Author Archives: Carly

About Carly

Senior

Aerospace Engineering

Major: Aerospace Engineering
Hometown:Berea, Kentucky
Campus Involvement: Honors Program mentor, Women's Ambassador, Society of Women Engineers, Aerospace Engineering Student Advisory Board
Why I chose Embry-Riddle: I chose Embry-Riddle because I fell in love with the campus the moment I saw it through a plane window. The campus tour was amazing, and the campus seemed like a place I'd want to call home for the next few years.

36 Hours in Pittsburgh

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Welcome to the Steel City!

Last weekend I got back on the road again with ERAU’s admissions team. As a Women’s Ambassador, I get to travel around the country and support recruitment events with the admissions counselors, which is one of my favorite parts of the job! Last year I traveled to Dallas and Houston for their regional admissions presentations. This is my senior year, and my first trip of senior year was to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania!

This trip took place over the weekend of September 23-24, which meant I left Saturday and came back Sunday, spending around 36 hours in Pittsburgh. I left Daytona bright and early on the 6 AM Delta flight, and I’d made the mistake of getting only three hours of sleep the night before. I slept through the whole flight to Atlanta, only waking up and noticing the sunrise when the aircraft landed.

Sunrise in Atlanta.

Sunrise in Atlanta was beautiful. Since I had a two and a half hour layover, I got to watch the airport wake up with more flights coming and going each hour. I also stopped at a local coffee shop and got an iced caramel latte, which was pretty tasty.

After the time in Atlanta, I jumped on the flight to Pittsburgh. It’s much hillier than I expected up there, and definitely a much different climate than Florida. Thankfully, I had brought a sweatshirt and was adequately prepared. The admissions counselor who I was traveling with got the car, and since it was early afternoon, we stopped for food before checking into the hotel.

Since the presentation wasn’t until the next day, it meant that I had a lot of time to explore! It was raining, but the counselor and I had already planned out a few things we wanted to do. On the way to Pittsburgh, we had made reservations for the local cat cafe.

This kitten was very friendly! Too bad I couldn’t take him home…

I really enjoyed the cat cafe- it made me miss my two cats back at home. I try and visit cat cafes in as many cities as I can to see all the cats around the US. Pittsburgh was a great addition, and lucky for us, the restaurant we chose was nearby. It was a Japanese restaurant, and I got the tofu udon which tasted amazing.

At night we intended to go to the incline and get a good look around the city, but it was raining, so we decided not to. Instead we headed back to the hotel room and rested before the presentation the next day. Honestly, after only three hours of sleep, I needed it- I went to bed around 10 PM and woke up eleven hours later.

The reception, like all of them, was held in a nice hotel. The way they work is the same- an admissions representative will talk about the school’s academics, organizations, professional opportunities and then the campuses. Sometimes there are two- one from Daytona and one from Prescott- but in Pittsburgh it was only us from Daytona. I also got the opportunity to speak a bit about my experiences in organizations and how I got internships.

Accepted student receptions!

After the presentation is over, people are free to stick around and ask us questions or leave. Each region of the US has a regional admissions counselor that comes to the presentation, and that person will be handling applications from that region. I also usually get a few questions after the presentation about student life or the aerospace engineering curriculum.

Once everyone left, we headed to the airport. The presentation was scheduled from 1 PM to 3 PM, and I had a 6:30 PM flight. Thankfully, the TSA lines were pretty short, and I got through in about ten minutes. The Pittsburgh airport is really nice, it’s got a bunch of food options centrally located, and I chose pizza. There is also a seating area watching the gates, where I stopped to do some homework. When I travel for admissions, I don’t get a free pass on my homework, I still have to do it on time.

On the way back to Daytona, I had a one-hour layover in Atlanta. Since that airport is huge, I pretty much went straight to the gate and waited for my zone to board. I like window seats for short flights, and I had window seats on the way back. I’d also heard that you can collect trading cards of Delta’s fleet, and I was able to get some on the flight into Daytona. In my opinion, the Pittsburgh trip was awesome- I got to see a new city, meet new people, and collect airline trading cards. Maybe I’ll see you at a regional admissions presentation, too. If not, I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

Getting Involved at ERAU

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Please get involved. I promise you it’s worth it.

