Author Archives: Emmy

About Emmy

Senior

Human Factors Psychology with Flight minor

Working for Gulfstream

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Now that ya’ll have some idea of what it is that I do as a human factors engineer, you might be a little curious to see what I do at Gulfstream – or what it’s like to work at Gulfstream.

For us Riddle kids and engineers, Gulfstream is a dream company. Everyone wants to intern there, get a first job with them. In the eyes of the students, it’s a competitive company to be selected for, with high requirements and qualifications. You have to stand out of a massive crowd to be selected for a position with Gulfstream. I know I’ve wanted to intern and work for Gulfstream since 10th grade and here I am!

Your first day at Gulfstream is a little overwhelming. You got through a morning of paperwork and briefing, pictures and group projects. At Gulfstream, there is a program called Gulfstream University, which basically teaches you everything you need to know about the Gulfstream culture before you actually start your job. You spend two days with them going over leadership plans, history of Gulfstream, what it means to work at Gulfstream, and general rules and responsibilities as an employee. Gulfstream is very thorough; you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into when you go through training. It’s a very serious company as well. They are very proud of the work accomplished and the work ongoing. Don’t forget, we create and deliver the finest aviation experience here at Gulfstream!

I wouldn’t say that the rules and regulations that you follow as an employee of Gulfstream are strict as they are necessary. At first you might think “well why can’t I do this?” or “why does this rule exist?” They’re there to protect us, the employees, and the company as a whole. I don’t want to make it sound like there are lots and lots of strict rules – there aren’t. It’s a very enjoyable experience to be able to work for such a strong, developing company.

From my previous posts, you know that Savannah is a beautiful city and there’s always something to do! Depending on where you live in Pooler or Savannah, the offices are really close. Easily within a 15 minute drive.

Now, each department is different, so I cannot speak on their behalf – only for HFE (human factors engineering). You will have to do presentations and write papers everywhere you go – it’s just part of the job working in industry. One thing that I’ve learned while I’ve been here is that when you’re really into a project you’re working on, you can easily lose track of time and end up working 2 hours of overtime. It happens, but all that means is that you love what you’re doing!

I can’t go into too much detail about my job, like what exactly that it is that I do, but I can tell you with the utmost confidence that I LOVE working for Gulfstream and I LOVE human factors engineering. It’s the perfect combination of my passion for aviation and a great challenge. I love it!

With only about 3 weeks left, it’s sad knowing that I’ll be leaving soon! Now, I’ve had a pretty abnormal summer for an intern, competing in two National flight competitions (NIFA SAFECON and the Air Race Classic), but if you only do the internship, it’s 13 weeks of the most fun you’ll have during your summers as an undergrad (or grad!).

Can’t wait to see what these last two days of the work week bring to my desk!

Until then, blue skies!

Emmy

Human Factors Success Tips

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Hello again, Riddle fans!

While doing my work this week and throughout the summer at Gulfstream, I’ve realized that Human Factors involves way more than we’re taught in school! The major project that I’ve been working on this summer has me working with several departments within the company, but also with companies across the country. It’s taught me what, besides my formal education, can make or break your success at a company.

What could this possibly mean? Well, human factors is already a mix of engineering and psychology, so what else could possibly be thrown in this mix? Well I’ve learned this summer that Human Factors is more than that. Human Factors is more than user-centered design, maintainability, ergonomics, and all of the other subsections of the topic. To be successful in Human Factors, you have to have more than just the GPA and number of projects you’ve completed.

To be successful, you have to be a quick-thinker and decision maker. You never know when an urgent project might drop on your desk and you have 2 days to get your human factors requirements out. This happened to me this summer; I had to assist another engineer with designing a new component for a customer and had to have a quick turn around on my inputs. At the same time, you have to be great at time management; you had to balance the new project AND the other projects piling up on your desk.

You to be a fast and great technical writer. Within the HF program at ERAU, yes we do have to write a bunch, but the way the program is designed, your growth as a technical writer is very structured. You always know exactly what and how you’re supposed to be writing. The professors are amazing sources on improving your writing abilities, too. Our Research Design class, which you normally take your second or third year in the program, teaches you step-by-step the technical and research report writing methods that are commonly used in industry. I can definitely say that that class and what I’ve retained from it has greatly influenced my time here at Gulfstream. Because of my writing skills gained from that class, I have been able to work on tougher, bigger projects that not many, if any, other interns are working on.

