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