So, getting involved in ERAU’s clubs and activities. That’s something that the admissions counselors will tell you- ERAU has over 250 student groups for you to join, and if you can’t find one you like, you can create one yourself! But that raises the question- how do you get involved and what should you get involved in?

When I was a freshman, I had the entirety of Summer 2020 to sit at home, quarantined, and scroll on CampusGroups looking at clubs. CampusGroups, which is accessed through ERNIE, shows a list of all of the student groups one can join. Of course, not all groups are open to public membership (we’ll talk about that later) but most of them are. To receive emails, simply join the group on CampusGroups, and there’s likely to be a bit of extra information. You can also find the group’s social media (if applicable) in CampusGroups.

In both the fall and spring semesters, the campus hosts an activities fair which allows student organizations to showcase their features to students. The groups set up in front of the student union and people in the group sit at the table, telling people about the group and what they do.

I’m part of three campus organizations and each is unique: Women’s Ambassadors (which is technically a job), the Aerospace Engineering Student Advisory Board (which is an interview-in position), and the Society of Women Engineers (which is a simple click join and you’re in).

Society of Women Engineers: This registered student organization (RSO) is one of many on ERAU’s campus that is open to all without employment or interview. I joined SWE as a freshman, signing up for their emails and joining their Discord server. Like most others, the group sends out emails telling those on the email list when and where events, including general meetings, are. To be a member of the ERAU group clicking join is all I needed to do. SWE at ERAU is part of the international Society of Women Engineers, but being a registered international SWE member is different than being an ERAU SWE member. I just happen to be a member of both!

Aerospace Engineering Student Advisory Board: AESAB, as it’s called, is NOT a RSO. It is also not open to everyone- being on the Board includes an application and interview process. This is not unheard of- many honor societies are also invite-only. AESAB applications typically open in the late fall to early spring, candidates are interviewed, and then offered a position on the Board or not. AESAB communicates with the aerospace engineering department to ensure that the students are in a productive learning environment.

Women’s Ambassadors: Also known as WA, this is a paid campus position that also requires an application and interview process. If selected as an Ambassador, you receive a grant towards your tuition as payment. There are only a handful of Women’s Ambassadors on campus, and we all get to travel- that’s how I got to go to San Francisco and Seattle. Being a Women’s Ambassador also includes planning and attending events for prospective, admitted, and current students as well as working Open House and Preview Day.

As a freshman I initially started out in many other organizations. However, as time went on, I figured out what sort of things I wanted to spend my time with and narrowed my focus to those groups. I started by going to one meeting of each public organization that I thought was cool and then decided if I liked it, didn’t like it, or wasn’t sure. For all of the organizations I liked, I continued going to meetings, and for organizations I didn’t like, I never came back. For the organizations that were a maybe for me, I went to another meeting and then thought about it.

For other organizations- like WA or AESAB- I learned about the organization before I joined. When I was a new student a Women’s Ambassador reached out to me, and the more I learned about it, the more I wanted to be a part of it. For AESAB, I saw the work that the Board had done and how they helped the students, which made me want to join. During the interview process for WA and AESAB, I was also given the chance to ask questions myself to make sure that the position would also be a good fit for me. That’s definitely a good resource to remember when you’re applying for real-world jobs and internships. Always read the job description too- most of the responsibilities and details of the job are there. However, If the position isn’t what you thought it would be based on the interview, or you didn’t click with the people, you can always rescind your application or turn down the offer.

The activities fair has been happening this week at ERAU and I’ve been busy tabling for the Women’s Ambassadors! We only tabled on Tuesday and Wednesday, but I’ll be tabling for SWE on Thursday. I love seeing the activities fair- it’s a great way to see campus come to life. AESAB typically doesn’t table as our functions are unique to aerospace engineering students rather than serving the larger student body population, but AESAB does host Cookies and Comments events to collect feedback from the students. I’m excited for that one- free cookies are always a must! Either way, I’ll see you in the next post- and hopefully at Riddle!

The Weirdest First Week Ever

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Here we are! First day of senior year!

After (almost) three years of blogging and three internships… I AM A SENIOR!

