Rocking my SCHEYDEN sunglasses!
March, already?! Time change, already?! 7 more weeks of school, already?! I guess it’s a good thing when the time flies- you know you’re enjoying yourself. Either that, or you’re way too busy to notice! I’m excited to finish off most of my gen ed classes and Commercial Pilot Operations- it’s been such an adventure so far. This Wednesday I will be leaving for the Women In Aviation Conference in Nashville, Tennessee! This will be my first time attending the WAI conference and I could not be more excited than to spend it with the Women In Aviation ERAU Chapter. Spring Break is also next week and I will be posting some photos and blogging about my adventures, so keep squawking the blog!
The best fuel I had this past week, found in this quote: “Fear and excitement. Two emotions that come hand in hand when you commit to the important work of flying blind and of doing something completely unique.” In this process we call college, we’re still finding our way; we’re still ships exploring new horizons..but the cool thing is being able to live unbound during the process. When you realize how many opportunities you have, how limitless your boundaries truly are, let that fear and excitement motivate you.
Over the Atlantic Ocean
If dreaming is in your comfort zone, ask yourself why it is. A dream is only comfortable if we are sleeping in a warm, cozy bed, but the pursuits of a dream are, in fact, quite the opposite. They’re tough. They’re annoying. Difficult. After all, who wants to deal with the difficulties, right? You could stay in the holding pattern all day, but eventually your airplane will run out of fuel. You won’t have that excitement coupled with fear. You’ll stay comfortable, but you’ll also stay in the same spot. Here’s where the ‘what if’ comes in. ‘What if’ I could get out of this holding pattern and land this thing? See, when you’re in an airplane, you have to think quick. You have to be in front of the airplane at all times and it’s going to keep propelling regardless if you don’t. Get rid of those ‘what ifs’ because a result is going to happen anyway- the question is, is it worth the result? I’ll ask you.. would you rather stay in the holding pattern circling around contemplating the ‘what ifs’, or pick a destination and land? How long before we wave hello to the indulging and daring part of flying blind? If there’s something I realized coming to college all the way from the other side of the country, regardless if you are taking a quiet leap or kicking and screaming all the way, you still have made the risk. And wow, has it been worth it.
So try and let your fear and excitement propel you. You may come to find that not only will it push you to places you have never been before, but also that it’s a little fun. As for holding patterns.. eh, not so much.
See you at the Women In Aviation Conference.
Blue Skies ✈
OH, back to my trip home, I got to see my puppy!! I was so excited he’s so cute! I have a picture of him for you to see his name is Toto and he is a Yorkie-schnauzer mix. He jumped all over me the second I walked into the door, it was cute. I have a ton of work to do this week, I hope it dies down by the weekend so I can finally get some rest but for now this is all I can write. I will try to get pictures up of the observation flight and write about it as soon as it happens. Besides going study crazy nothing interesting has happened lately. So that’s it for now!!!
Hello everyone, it feels so good to be back at school and getting into the swing of things. This year is going to be filled with fun and excitement, as well as knowledge that will help me succeed in many years to come. I am finishing up my last year in college and teaching young students the wonderful world of flight, what more can I ask for? I love my life!
This semester, I am taking my last five Aeronautical Science classes. It’s going to be a blast! These are the capstone classes of the program and they will provide me with the knowledge I will need to succeed in the professional aviation environment. These classes include Airline Dispatch, Aviation Safety, Flight Management Systems, Crew Resource Management, and Flight Technique and Analysis.
Airline Dispatch is the capstone course for a program we have at Embry-Riddle known as the dispatcher program. A dispatcher is someone that works for an airline who prepares all of the paperwork for a flight. Some of the paperwork includes the route of flight, a review of the weather along the flight, and filling out a flight plan. This is something great for a pilot to have, because if he/she is working for an airline and is suddenly unable to fly, you can turn to your dispatcher certificate. This is a great back-up plan to have in your pocket in the aviation industry. I have really enjoyed this program and it is very enlightening. Most of the required courses are already built into the Aeronautical Science program. You only have to take a few required electives to qualify to take the dispatcher exam. If any you are interested, see your academic advisor for details.
My next class is Aviation Safety. All I can say is WOW! Our professor was a Marine and Naval aviator with thousands of hours of fighter experience. He also flew F-4 phantoms in Top Gun! The stories he shares with the class are truly amazing, especially how he can relate it back to the subject matter. This is definitely one of my favorite classes here at Riddle. In Aviation Safety, we investigate previous accidents and talk about how to prevent them in the future. I look forward to what I will learn this semester from others mistakes.
Another useful skill I will learn this semester is how to fly an aircraft in a two pilot cockpit. Crew Resource Management teaches us the special skill of how to work together and provide the passengers with a safe flying environment. General aviation pilots need this training because we are used to operating an aircraft that requires one pilot. This skill works great in small aircraft, but once you begin flying large transport category aircraft, the workload in the cockpit increases tremendously. Therefore, you need to know how to divide up the duties in the cockpit in a safe, yet efficient manner. This class is going to provide me with this skill.
