Monthly Archives: February 2023

2023’s Long Weekend and the Daytona 500

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Also known as the yearly free Thunderbirds airshow.

Just like last year, the Thunderbirds hosted their annual free airshow Daytona 500 happened. And you can watch it here.

As always, the week didn’t start with a free airshow.

The week started much earlier with a C-17 flying in and then promptly leaving before another one flew in. Every year ERAU’s flight department gets the schedule for all of the military aircraft coming in, and the flight students spread it around so aviation enthusiasts like myself can join in the fun of watching them.

Every time I see a C-17 I’m reminded of how massive they are. For their size (in my non-professional opinion) they’re very agile and can do things I wouldn’t expect out of an aircraft like it. I’ve watched the C-17 and Thunderbirds for three years now, and every year, Riddle students show up. I’ve even heard of a few people missing class to watch.

The majority of the Thunderbirds arrived on Thursday and as usual, there were plenty of Embry-Riddle students on top of the aircraft maintenance science (AMS) building balcony watching them fly in. There were two that arrived early doing media flights, also on Thursday but in the morning. This year I also noticed people on top of the parking garage, which is new this year and another great alternative for when the AMS balcony is closed.

The actual Daytona 500 event was on Sunday, but the Thunderbirds practiced on Friday and Saturday mornings. I watched the takeoffs on Friday morning before I headed to my first class, Aerospace Structures I. Interestingly enough, we did a homework problem earlier in the year about a fighter aircraft in a loop.

I, unfortunately, didn’t get to watch the Saturday morning practice since I was too busy sleeping in. I’d decided that sleeping until 11:30 AM sounded like a better option than watching the Thunderbirds take off again, knowing I’d be watching the flyover on Sunday. On Saturday and Sunday, I caught up on my homework.

Sunday was the flyover, so I made sure to block time out for that. It started a little before 3 PM, with the Thunderbirds making their first pass while the national anthem played. They flew over the stadium a few more times before they finished with the delta burst (the first clip in the video, not the last- somehow the clips got out of order when I used iMovie to put them together).

Monday was President’s Day, which was quiet both figuratively and literally. No F-16 noises were heard all day, and I only did one homework assignment. I ended up going ice skating with a couple of my friends- and yes, Daytona has an ice rink! ERAU has an ice hockey team and they play at the rink.

Overall, this weekend was really fun and uniquely ERAU. I can’t think of another school where people will come together and watch aircraft fly in while staying on campus. I’ve watched the Thunderbirds and C-17s that come in every year and I’ll do it until I graduate and leave the area. Until then, I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

IGEW 2023: Finally In Person!

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Side note, children are hilarious!

Last year (and the year before), the Introduce a Girl to Engineering Workshop (or IGEW) event was held virtually due to the pandemic. This year, however, the event was back in person, and we had over 200 students sign up!

While the in-person event is much more chaotic than the virtual event, it was still super fun. This is my third year on the IGEW committee, and I’ve enjoyed the past IGEWs. The event takes about a year of planning, usually starting with choosing a date and designing the modules. Closer to the event, the logistics are worked out, including asking volunteers to help with the event, gathering supplies for the modules, ordering food, and asking other campus organizations for their help. This year we had the Emergency Response Team (ERT) help out.

This year, I adapted last year’s airplane module into the airplane launching module. I focused on the fundamentals of flight again this year, but the students were all allowed to design their own paper airplanes. Then we added a paperclip to the nose of the airplane and used two pencils connected with a rubber band as a slingshot to launch the paper airplanes. After everyone had practiced launching their airplanes, everyone went into the hallway and we had an airplane launching contest.

The night before the event was module prep night. Every group of volunteers put the supplies for their room in their assigned room along with nonperishable snacks. After the volunteers were done with their rooms, they moved supplies to the union event center. It was mainly a lot of T-shirts.

And then, bright and early the next morning, IGEW happened.

Volunteers waiting for the students to arrive!

I arrived at the student union around 6:30 AM to start helping out with check-in. It didn’t officially begin until 7:30, but we were starting to set everything up and prepare for the families to show up. The participating children were always accompanied by a volunteer, and to get them into their groups, we ended up walking them from the check-in table to their specific group’s table in the event center.

After that, there was a quick welcome before we broke out into groups. Groups 1-5 were on the first floor while Groups 6-10 were on the second floor. Each floor had all five modules (Airplane Launcher, Binary Beads, Biodomes, Marble Roller Coaster, and Paper Making) but it was an easy way to divide up the participants. Each room also had three volunteers per room who would give the module presentation and assist the participants in doing the modules.

Lunch was also free, and it was served after the third module. Everyone ate pizza, and my group ended up watching the Bill Nye video about flight and aerodynamics while they ate. After that, everyone rotated rooms again and finished off the day by completing two more modules.