It’s honestly a very weird thing to think about- I am a senior which means I graduate in May. After graduation, I won’t be a college student anymore- I’ll have to find a job, which is terrifying to think about. I’ve loved being in college- it’s the perfect bubble of freedom without too much responsibility.

Before the school year even started, the Women’s Ambassadors held their first mentoring event! The Women’s Ambassadors Mentoring Program- or WAMP- held a meet and greet luncheon for the new female students. There, students got a chance to meet us- their mentors! I had a lot of fun at event- over 400 female students showed, and it was great meeting some of my mentees this year!

The first week has definitely been interesting. Monday went pretty normally, and so did Tuesday until the university announced that Wednesday classes were cancelled due to Hurricane Idalia. That afternoon, I headed out to buy a case of water bottles in case we couldn’t get water.

Idalia mostly hit Florida’s panhandle and moved its way through Georgia, so we only experienced tropical storm-force winds and rain. There is a pond in my off-campus apartment complex, and I noticed that the water level had risen a little bit. The storm wasn’t very noisy, so on the off day, I slept in pretty late. I mostly stayed inside and hung out with a few friends. I never ended up needing the water bottles.

Classes resumed on Thursday, and the Daytona Beach area felt minimal damage from the hurricane because the eye of the storm didn’t come very close to us. I have one laboratory class that wasn’t starting, so Thursday was short for me.

On Thursday night, I had my first meeting of the school year! It was also for Women’s Ambassadors, and we had pizza for dinner while we talked about the upcoming plans for the academic year. We have a lot of new ambassadors this year, and it was great seeing them step up and volunteer for leadership positions.

Friday came and went, and I had my second meeting of the year- this time for the Society of Women Engineers. I’m the Professional Engagement Chair this year, which means it’s my job to help SWE members with their professional development as well as interface with companies. SWE, like always, also has a lot of cool things planned!

After that, of course, was Labor Day weekend. I didn’t do much. I spent the time relaxing, sleeping in, and not thinking about school, work, or anything related. I did, however, end up buying LED lights for my room, which I’ve wanted for awhile but just never got around to buying.

Over the summer I interned with Boeing in Oklahoma City and while it was fun, this Labor Day weekend was a definitely needed break. Over the summer I got to do some really cool things there and even got to attend the yearly Tinker Air Show, hosted by Tinker Air Force Base. Oklahoma City reminded me a bit of Embry-Riddle; planes would come and go, and since I lived along the approach path, I heard them all the time. Sometimes I’d even see some military ones go by, which was awesome to track.

I’m looking forward to my senior year here at Embry-Riddle. When I graduate, I’m definitely going to miss the school. It’s been my home for the past three years. The people are great, I love the aviation-centric environment, and (personally) I love sunny Florida weather. The humidity might be a drag, but I hate snow, and it never snows here. It’s an ideal environment for me, and one day, I hope to see you here too- but if not, I’ll see you in the next post!

Riddle Rewind, Year 3: Here We Go Again

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One for the money, two for the show, three to make ready…

So at the end of every year I’ve started doing the Riddle Rewind and recapping my favorite memories from that year. Although a little later than last year, here’s my recap of junior year and my favorite memories from it.

Orientation Team, Year 2!

Last year I was part of the Orientation Team! I, unfortunately, can’t return for a third year due to the timing of my internship, but it was a fun second year.

Meeting my roommate’s kitten!

While not technically related to ERAU, I had random roommates last year and one of them got a cat. The cat, Chandelle, was the most adorable little thing I’ve ever seen! I have three cats back in Kentucky, so it was nice to live with a cat. I moved out of that apartment, but the cat was a huge perk.

Securing my Boeing internship!

In October, after the hurricane, Boeing came for Boeing Week and I secured one of their EAHI internships! Although at the time I hadn’t been matched, I later found out I’d be a Flight Test Engineering in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma- exactly where I’m typing this out. My first week is complete and I’m excited to see what’s to come!

Rides in the DA-42!

My friend Chris finished his multi-engine rating in the Fall 2022 semester, but he let me come along for a few rides while he flew. If you’re interested, there’s a whole post about it here, and if you’re interested in the flight program as a whole I interviewed him about his experiences, too.

Regional Admissions Presentations

Okay so I don’t have a picture, but I do have a post about my trip to Dallas and Houston as a Women’s Ambassador. We were super busy so there wasn’t a whole lot of photo-taking, but I got to cross off two more Buc-ees on the way.

