Amanda Sargent was only 2 years old when she took her first flight in the back of the Piper Tri-Pacer her father had recently bought. The big smile that flying put on her face never faded until her father sold the plane. She knew then that she had to do whatever it took to fly again.

Nothing could stop her... Well, life has funny ways to test resolve. Her training was touch and go. She endured three successive flight school closures. But nothing could keep her away from her end goal. Today, she is a helicopter tour pilot and a helicopter flight instructor in Seattle.

On December 5, she volunteered to provide ground support for the helicopter at the Centennial of Women Pilots event at the Renton Airport. Since she has added many introductory flights to the campaign total.

On New Year's Eve, she flew all day long to introduce excited girls and women to flying. As if that wasn't enough, in the evening, Shad, Theresa and I climb on board the Robinson R44, and Amanda flew us along the shoreline of downtown Seattle and around the Seattle space needle. That's why she is Karlene's Fabulous Friday Flyer this week.