You have to be patient with those around you. Not everyone understands HF like real Human Factors Engineers and students do. You have to be able to explain why your input and requirements matter to the overall project; how they’ll assist in the outcome and why. Here at Gulfstream, Human Factors is very well received and understood, but other smaller companies might not be as familiar.

My last tidbit of success-in-HF advice (for now!) is you have to be confident in your understanding, knowledge, and abilities with Human Factors. Others can pick up on your confusion and lack of confidence really quickly. You also might have to fight for your input to be considered seriously; sometimes HF requirements and input can be lost in the overall development of something because some engineers are more concerned with completing the project and don’t think about the user. That’s why we exist!

If you have any questions about Human Factors, leave them in the comments and I’ll be happy to answer.

Until next time, blue skies!

Emmy

Family – Living away from your home away from home

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Hello, readers!

I apologize for not posting at the end of last week. My week got slightly more chaotic than I anticipated. Too much work and not enough time to do it!

I had the pleasure of hosting my mom at my apartment, graciously given to me by Gulfstream for the summer. To be honest, I’ve never had a parent come and stay with me before at somewhere other than where we live as a family (so basically our family home). So naturally, I wanted to be able to prove to her that, yes, at 21, I can too live by myself and take good care of myself because I’m an adult. Well, I’m supposed to be an adult, but that’s debatable. I spent 3 days after work cleaning (more like sanitizing), organizing, ironing, folding, rearranging, anything and everything that I saw my mom do when she would prepare the house for guests. Except this is my mom and is just impressed that I’m where I am, regardless of how I live.

While she was visiting, we called our time together her “vacation from her vacation” and my “vacation from my problems”. She wouldn’t let me do the dishes or my laundry or even cook. She just wanted to do “mom-things” as she explained. We traveled to a different beach in a different city each day, which really was like a vacation for me. The beach isn’t as easy to get to in Savannah than it is in Daytona at ERAU. We’re spoiled, but I can’t complain about living near the beach!

We shopped, ate great food, swam, and even just lazed around the apartment. What I often forget about, now that I’m living on my own, is how nice it is to be around my family. Of course I miss them like crazy when we’re apart, but you sometimes forget about how much fun and relaxing being with family is. But living on my own has changed my relationship with my mom, in a good way! We’re less of mother-daughter and more like best friends. Of course, she always has her “mom” moments, but we work things out differently. It’s very hard to explain other than it’s like a best-friendship.

Being away from home for college is always tough on the family at first, but it’s completely worth it. My parents saw me grow as an adult and I saw that their constant watching over me at first was nothing more than them just making sure I was happy. That can often get lost for some people. Just remember that you don’t want to push away your family when you move off to college! They’re your best and greatest assets. Take care of them like they take care of you. You’ll have best friends for life! Plus then you can have family “vacations from your vacation” or a “vacation from your problems”, which are too much fun. Riddle does a great job keeping parents involved with the university at different functions, like Parent & Family Weekend for example. Riddle takes care of everyone, not just the students!

Give your mom a hug and have a fantastic week readers!

Blue skies,

Emmy

Everyone has those days and makes mistakes

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The best way to sum up this week so far is that it’s ok for an intern to make mistakes. It’s been one bumpy week and it’s not even Friday yet.

Let me give you a quick recap (and when I mean I quick I mean it; not a whole lot of time to write this week!):

Monday – not too bad of a day for a Monday. Slow morning, slow to get in the groove of the day, but worth while. Knocked out some work that needed to be completed and got it out prior to its deadline.

Tuesday – Rough morning. Woke up to a cockroach lollygagging across my bedroom carpet. That’s the third one I’ve found in a week. Just what I need at 0530. What a warm, southern welcome from nature. Spent 3 hours working on a project, only for its priority to change. Rather than being due in 4 weeks, it’s due in 2. Not that big of a deal, but I came to learn that I had to re-do the work I’d already done because of a detailed wording change. No biggie, but I had to re-do my work…

Wednesday – Focused in really deeply on working on that project due in 2 weeks. So much so that I missed a department meeting. Once I had realized what time it was, no one was in the office except for me and I had no way of getting to the meeting room because of my limited access. I tried to reach other people in the meeting, but because they were all in the meeting, I couldn’t reach them. So I took one for the team and kept on working.