The Hamster Ball Experience

I’m honestly not sure why there were hamster balls at Riddle, but they were super fun to roll around in. I made it down the inflatable and back, and I can truly say that being inside of those things was an experience like no other.

Going flying… multiple times!

I love going flying, whether that be commercially or in small general aviation planes. Chris likes to take me along, and I’m never one to complain. We went a few times last year- of course during his multi-engine training, but also over winter break and in the spring.

The Annual Thunderbirds Airshow

This is one thing I really love about Embry-Riddle. Each year, the Thunderbirds come for the Daytona 500 flyover and that means the students get a free mini-airshow. And of course, I watched.

The F-15 Visit

Now this does not happen every year. An F-15 visited Embry-Riddle in early March, to the surprise of us all. Students were allowed to go walk around it, including myself.

The 747: A Truly Magical Experience

And my favorite visitor of the year: The 747. Atlas Air brought a 747 just in time for the career fair and let students sign up for times to get up and close with it. I was in the second group of the day to see it, and it was definitely something I’d recommend if they bring it back.

The Honors Trip

The Honors Program hosted its annual Kennedy Space Center trip and of course, I went. I’m never going to pass up an opportunity to visit KSC, and the one through the Honors Program was discounted.

And last but certainly not least… Chris graduated!

Chris graduated with his degree in aeronautical science this year and is now working towards his flight instructor ratings! In the meantime, I’m in Oklahoma City working for Boeing at my internship. I’m excited to see where it’ll take me!

The $400 Meal and Finals Week

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A good financial decision, really.

Well, finals week has come upon us at ERAU, and like other students, I’ve been studying my free time away. As an engineering major, a decent chunk of my grade relies on my final exam performance. Luckily enough for me, I’ve worked hard all year so I’m striving for a good grade rather than a “can I pass the class?” grade.

But before we get into that, how about the quick story of the $400 meal I ate? Hundreds-of-dollars meals are relatively common at ERAU, surprisingly. I haven’t noticed this anywhere else, but it’s really not due to the price of food here.

It’s due to the airplane rental cost.

So, a few little airports have restaurants right on the airport, catering to pilots as a “fly-in” restaurant. So instead, on the Sunday before the last week of classes, Chris and I ended up at the Pyper Kub restaurant in Williston, FL. It has pretty good food and a pretty good price, but the “$400” bit comes from the aircraft rental and the time flying out there and back.

We didn’t end up renting an ERAU plane but instead rented it from Air America, one of the flight schools in the area. Around this time last year, Chris was practicing for his commercial pilot checkride, but since then he’s earned his commercial pilot certificate and multi-engine add-on. Now he’s preparing for his CFI (certified flight instructor) checkride which means more practice and more flights for me!

ERAU from the air. Looks small, doesn’t it?

Williston, Florida is west of Ocala and it was an hour or so flight (compared to two hours of driving). We left around 10 AM in the morning, ate lunch, and then did a few touch-n-goes in the pattern at Williston. After Chris was done, he headed over to the Crescent practice area which is a common practice area for Riddle students. The maneuvers (in my non-expert opinion) were similar to those he did on the commercial checkride, but he did it from the right seat. (Traditionally, students sit in the left seat of an aircraft where the instructor sits in the right- until you do your CFI stuff when you become the instructor in the right seat.)

Since I’m not a pilot I don’t really know a whole lot about getting your CFI license, but I do know a lot of students go into that pathway before heading to the regional airlines. The other option that I see students do is flying small cargo gigs, but the vast majority of students become instructors at Riddle and surrounding flight schools.

We came back and then it was a start of a long, studious week for me. April 24 marked the last week of classes, with Friday being a study day before finals began on Saturday, paused for Sunday, and resumed Monday through Wednesday. I have four finals this year: Aerospace Structures I, Space Propulsion, Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics, and Aerospace Engineering Materials. I have two other classes, but one is a lab and the other is the lecture that goes along with the lab, so I don’t have any finals from those.

I’m also a TA for an EGR 101 class, so I also ended up helping students in the engineering makerspace lab while they completed their final projects. I saw a lot of super cool projects, from a Rube Goldberg machine to a balsa wood glider, and then watched the teams present on Thursday.

