I normally try to start each entry with a type of “hook” to grab the reader’s attention. But, to be honest, I can’t really of anything clever to say without sounding like a broken record. So I’ll just get right into it. Last weekend was family weekend down here at Riddle. The University put on a bunch of events for parents and families to attend while visiting their Riddle student away at college. Festivities kicked off Friday with the “College Student for a Day” event, where parents were able to sit in on classes with their son or daughter. Unfortunately, my parents weren’t here for family weekend, but I assume that this was a pretty cool opportunity for most parents and something they enjoyed. This school definitely had a different look with parents and families walking around everywhere all weekend. One of the most popular events of the weekend (not surprisingly) was the “take your parent flying” opportunity. As you would expect, many of the students were eager to showcase their flying skills to their parents. I also assume this was one of the highlights of the weekend for most parents and families. Some of the other events of the weekend included an ERAU baseball game, a magician and a showcase of the ERAU Jet Dragster (shown below), just to name a few.
Photo credit thanks to Jay Weiss
My flight course has been going well and I am almost up for my end of course checkride. Hopefully by the next entry I will have my Private Pilot Certificate, but some of that will depend on the weather and how quickly I can get scheduled for my checkride. Once you get to the end of course, you have to spend some time going over each and every maneuver you were taught earlier in the course. It’s taken me a few refresher flights to make sure I’ve got each maneuver nailed down. Hopefully I’ll just need one or two more flights to practice landings and I’ll be ready to go. Another part of the end of course check that often gets overlooked is the Oral Check. Basically, you have to sit down with a Check Airmen while he evaluates your cross-country flight planning, knowledge of weather and use of charts, publications and data, knowledge of operations of systems in the aircraft you are being examined in, Aeromedical factors such as hypoxia and spatial disorientation, night preparation and other items relating to Private Pilot Test Standards. To say the least, it’s a lot of studying and reviewing key terms and procedures. But, nevertheless I am feeling confident about the end of course checkride and oral and will keep the internet world updated on how it goes in the next couple of weeks.
I recently applied for the Resident Advisor (RA) position here at Embry-Riddle. A Resident Advisor is an older student (Sophomore, Junior, Senior) who is in charge of overseeing the living halls and making sure policies and rules are followed. For freshmen, an RA should also strive to create a sense of community for his/her residents and be a good friend and leader for them. I applied for the position because I thought it would be a great experience and just a good solid job. So far, I’ve been through two interviews and up next is a four week class which meets for two hours on Tuesday nights. After the class, the Housing & Residence Life Office will make a decision on the final selection of Resident Advisors.
Lastly, I just wanted to add a cool picture I took from the top of Joe’s Crab Shack the other night right after the sun set. The weather has been beautiful the past couple of weeks!
View from Joe’s Crab Shack looking south as the sun sets on Daytona Beach