Thursday – We’ll see what happens; something is bound to happen!

If there’s anything I’ve learned this week, it’s that the perfect time to make mistakes is when you’re an intern. It’s perfectly fine to make mistakes as an intern; you’re not supposed to have perfect work. Sure my ego is a little shot for having missed the meeting and screwing up the work, but now I know not to make that mistake again. Hopefully the rest of this week will go a little more smoothly than the beginning.

I guess here’s to making more mistakes and making better impressions!

Stay busy this week and enjoy the beautiful weather! I have an exciting weekend planned; stay tuned to hear about the adventures!

Blue skies,

Emmy

Isn’t this summer “Phenom” – inal???

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Nothing like starting off the post with a funny airplane pun, huh?

Throughout my very boring and relaxing weekend (which I am very grateful for – haven’t had one of those in what feels like years), I mulled over how awesome this summer has been. It’s not very often anyone can say that they’ve been able to compete in 2 National Flight competitions, placed in Top 10 in one and won the other competition AND intern at one of the greatest and most influential Business/Private Jet design and manufacturing companies in the world.

I’m in the process of creating my final internship presentation to present in front of other interns, my boss, my supervisor, and the head of the overseeing department that includes my human factors department. Trust me, after all of the presentations that I’ve given over the last 3 years at Riddle, especially this past spring semester, this is going to be a piece of cake. But in writing this presentation, I can’t help but be in total awe of the opportunities that ERAU has given me over just these past 3 years. I’ve been able to compete in 3 National Intercollegiate Flying Association Safety and Flight Evaluation Conferences (otherwise known as NIFA National SAFECONs), 2 going on 3 Regional SAFECON competitions, 2 Air Race Classic races, and interned at a leading aerospace company. I have been one busy girl, but I am incredibly thankful for those at ERAU who have helped me along the way.

People often look at a university for what some pretty obvious factors, like a football team, majors (of course), family history maybe, in-state vs. out-of-state, retention rate, money ($$$), and a few others. What I wish I had done, but what luckily worked out for me, were the hidden programs within the university. Other opportunities besides the obvious and marketed aspects. Of course, Riddle has an amazing flight program which I absolutely love, and great students and faculty, and amazing sports and flying opportunities. All of that is absolutely true, but what is often overlooked my incoming freshman are the countless careers paths and opportunities only offered to ERAU students. Of course, we all know about the cadet programs and gateway programs for the pilots, which I have considered over the years, but what about us engineers and specialists? It’s amazing how just mentioning your involvement with ERAU can put you leaps and bounds ahead of other students. I have at least 5 co-workers that are ERAU alum in one way or another and it’s fantastic networking. We share stories, gather advice, and share our love of Riddle. Many companies offer special scholarships to ERAU-only students, which I have been lucky enough to have received one this summer from Gulfstream. Aerospace companies and ERAU take pride in their connections, whether it’s students, employees, activities, Greek life, sports, anything and everything. People in industry are amazed at what Riddle has done for myself and its students.

I’m definitely proud to have been able to represent ERAU and be an Eagle thus far in my college career and I’m so looking forward to continue representing this amazing university for one final semester this fall.

I think you’ve heard enough of my early week ranting, so enjoy your week and get excited for more (hopefully more hysterical) posts from me.

Blue skies,

Emmy

(For those of you unfamiliar with what a Phenom is, Phenoms are a series of business jets developed by Embraer out of Brazil. They’re very popular aircraft in the United States and around the world. They’re definitely one of my favorite series. I think I may like the Phenom 300 a little bit more than the Phenom 100, only because it’s a slightly bigger aircraft. They’re definitely on my flying-bucket-list!)

What is Human Factors?

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Hello, all!

To give to a little bit of a taste of what I do at Gulfstream (and some tips on how to get your foot in the door here), I figured I need to explain what it is exactly that I do.