Classes being over, especially in the summer, is kind of bittersweet for me. It means the summer is starting (and so will my internship soon!) but also that my best friends won’t be just a short drive (or even walk!) away. I’m moving out of my current apartment and into another apartment with a couple of friends, so I know next year will be fun. It’s hard to believe that I’m going to be a senior next year. I’m both ready to graduate and not ready to graduate- I’m excited for my first permanent engineering job, but definitely not ready for all of the adult responsibility that comes with it. I like living in the college bubble- I’ve got a lot of freedom but not too many responsibilities. And with that, I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

Week in the Life of an ERAU Student

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Homework, classes, clubs, repeat.

Well, if you’ve been following the blog it seems like I’m always doing something exciting. ERAU does have a lot of excitement going around but sometimes nothing special happens. So here’s what my life looks like on an average, uneventful week.

MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, AND FRIDAY CLASSES: I have three Monday/Wednesday/Friday classes and one Wednesday-only class. These classes are 50 minutes long each day and classes start on the hour with a 10-minute break in between. I have Aerospace Structures 1 (AE 318) at 10 AM, Space Propulsion (AE 414) at 1 PM and Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics (AE 426) every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and then Experimental Aerodynamics (AE 314) on Wednesdays at 3 PM.

TUESDAY AND THURSDAY CLASSES: I have one Tuesday/Thursday class that I’m enrolled in, one I’m a TA for, and one Thursday laboratory class. Standard Tuesday/Thursday classes are an hour and 15 minutes long and have a 15-minute break between classes. I have Aerospace Engineering Materials (AE 316) at 5:15 PM, TA for the mechanical engineering Introduction to Engineering (EGR 101) class, and Experimental Aerodynamics Laboratory (AE 315) on Thursdays from 2:15 to 5 PM. The laboratory classes are much longer than the standard classes to ensure enough time to perform assigned experiments.

When do I eat lunch? Really, it’s whenever I want to. On Monday/Wednesday/Friday, I have two 2-hour gaps and usually eat around 12 PM. On Tuesday/Thursday it’s typically the same. Sometimes I’ll bring my own lunch and sometimes I’ll buy lunch on campus or get it with a friend. It depends on my day- sometimes I’m swamped with work, and other days I have time to relax.

Aside from my classes, I have several activities that I’m involved in. On Tuesday nights from 7-8, I have an Aerospace Engineering Student Advisory Board (AESAB) meeting. I’m currently the public relations officer, but I was elected President for the next academic year (Fall 2023 and Spring 2024). The AESAB is the official liaison between the AE department and the student body, and we try to host semesterly events like Cookies and Comments and the AE Town Hall for students.

On Wednesday nights at 6:30, I attend meetings for the Society of Women Engineers. The meeting on 4/12 I went to was the Town Hall and election results meeting, where I found out I was elected as the next Professional Development Chair! While that means I won’t be on the IGEW committee anymore, I’m excited to begin working as the Professional Development Chair and helping other SWE members achieve their professional goals.

And finally, on Friday nights, I am in charge of the Women’s Ambassadors call session. I’m one of the two Co-Coordinators of the program, which is similar to a manager position. I chose to host call sessions on Friday nights, and that’s when the Women’s Ambassadors reach out to accepted students to be a friendly face on campus before they even start. Sometimes instead of a call session we have a general meeting (once per month) where we talk about updates and news.

So clearly, there are still gaps in my schedule- what do I do?

Well, that really depends. Sometimes I’ll do homework if the period is longer than 30 minutes to an hour, and other times I’ll take a break to relax or do quick work. And by “quick work” I mean things like sending emails (or replying to emails!!) or sending people information about a club/organization I’m in. It also depends on where I am in the academic year- if it’s a time that’s a little more stressful, I’ll probably be doing more quick work and less relaxing, but once those periods pass it’s more relaxing and less quick work.

Being involved, at least for me, depends on time management. If you’ve got good time management and good study habits I see no reason why you can’t be involved in a lot of things, even as an engineering major. Maybe I’ll see you at some future club meetings, and if not, I’ll see you in the next post!

Eaglepalooza and Carnival 2023

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The carnival’s back in town!

