Monthly Archives: March 2010

March 22, 2010

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Oh my goodness, here we are at the end of Spring Break! Now it’s time to get back to the books and finish out the semester! Spring Break was wonderful and I love when my sister comes to visit me. She likes being down here in Florida with me so much that she has decided to move down here in May. I can’t wait to be roommates with my sister! Originally, we had wanted to go to the same college my freshman year and live together then, but other events occurred that prevented our plan. While she was here over the break, we went apartment hunting and found one that we both fell in love with. We found out the day before she left that we got the apartment and we were relieved to have found a place. Now comes the fun part, planning how we are going to decorate!

After apartment hunting, we spent the rest of our time relaxing and discovering Daytona. The weather still hasn’t warmed up to the original temperatures, so we only spent one day at the beach and we didn’t dare get in the water. I just barely placed my toe in the surf and it felt like an ice cube was touching my toe! We wanted to go parasailing but we decided to wait until May when it’s warmer. One day after discovering that it was too cold to sunbathe at the beach, we decided to take a drive along the Ormond Beach Scenic Highway. In some spots, the water was so high that it almost came up to the edge of the road. I thought the whole drive had gorgeous scenery and think it would be even prettier when there are flowers in bloom and everything is green.

Do you believe in ghosts? My sister and I were looking for something interesting to do and found the Haunts of Daytona Tour. I had never gone on a ghost tour before, but always thought that it would be really fun. We’re hoping to see some ghosts on the tour and we weren’t disappointed. In the pictures are white circles called orbs.

The tour guide asked us at one point if we could hear any noise. I didn’t know what she was talking about at first. Then I heard a  ting-ting noise along the fence around the cemetery.Apparently, they have investigated where the noise could be originating from and there is no logical explanation. There are no trees near the fence or chains to make the clinking noise. The ghost making the noise is a little boy who runs along the fence hitting it. This part of the tour was pretty creepy because the noise wasn’t just in one spot but it could be heard from one end of the fence to the other end. The picture here is of the black fence above the cement wall.

The last picture here is zoomed in to get a closer look at the orb. I would recommend the Haunts of Daytona Tour. Even if you don’t believe in ghosts, a lot of history of Daytona Beach and people who have lived there was covered in the tour. The tour lasted about two hours and costs $10. The money goes to preserving and taking care of cemeteries.

Now that Spring Break is over, I’m looking forward to traveling to New York City for three days next week. The Alumni Center at school is taking me along with some other students to have a luncheon with aviation industry leaders. I’m looking forward to the trip because I’ve never been to New York before. I’ll be sure to take my camera and capture lots of pictures to share with you all in my next entry. After that trip, my birthday will be right around the corner and then before I know it—graduation!

Until next time,

Kaleigh

March 2010

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Traveling has become a regular part of my life at Embry-Riddle. The school’s students travel from all over the world to learn about every facet of aviation. While my travels to home are not as far as others, it’s still a plane ride to get home to the Philadelphia area. This past week, Embry-Riddle went on spring break, and I was able to catch up with friends, travel, and go to a conference on emerging technologies.

Flying in and out of Daytona, I was fortunate enough to have a few friends travel with me. Even in Philadelphia, I met with a good friend in the terminal who was heading back to Embry-Riddle on another airline. At Embry-Riddle, students meet people from all over the country and all over the world. The school is a melting pot of aviation enthusiasts, which provides unique perspectives. I have been fortunate enough to make friends with a few students from the Northeast, and they frequently fly through Philadelphia to get back to Daytona – it works out great!

Fellow students have been pushing me to finally get my pilot’s license. While I am not an aeronautical science major, I did decide to pursue a private pilot’s license at a young age. With about 50 hours logged in a Diamond Eclipse, I am more than ready to take the written exam, but… I just need to study more – I spent a good chunk of my spring break studying.

On Friday, I attended The Wharton School’s “Emerging Technologies Update Day.” During the past three summers, I have worked as a summer research assistant for the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School’s Mack Center for Technological Innovation, one of Wharton’s 25 research centers. Fortunately, one of this years conferences fell on a date I was home, and I was able to go and listen to presentations from senior executives from Intel, IBM, NBC / GE, Nokia, and Teradata – just to name a few. It was great to see familiar faces and people I have worked with the past three years. I plan on working there this summer.