I’m a human factors engineering intern; I’ll try to explain the basics of what I do. Not a whole lot of people know what human factors is, but a simple explanation of what human factors is is the study of the interactions between humans and machines, creating a better overall experience for the human. There are endless opportunities within human factors, anything from ergonomically designing seats and controls (like a steering wheel in a car or a side-stick in an airplane) to developing checklists. Human Factors plays important roles in aviation and safety, which is why, thanks to the help of the FAA, there’s been a huge influx of human factors department growth within major aerospace companies. Some companies, like Gulfstream, have had human factors departments for a long time, but have tried to expand the influence that human factors has in the overall design and development of aircraft.

Human factors isn’t just touchy-feely, “how does this make you feel?” science. It’s more about “what can I do to make this easier for the user?”. Take your car for example. Every single button shape, the amount of force required to press the button, the symbology, color, and size all had input from a human factors professional. The seats in your car? A human factors and ergonomics specialist helped designing those. The brightness of the lights on a flight deck and how they affect night flying or the shape of the cockpit windows and how the light reflects off of the glass cockpit are both practical examples of human factors in aviation.

But physical systems such as cars and airplanes are not the limits of human factors. Operating procedures and training are also big parts of human factors. One example that I’ve become familiar with while working at Gulfstream is writing SOPs which are standard operating procedures. It’s basically a how-to guide for completing a task. For human factors, SOPs are great because we can design the SOPs to complete a task in the most effective and efficient manner. It is very often that what we design is not the common practice, but the changes made can make the job easier, decreasing workload, physical load, and other factors. ATC is a perfect example of human factors in a non-physical system. Another example would be rearranging an operating room so that the doctors and nurses have all of the pertinent equipment close by rather than having any issues with space and access to important people and equipment.

There’s a lot more to human factors than meets the eye. I’ll be perfectly honest and my HF friends and colleagues will agree that it’s not easy. Some people have the idea that HF majors have it easy, but until you experience what we do, you really have no idea how technical levels. Now, I’m not saying that it’s as hard as or harder than an engineering program. But they’re almost incomparable. Where there is an engineer, there’s a human factors specialist. One cannot exist without the other nowadays.

If you’re interested in pursuing human factors as either a major or a minor, I’d be more than happy to help you out and answer any questions!

I hope this helps explain what human factors is. I’ll be posting more about it further in the summer time. Now it’s time to focus on my human factors work at Gulfstream!

Until next time – blue skies.

Emmy

Weekend Adventures

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Good morning, ya’ll!

It’s a beautiful day to start this week; the sun is shining bright, not a cloud in the sky, the birds are chirping, my air conditioning is fixed – I couldn’t ask for a better Monday. To continue to sad Friday afternoon story, my air conditioning was fixed quickly and efficiently. The guy who came by even took care of the dead cockroach he found (luckily before I did). There is definitely such thing as southern hospitality here in Savannah.

To continue my storytelling, I did go on a solo adventure this weekend up to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. Living in Savannah, I’m just inside Georgia on the southern side of the Savannah river and just a quick hop over and into South Carolina. And let me tell you, the drive itself was gorgeous. The trees were so green and the water was so blue. I’ve never stopped in Hilton Head before but I can’t wait to go back in a few weeks. I poked around some local shops and street art, sat and watched the people run back and forth to the beach, but more importantly, I just relaxed. I get all caught up in what I’m doing, whether its work, flying, small projects, scholarship applications, cleaning, whatever else I spend my time doing. More often than not, I’m busy working on something, especially during the school year. After the race and a few weeks back at work, it was so wonderful to be able to take a step back and relax for once.

Now the title of this post implies something to do with cockroaches. Not to gross anyone out, but I do have a story about a cockroach. I promise it’s not that gross or detailed, because I cannot stand cockroaches. They’re disgusting little creatures that roam like they own the place when all they are are pests. But this story also has a lesson to it; just stick with it and you’ll see, I promise.

