.

Climbing the ladder to become a commercial pilot is not an easy path. Mandi enrolled in the COCC flight training program, lined up her student loans, and she was on her way. And along the way, she is also holding down a full-time job.

Mandi knows that once she leaves the ground there is no margin for error. This makes her ultra careful and keeps her focused on every detail of her flight. Her certified flight instructor is Joe Mayberry. He doesn't let up.

Pre-flighting the helicopter is a nitty-gritty, detailed inspection of the aircraft to ensure a safe flight. Helicopters have many more moving parts than fixed-wing aircraft. Alderman has to check and recheck all the rods, nuts, bolts, safety wiring, belts, levers and clevises of those moving parts to ensure they'll stay attached to the machinery that will bring her and her passengers back to Mother Earth in safety.

As part of her training, she has to fly "under the hood," a vital part of instrument training where the pilot wears a visor that allows her to see the instruments of the helicopter, but not the horizon around her. The instructor is the safety person who is on the lookout for the attitude of the helicopter and the student's flying skills, and is constantly looking for other aircraft.

While practicing an instrument approach on Cline Butte, Joe kept asking Mandi questions about where she was in relation to the top of Cline Butte - where the FAA radio aids are located, how high was she in relation to the surface and where she told the radar station in Seattle she was supposed to be. Joe wasn't satisfied with a yes or no answer, or an approximate position; he kept asking, "Why do you think that is?"

The pilot of a helicopter is always busy keeping the aircraft in control and on course; being asked distracting questions constantly is wonderful training for the time when Mandi will have to make quick decisions while flying commercially and ensure she is in that envelope of safety.

Right in the middle of her instrument flying, Joe said calmly, "Well, Mandi, let's practice some autorotation."

Autorotation means the engine has stopped and the helicopter is no longer an aircraft, but a heavier-than-air bunch of metal with two people in it, ready to fall out of the sky. The rotors that provide lift are still spinning, so Mandi has to control them and "glide" to earth without crashing. A helicopter can do that, provided the pilot has the skills and knows the numbers.

Mandi did it all, very well.

Alderman wants to go on with her commercial rating as a heliskiing pilot hauling skiers into the high country, dropping them off on top of a peak to ski back down the mountain.