Over the past weekend Blue and Gold Week started, and of course, there was a carnival just like last year. However, instead of a comedy show, the entertainment division of ERAU (called Touch-N-Go) decided to host a music festival called Eaglepalooza. It featured four national artists , Social House, Chase Bryant, and Desiigner) and three local bands (DJ Hot Fiya, SPF 50, and Paper Doors) and took place simultaneously with the carnival.

The carnival started at 2 PM, but I ended up getting there around 3. The disadvantage of going to the carnival during the daytime is that it was extremely hot. They had a couple of different rides than last year, so I went on the new ones before heading inside for a Starbucks.

After that, I decided to go see Social House playing on the main stage. I sat in the shade of the fitness center, which is where most people were, but a few dedicated people chose to be up front near the stage. I was relaxed enough in the shade, but eventually got hungry and went back to my apartment for dinner.

Social House performing at Eaglepalooza.

I came back to the concert around 7:15 just in time for the final local act, Paper Doors, to perform on the second stage. By then the day had cooled off and the sun was setting, so a lot more people had come out to watch. Paper Doors is also a pretty popular band- they’ve played various shows around Daytona and the surrounding area- and the turnout is usually good.

Paper Doors!

I was close to the front and noticed that a few people had decided to watch from the Starbucks balcony. It was much less crowded than the area in front of the stage, but still cool to see. Paper Doors played for almost an hour and did a song with another local artist, Ani, and everyone was having a great time.

After that, there was a 15-minute break before people piled in to go watch the final concert of the night, Desiigner. It was definitely an experience- there were rows and rows of people, and to me it looked like the most popular concert.

When Desiigner came on, his microphone was turned down a little too low, so people were yelling and trying to tell him that we couldn’t hear. There were some people around me who were holding up their phones with a sign, but it ended up being backwards and saying “hear can’t we” instead of “we can’t hear.” Eventually word reached the front of the stage (where I assume everyone could hear perfectly well) and the volume was cranked up.

The concert was super fun but really loud, so I was glad that I brought earplugs. I could feel the sound from the giant speakers and can only imagine what people directly under the speakers were feeling. I love the events that Touch-N-Go puts on and I’m excited to see what will happen next. In the meantime, I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

Up Close With the Queen of the Skies!

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Hey now, hey now, this is what dreams are made of…

Every semester Embry-Riddle has a career fair, and for the Spring 2023 semester, Atlas Air brought one of their 747-400s for students to tour. The aircraft left Miami and landed on Monday, and in true Embry-Riddle fashion, plenty of students watched it land. And, of course, I was watching with them.

Since the aircraft is, well, a jumbo jet, there wasn’t a whole lot of space to park it on the Riddle ramp. It ended up parking across the ramp, and the tour included bussing students over to the other area. I signed up for the 2:30-3:45 spot since I didn’t have class for most of Thursday afternoon.

I checked in for the tour at 2:15 in the aviation maintenance science building. I was early, so I waited around a bit until everyone was checked in before we got onto the charter bus that took us over to the other ramp. From there, we walked in a single-file line through the gate, onto airport property, and to the 747, which was fenced off. It was amazing to see up close and a rare chance, so I’m glad I got a spot on the tour. There were stairs pulled up to the side of it, and climbing the stairs made me realize just how large it was.

When we got into the aircraft, the large group was divided into a few smaller groups. First I saw the crew rest area towards the back of the plane and even got to climb up the stairs to it. The area up there isn’t big, but it was still cool to see. From there, my group went to the first class section- while Atlas Air operates cargo, they also do charters, and the 747 that they brought had a VIP passenger configuration. The first class was really nice- I’ve never experienced first class on other airlines, but the seats could convert to lay-flat beds, and that’s definitely nice.

One of the first class seats! It was really nice.

Finally, our group headed to the flight deck. The flight deck of a 747 is smaller than I thought it would be, and it’s definitely high up. I looked out the window and I was able to see the ERAU campus and all the way down the runway where a Delta flight was taxiing out.

After that, it was pretty much individual exploration. You were free to walk around inside the aircraft or around it, and I went back outside to walk around. There were a lot of people on the ground ensuring everyone was safe, but we were able to get super close to the aircraft, including the engines and the wheels. The APU (auxiliary power unit) was on, and the wind made the engines spin a bit. It was definitely cool to see.

