FUTURE FACES By Jaasmin Foote
Blake Olson, Recipient, HAI Maintenance
Technician Certificate Scholarship Career path combines reservist’s twin passions for aviation and community service.
Halfway through your trip, the weather worsens. You’re on the upwind climb and beginning your crosswind turn in the traffic pattern when a wind shear hits and starts to pull you into a roll. How do you recover? Not easily, Blake Olson can tell you. The aspiring Black Hawk crew chief experi- enced the harrowing flight while seeking
I
MAGINE IT’S A CLOUDY, breezy day but good weather for a solo flight as you train for your private pilot license.
“It shook me up, because I knew if I
hadn’t reacted the way I did, I probably wouldn’t have recovered and I’d be the next news story,” says Olson. “After that, I instantly turned back and landed. I didn’t fly for a little while [afterward]. “The main takeaway from my story is
that weather is intense and unpredictable and can change at any point. It deserves respect, as does flying any kind of aircraft in any scenario,” Olson adds.
“I’ve overcome my [aviation] fears by accepting that there are some major risks in my chosen career path as a pilot and mechanic,” Olson says. “But if I make sure I’m doing my job correctly and learning everything I need to know to complete the job safely and efficiently, I’ll be much better off. Accidents happen, but if I’m ever involved in one, it won’t be from a lack of training or knowledge.” That mentality has had an extremely
positive impact on his training, says Olson, who’s currently enrolled in the fixed-wing pilot program at Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, Oregon, working to obtain his commercial pilot ratings so he can eventually fly fixed-wing aircraft in the civilian sector.
Olson uses his military educational ben-
efits to pay for his pilot training. He also uses his experience working with military and civilian aircraft to better himself as a mechanic. He’s currently apprenticing under the mechanic at his flight school to gain experience and training to receive his A&P license. He hopes this approach will allow him to earn real-world experience in maintaining aircraft and set him up for suc- cess as a mechanic. Ultimately, Olson hopes to use his career in aviation as a means to help others by working in sectors such as aerial applica- tion, air ambulance, fire support, and chari- table work.
his private pilot’s license in 2020. Olson, a mechanic for the Idaho Army National Guard and now a fixed-wing private pilot, avoided a possible fatal accident that day by reacting quickly, moving the aileron in the opposite direction and pulling out of the roll.
60 ROTOR SEPTEMBER 2022
Safety Mentality Some pilots aren’t comfortable talking about a close call. But Olson wants to share his story, because he believes doing so can help others avoid accidents and understand the importance of prioritizing safety in their operations and training.
An Early Interest in Aviation Like so many in aviation, Olson’s interest in the field began in childhood. He fondly remembers his parents and grandparents taking him to an air show at a local airport in his hometown of Twin Falls, Idaho, when
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