Overall, spring break as productive and relaxing. It was great to catch up on sleep after a long week of midterms and a few tests the week preceding spring break. I have about a month and a half before I go home again, and by then I will have completed my first year of college!

Be sure to check back in two weeks for another post.

Until then,

Jonathan

March 2010

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Hello Everyone,
It’s been quite a busy last two weeks for me. With school work and last week’s Spring Break, I’ve been occupied with a lot of activities. During Spring Break, I headed home from Saturday to Wednesday to see my family and to go flying up north. Home was nice and I was glad to see my parents again, after only visiting the weekend prior. I was able to fly down the Hudson River Corridor with my Dad while I was home as well. The new rules are in effect, so I had to read up on them, however they are mostly revisions to the old rules.

After Wednesday, I spent Thursday through Sunday in Daytona Beach. The weather wasn’t exactly beach weather, but it was warm at least. I spent most of my time back here hanging out with friends and going to Orlando at nights. I’m finishing up Instrument training and I’m beginning my Cross Country flights. Private Multi is coming to a finish also as I’m just waiting to be scheduled for a Practice Checkride.

For the Student Alumni Association, I’m working on, with the rest of the executive board, setting up this year’s Etiquette Dinner. It’s a lot of fun, and a lot of work. I’m hoping the final product is a hit. Now that classes are back in session, the time is coming for the second wave of tests. I can’t wait!

For those of you who read my journal regularly: I’ve noticed a spike in the amount of Facebook Friend Requests that I usually get. If you would like to add me as your friend, just make a little note in there that you read my journal. I’d be more than happy to add you. Without saying that, I assume I don’t have any connection to you and then click Ignore.

Over and Out.

March 2010

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Spring Break! Here’s a recap of what I did during my week off from classes…

I ventured down to Orlando with a few friends and we went to Universal Studios for a few days! What a blast! I always wanted to go to Disney World and Universal Studios since I was a kid. My family and I went to Disney when I was about three but I do not remember the experience all that well. It was only two years ago when both my parents and my sister could all have the time off from work and me from college (RIT) to go to Disney. And now, this past week I was finally able to go to Universal Studios. I have always been a big fan of amusement parks as they take you away from all your worries in the world and they make you to feel like a kid again.

I tend to forget that I am 1200 miles away from home, soaking it up in the sun, going to the beach, and I have only an hour’s drive to Universal Studios. It’s a whole new atmosphere down here in Florida and my mind sometimes forgets where I am really at…

To my family, I wish you all could have been here!

When I was not relaxing outside, I spent the rest of my time working on my NASA competition projects and created a few digital space art images. Here is just one picture I designed over the break.

Now being that Spring Break has come to an end, I must begin reorganizing myself for classes and complete some homework that I purposely disregarded :o)

Until then… See you out there!

March 2010

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It’s now more than halfway through spring semester and I’m looking forward to next week’s Spring Break (March 15-20). I’ve started practicing approaches using VOR, RNAV/LNAV, GPS, ILS, and Localizer systems. After approaches I get to start working on IFR Cross-Countries. This (unfortunately) reminds me that I need to take my instrument ground written exam. On the days when I’m not flying IFR, I’ve been learning Private Multi in the Turbo Seminole across the field.

The Daytona Bike Week has concluded and the only indication of that is that the noise level has returned back to normal. All these events that Daytona hosts are exciting and fun but if you expected to catch up on your sleep during those days, think again.

I went home this past weekend prior to spring break to see my family. On my return flight (HPN-MCO) we overflew the Ormond Beach VORTAC, which placed us right over Daytona. I was able to snap a photo of ERAU from the air, pretty sweet I’d say. I realized I missed home so much that I’m going back again next weekend for spring break week. I return during the middle of the week so I will still be able to enjoy my days off in Florida too.

The weather has been perfect for flying these past few weeks. Not a cloud in the sky. Great VFR weather! Now that I’ll be flying IFR, I’m hoping for some clouds actually, so I can log actual instrument time in my logbook.

