My name is Sara Andersen and I am currently the Marketing & Business Development Director for Atomic Helicopters, a helicopter company owned & operated in Seattle, Washington USA.
I didn’t always live in Seattle nor did I always have a passion for aviation. I grew up in the sunny Florida Keys but always had my heart set on living in the cold & rainy Pacific Northwest. Four years ago I bought a one way ticket to Seattle & left with two suitcases. I knew no one in the city & had no job waiting for me when I got there, but took a leap because I knew it was where I was meant to be.
A passion for aviation has been in my family for generations. It just took me a little longer to realize I had that passion too! After I moved out to Seattle, a busy city with an even busier airspace, I was looking up at all the aircrafts & wanting to be up in the sky where they were. I told my mom that I was interested in getting my private pilots license. She said she knew that this day would come & suggested I take a introductory flight lesson in both a helicopter & a plane to see if I had any interest in learning to fly. I took a demo with Atomic Helicopters 1st & by the time we landed I had became completely in love with helicopters. I knew had to make flying & being at the airport part of my everyday life. Two weeks later I started working for Atomic.
I have worked in aviation for three years now. During that time has been some of the happiest moments of my life. I have been incredibly lucky to be part of a company that has given me many opportunities to learn & grow. I also started my flight training three years ago & am still a student pilot. Everyone accomplishes things at their own pace but I am normally a very efficient person & never would have guessed this much time would slip away without getting closer to my goal. I always put my work or let other students take priority over my flight training. By doing so it has kept me from earning my private pilots license.
My biggest piece of advice stems from my greatest challenge:
Put yourself first! Never EVER give up on yourself. If there is something out there that you are passionate about & want...Go.For. It.
Give it your very best effort & never stop reaching for what makes your happy!