Now to start, I don’t like bugs. Never have, never will. When I was growing up, Mom was usually the one to get rid of the bugs. I remember one instance when I was 7, I walked into the bathroom, closed the door, and BAM a huge spider was just chilling on the back of the door. No thank you. I screamed, Mom came running, and removed the beast from the premises. I’m pretty sure I used the other bathroom in the house for at least a month before getting over it. But as I’ve grown up, moved away to college 1000 miles away from home, I’ve had to learn to take care of that nonsense myself. Since I’ve been at Riddle, I’ve lived in the dorms. My best friends, my family at this point, are some of the people I met and lived with my freshman year in Adams. I might have griped and grumbled about how lots of juniors and seniors don’t live on campus and trying to explain to my family that, yes I can take care of myself in an unfamiliar city, but I’ve learned so much about myself and grown up because of living in the dorms. I’ve learned how to deal with up to 7 roommates in O’Connor, whether its cleaning up after everyone, splitting the house cleaning work, confrontation and compromises, and understanding that not everyone else has to be up at the crack of dawn and some often like to sleep until noon. It’s an adjustment process for sure, but I’ve made some of the best memories and best friends while I’ve been living in the dorms (sorry, residence halls!). But since living there, I’ve learned to step up and, for lack of a better phrase, be an adult.

So what does this have to do with bugs? Well, this weekend I had a battle against the cockroaches. I stepped out of the bathroom after I had finished cleaning and low and behold there a HUGE cockroach just strolling across the bedroom floor. I gasped, but quickly got my senses back together. I’m the adult here, no one to go running to. I very reasonably grabbed a plastic cup from my prepared anti-bug stash of stuff, and placed it right on top. I removed the bug from the apartment, all on video for my friends to see (pics or it didn’t happen is a very common theme when dealing with bugs), and ran to Walmart to get some traps. I’m currently still in battle with the cockroaches, but I think I won this weekend.

Also, check out the article by Rob Mark on Flying Magazine’s website about the Air Race Classic! It’s a fantastic read – proud to be an Eagle!

Stay tuned for more adventures with me this summer! Headed back to another fantastic and busy work week here at Gulfstream – Until next time!

Blue Skies,

Emmy

Southern Summers

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Happy Friday, everyone!

Another week gone; one week closer to school, one week closer to graduation, which means one week closer to……… winter. This entire week has been one of the hottest weeks in Florida and Georgia; I feel like I’m constantly living on the surface of the sun. I have a sunburn to prove it too. More often than not, I climb into my car after work and my OAT (outside air temperature) reads 114 degrees. I think there’s a math formula out there that explains that that equals the temperature of the surface of the sun. My goal next week is to try and bake cookies on my dashboard.

It’s Friday afternoon and I’ve been planning for this weekend since, well, last weekend. After spending last weekend with my friends back in Daytona, I was excited for another adventurous weekend, but this weekend in South Carolina. What’s the point to spending a summer by yourself, in an unfamiliar city, working at your dream company, without a little bit of travel and adventure? You can’t stay cooped up in the same spot all day, everyday. Go out and explore; see new places, meet new people. It’s all a part of this great internship adventure! Don’t miss out on great adventures and opportunities.

One of the great things about interning with Gulfstream is that the company provides housing to all interns from out of town. I’m very lucky to have this covered by such a gracious company; most interns have to find housing and pay for it out of pocket, but I’ve been lucky enough to have that taken care of for me. It’s a great set up; I’m paired up with a great roommate, thoughtful neighbors, and a great complex. But putting aside all of the amazing perks, we have to remember that this is Georgia in July – it’s hot. And do you know what makes it feel hotter than the surface of the sun? When your air conditioning breaks. On a Friday afternoon. The way I’m looking at it, my weekend can only go up from here.

Here’s to functioning air conditioning, plane spotting, and retail therapy. Enjoy your weekend, friends!

Emmy

Density Altitude is Real

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Hello again, my fellow aviation enthusiasts.

It’s week 2 of being back at Gulfstream since returning from the Air Race Classic. Needless to say, there’s a transition that I’m still stuck in even 9 days after returning. No one, except my mom, told me that there is such a big difference between work and school ethic. School consumes every single second of every day for me. This past semester, I was up at 0445, flying by 0630, class from 0915-1300, working from 1330-1700, at group or individual flight team practice from 1715-1915, and then homework. Forget a social life. Luckily my best friends live with me so we make time to have fun at home.