At the end of the event, everyone then went back to the student union where we took a photo standing on the Embry-Riddle seal. Several people had started to arrive for pick-up, and all of the participants went to the event center. To ensure a safe pick-up, family members were required to provide an ID while an IGEW committee member went to retrieve their participant. The participants were then given a certificate of completion, a bag, and information about SWE and this year’s IGEW committee.

The work didn’t end there. Even though everyone was picked up, we had to clean the areas we’d used and transport everything back to the storage locker. It was a long day, so everyone cleaned quickly and loaded things into cars. As part of the IGEW committee, I helped stuff the storage unit with all of the IGEW materials. Just like that, IGEW was over.

I’m grateful that I was elected to the committee for a third year, and I’ll definitely be seeking reelection for my senior year. I could tell how happy the event made the participants, and it’s nice to encourage the next generation of engineering leaders. Who knows- maybe they’ll even become students here! I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

New Perspective

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Whether you are a student, parent, or alumni, there’s a high probability you don’t know me yet. Allow me to introduce myself! My name is Chloe Christovich and I am in my second year of studies here at Embry-Riddle. I am currently pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in Aviation Business Administration, concentrated in Aviation and Aerospace Marketing. I am from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, which is just far enough away to define my own sense of individuality, but also have my family close enough to visit. Speaking of family, I am one of 8 children, 2 of which have earned their degrees from ERAU! While Jacksonville Beach may not be so far from Daytona Beach, my lifestyle in each respective place is pretty different. I am here to tell you all about my life at Embry-Riddle. I intend to share with you things like what a normal day looks like for me, what I do on campus, how I deal with stress and anxiety, where and when I hang out with my friends, and what I do outside of being on campus, among other things. I am so excited to be sharing this with you all and can’t wait to tell you all about My Life at Riddle.

Outside the O’Maley College of Business (O’COB) where most of my classes are held and also where I do work during my office hours for the Social Media Marketing Team.

A normal day for me could be entirely different than the day before, but most days look about the same. Just about every day, I wake up around 7 am. Living on campus means I don’t have to worry about commuting time, but I still like to give myself at least an hour in the mornings before I have to go anywhere. Depending on the day, I start classes at 9 am or 8:15 am. One of the benefits of getting to pick your own classes is getting to tailor your schedule to your needs and wants. For me, I like to get through all of my classes as early as possible, that way I have more time in my day to participate in extracurriculars or just sit back and relax. 

This semester, I have class at 9 am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This class only lasts about an hour,  and then I don’t have class until 1 pm! I use my break in between these two classes to grab a bite to eat, socialize in the Student Union, catch up on school work, or sometimes just take a nap. Once I’m done with all my classes for the day, I head back to my on-campus dorm and usually watch an episode or two of my favorite TV shows (These change depending on the day). I do this to relax and unwind from a day of work. After taking some time to relax, I like to clean up my room a little bit just to make sure I can be at peace there. Sometimes, I like to go to the gym in the evenings or I’ll go hang out with some of my friends – It really just depends on the day!

My ideal study setup – Complete with inspirational quotes, my favorite drink to give me some energy, and a wax melter with my favorite scent; Very dorm friendly!

On Tuesdays and Thursdays this semester, I have class at 8:15 am, then 9:45 am. After I’m done with my first two classes these days, I grab lunch from the Union and then head back to the O’Maley College of Business (O’COB), where I have office hours as the manager for the College of Business Social Media Marketing Team. Setting aside office time to work on content for the social media pages was one of my best ideas, and these 2 hours are absolutely my favorite part of the day. Once I’m done with my office hours, I head off to my last class of the day, and then I’m done with everything by 3:30 pm! This gives me plenty of time to do schoolwork, hang out with friends, and anything else I set my mind to.

A photo I took while observing a friend’s flight after classes.

Besides going to classes every day and hanging out with my friends, I am involved in a few other organizations here on campus. I have just recently taken over as the manager of the College of Business Social Media Marketing Team, which is one of my favorite things to be a part of! I love getting to use my creative skills in a way that benefits my fellow students. I am also a Resident Advisor for Housing and Residence Life. I am currently an RA in New Residence Hall 2, where my community is made up of first-year students. In addition to this, I am also a member of Greek Life. Being a member of all these different organizations keeps me on my feet, but I love the opportunities that are provided to me because of it.

Working for the Social Media Marketing Team during one of our Career Expo Headshots Sessions.
After a weekly meeting with my RA team in New Residence Hall 2.
At the Kennedy Space Center in Titusville, FL with some of my sorority sisters.

I’ve discovered, in my almost 2 years at ERAU, that there’s always something to do every day, which is why my schedule changes all the time. Sure, my classes are always the same every day, but everything else depends on what I find to do around campus! I am so excited to be sharing all about My Life at Riddle with all of you!