I see that many prospective students have already been emailing me for advice and such. Feel free to ask me a question. I’m more than glad to help.

Over and Out.

March 2010

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The temperature is rising and Bike Week is over. This can only mean one thing: spring break is around the corner at Embry-Riddle. Surprisingly, classes are more than halfway over, and time is flying by. While I am looking forward to spring break, these past two weeks have been fun packed.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit my parents while they were vacationing in Palm Beach. I had limited options to get there since I do not have a car and there are no flights between Daytona and West Palm Beach. Instead, I had the opportunity to experience a different form of travel: bus. Early Saturday morning, I took a taxi to the Greyhound station and boarded the bus to Orlando, then connected onto the bus bound for West Palm Beach. Needless to say, Greyhound and its riders are different from an airline’s. While I did not particularly enjoy my experience, they did get me to where I wanted to go – it was a six hour ride.

At West Palm I was picked up by my parents. It was a five minute drive across the inter-coastal to Palm Beach. I spent Saturday night and most of Sunday at the resort with them, then they kindly drove me back to Daytona Beach, where we enjoyed an excellent meal from The Cellar. The drive back took 3 hours.

Florida is a big state. Daytona makes it easy to get to most places in Florida, as it’s located in east central Florida.

Switching gears… classes. About half of my six classes this semester are related to business. While that is a bit of a drag, I’m learning new things and developing interests right and left. Not long ago, my Principles of Aeronautical Science (flying for non-flight students) took a tour of the aviation maintenance building. While I do not plan on being a mechanic for an airline, it was fascinating to watch students take apart airframes and engines (powerplants), then reassemble them and test them. For anyone interested in airline management, specifically for those interested in running an airline someday, it’s important to have some understanding of each aspect of an airline, including aviation maintenance.

At Embry-Riddle, students are given the opportunity to learn about other fields within the aviation industry, regardless of your major. Any student can chose to observe a flight student’s flight, free of charge. Most professors are thrilled when students ask them questions about a specific program or express an interest to learn more – you have the opportunity to do that here. While I want to work in the airline industry in the business side of things, I’m taking the opportunity to learn as much as I can about other aspects within the industry.

If you ever have any questions about Embry-Riddle, life as a student, or the college of business, feel free to ask! (My email is listed above).

Until after spring break,
Jonathan

March 8, 2010

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Spring is right around the corner along with Spring Break! I’m so excited and ready for a mini-break from school. My sister will be arriving later this week and even though we don’t have anything planned, I know we are going to have a good time!

 Yesterday, I filled out my wish list (Form 53) for my job in the Air Force when I commission. I had to select the top six jobs that I would prefer and I’m hoping that they will assign me my first choice—cost analysis officer. Two weeks ago, we found out which cadets got pilot, navigator, and air battle manager slots. I was so excited because many of my friends got to see their dreams come true that day! I’m not sure when I find out my job, but I think it’s towards the end of April.

This past Tuesday and Wednesday I had tests in my graduate classes. I think I did really well on both of them! My Insurance test was more of a final and covered thirteen chapters of information. I thought my head was going to explode with all of the knowledge that I needed to have memorized. The next portion of the class is going to be Law and I think it will be just as interesting as the Insurance Portion. All my classes are going well and I feel like this semester is going by really fast—only 62 days till graduation! Speaking of graduation, I ordered my cap and gown the other day along with my announcements. I’m getting very excited!

 One exciting thing that I got to do this past weekend was travel to Orlando for the Women in Aviation Conference. A College of Business Industry Advisory Board member that works for Air Tran was willing to sponsor two senior students and I was lucky enough to be chosen. I’ve been a member of Women in Aviation for several years, but I had never been to the annual conference. My favorite part of the day was getting to meet and talk to two former WASPs. I feel like after attending, my passion for aviation has been rejuvenated! One piece of advice that I would like to offer future students is join professional organizations because they are a great way to network and stay up to date on what is happening in the industry.

Next entry, I’ll let you know about my adventures over Spring Break and a heads up on what will be happening the rest of the semester! Good luck with school and remember spring is not that far away!

Until next time,
Kaleigh