Now granted, not everyone’s schedule is like this; I choose this crazy busy life, it didn’t choose me. But this gives you an idea of how busy of a schedule that I’m used to. Now, transition here to today. I’m working from 0730-1600 on average and then head home. To do what? Well, I make myself do things. Clean the apartment, write CFI lesson plans, apply for scholarships, apply for jobs, laundry, fun crafts, learning to curl my hair with a straightener, try perfecting a new recipe, FaceTime the dog back home while doing the dishes. But what does this all mean? Why should you care? I am living proof that the way you shape your own college experience (hopefully with us at ERAU!) shapes you into the working adult you will become. Through my choices of classes, clubs, teams, and friends, I have been able to teach myself time management,  self-discipline, self-motivation, stress management, when to call it quits, and of course how to have fun.

The picture above is me and my race partner, Abbie, taking off from Prescott, Arizona.

Pilots always talk about the effects of Density Altitude on aircraft performance. We teach it and discuss it, but you don’t know what you’re up against until you have to deal with it first hand. I’ll try and explain it to the best of my abilities in the simplest terms. Density altitude is the altitude at which your engine thinks that it’s flying. So out in Arizona in the mountains on a hot summer day, as I experienced during the Air Race this year, the density altitude could easily be upwards of 7000-8000 feet. In that case, the engine produces the same amount of power as if it were flying at 7000 or 8000 feet above the ground along the shoreline, except you may be only 2000 feet above the ground in Arizona. Basically the engine isn’t producing the full power that we would like during climb. It takes a little longer to get the airplane off the ground and the climb is slow and gradual. The airplane feels sluggish. To describe going from race mode, a constant “Go! Go! Go! Go, Quick Turn!” attitude and mentality, back to a normal schedule feels like I’m constantly fighting with density altitude. Getting up and ready in the morning takes me a little longer; driving to work, the flow of traffic is frustratingly slow; gathering information from others feels sluggish. Those may not be the best examples, but I guess we can say that we all fight density altitude in our lives everyday, somehow.

I hope you’ve enjoyed following along on a little tidbit of my thoughts over the last day and are looking forward to the next post!

Until next time, blue skies and tailwinds!

Emmy

My Embry-Riddle Family

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Hello to my new internet friends.

I would begin, just like most of us would, by saying that I’m not your typical college student. Sure, I spend my summer usually by the beach and relaxing and with family, but here’s how I am different. My time by the beach is usually following the shoreline, climbing up through 2000 feet to head up to St Simon’s Island for some of the best BBQ I’ve ever had or to work on lazy eights or other maneuvers at 5000 feet. My time relaxing is spent working on CFI lesson plans, flight planning, reading up on the latest article about the future of commercial aviation, or the next aviation movie to hit theaters. And my family is my actual family, like my mom and my dad, but also my flying community family, my Air Race family, my academic family, and my best friends (who are practically my actual family anyhow).

The great thing that I love about Embry-Riddle is that everyone is different. Everyone has a different story, a different place that they call home, a different world-view, and different life (and flying!) experiences.

What makes this summer even MORE different is the continual lack of regularity. This summer, I’ve spent more time in hotels than I think I ever have in my entire life in just 2 months. I’ve had some of the most amazing experiences with some of the greatest people I’ve ever known. Now that my summer is starting to calm down, I love that I can share my experiences with you.

Before I spill all of my fun secrets, let me introduce myself.

I’m Emmy Dillon and I’m  a Human Factors Psychology senior, graduating in December 2016. I’m also a Flight minor. I received my private pilot certificate in high school and continued with my flight training at ERAU through my single-engine and multiengine commercial certificate. I’m slowly working on my CFI while I’m interning at Gulfstream as a Human Factors Engineering intern this summer. I’m also a member of the Eagles Flight Team, having served the team as the Captain for the previous school year. I also flew in the 2015 and the 2016 Air Race Classic races. This year, my teammate and I not only won the Collegiate Competition, but also took No. 1 overall for the entire Air Race Classic. We could not be happier!

With Abbie Passmore, Flight Chairman, Ken Byrnes, and ERAU President Karen Holbrook

With Abbie Passmore, Flight Chairman, Ken Byrnes, and ERAU President Karen Holbrook

There are many stories to tell and lots of experiences to be shared, so stay tuned for some (hopefully) entertaining posts by me!

Blue Skies,

Emmy