Seriously, 747s are huge. I couldn’t touch the engine, even if I wanted to.

Even though I only had about 40 minutes with the aircraft, it was definitely worth it. The tour was free, but it’s something that I would’ve paid money to see, too. It’s definitely a uniquely Embry-Riddle experience that an airline will bring a 747 and allow students to tour it. I wonder if there will be any more surprise aircraft visitors this year- the F-15 that showed up a couple of weeks ago was definitely unexpected! Until then, I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

Inside the Honors Program

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Source: Me, who has been an Honors student for almost three years.

I’ve noticed that the annual Honors Program invitation has been sent out to current students, and prospective students have been talking about Honors Program decisions coming out for a while. I am an Honors student and have been in the program since my freshman year, as I was invited to apply before I started at ERAU.

Since I applied before I arrived at ERAU, I had to submit an essay (and I, unfortunately, don’t remember the prompt) as well as two letters of recommendation. I had already submitted two letters of recommendation to the university for admission, but the Honors recommenders were separate people. I submitted the application in January and heard back a few months later.

My first year was a bit weird since it was Fall 2020 and Spring 2021, so there were no Honors series events. In a non-COVID year students must attend three Honors events, and they can be different things. Last year, for example, the Kennedy Space Center trip counted as one Honors event and I went to GameTime over the weekend with the Honors Program which counted as one of my three events for the semester.

GameTime!

The Honors series events cover many different interests. This year there was one called “To Be a Water Protector…in Florida” and last year Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise spoke to us about his experiences at NASA. The Fred Haise talk was my favorite Honors Series event by far, and it was the most popular one I had seen. Students, faculty, and staff filled up the event enter and they even had to turn a few people away.

The Honors program has a few additional perks- one is priority registration, so I’ve always been able to get the classes I want. Priority registration takes place on the first day it’s possible for students to register, which means Honors students (and other students with priority registration) get to choose the classes they want first.

Another perk of Honors is Honors housing. In your freshman year, Honors students get to live on the fifth floor of New Residence Hall 2, which I personally loved. I was close to everything and when it rained, I could simply walk downstairs and go to Boundless for lunch. In New Res 1/2, you have a roommate and two suitemates, which means you share a bathroom/mini fridge/microwave with three other people. It’s a little smaller than Adams and Wood, but New Res 2 (and not New Res 1) has ovens and is much closer.

Move-out day… this was my final dorm setup.

However, the Honors program does have a few requirements that non-Honors students don’t. First is the HON classes- HON 150/250/350 will replace some of your general education classes. For example, HON 350 replaced my upper-level humanities class. The HON class subjects are determined by the professors every year, but I was always able to choose classes that interested me. My HON 150, titled “Disruptive Technology: Past, Present, and Future” was taught by Dr. Wojton and I absolutely loved the class! My HON 250 and 350 were both taught by Dr. Lear- HON 250 was about video games and HON 350 was about science fiction.

HON classes also extend to your major. I’m an aerospace engineering major, which means my HON classes are built into the curriculum. For example, for AE 316, I am taking AE 316HON instead, and all of the other students are Honors students as well. For other majors without HON classes built in, students do Honors contracts. In aeronautical science, there are several classes that you can do an Honors contract with. An Honors contract is an extra project you and the professor agree on and it will earn you Honors credit for the course and satisfy Honors graduation requirements.

Being in the Honors Program also has the added benefit of access to the Honors center. Located in New Res 3, the center is exclusively for Honors students and has the Honors library within it. It provides a quiet study space for Honors students, and it also has a computer lab. I’ve only been in the Honors center a few times, but I’ve enjoyed using it when I need it.

So is Honors worth it? I think so, but it might be different based on what you’re looking for. I don’t find the Honors classes to be too much more work- maybe just an additional project. While the Honors sections generally have only one professor, I haven’t had an HON class professor that I’ve disliked. There are also currently no scholarships tied to the Honors program, so if you find that you don’t want to be an Honors student anymore then you can drop out of the program without financial penalties. I’m personally glad that I applied to the Honors program and was accepted. Honors or not, I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

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!