Hi everybody. I hope you are well.  I am doing very well myself: classes are good and I have really been enjoying everything this semester.

I have definitely kept myself busy, as well, both with working, classes, and having fun. I really have come to find that this is the key to having a good college experience: making the most of it. The saying really applies that college is what you make of it so make it good!

Since I last wrote, I have continued working at Daytona Beach International, particularly with the incredible traffic increase associated with the yearly events at the Daytona International Speedway, namely the Daytona 500 NASCAR race. I have such a great time with this as it is just so busy and exciting. In my next entry, I will include some more pictures and details from the weekend of the actual race.

This past weekend, I went away to visit my grandparents in south Florida, so I missed much of the excitement that took place with speedweeks at the Speedway. When I returned, however, Daytona Beach was bustling with all sorts of activity. Tons of tourists were everywhere, and the area surrounding the Speedway was full of merchandise trailers and TV studios. It always makes things more exciting around town. After the race is over, Bike Week occurs and then spring break, meaning that there is a comfortable increase in people around for pretty much the remainder of the semester.

On February 3, myself and several other students here at Embry-Riddle woke up at 3am to pre-order the Verizon Wireless iPhone 4. For me, this had been a four year wait as I had wanted an iPhone since the very first one was released on the AT&T network. However, I was unable to switch carriers so I had to wait until Verizon finally brought the phone to their network only a week ago. I received my iPhone on the 7th, 3 days before it was released to the public. It really is a great phone and I like it a lot.

I mentioned in my last entry that I had applied into the Disney College Program internship and that I had just completed my phone interview. Well, less than two weeks after I interviewed, I received an e-mail invitation inviting me to participate in the program as a lifeguard “cast member” for fall 2011. While my first choice was transportation, I am still thrilled to have been accepted as it is pretty competitive. I am going to speak with Career Services here at Riddle this week and decide on whether it is a good fit for my overall plan.

Well, you guys are probably sick of me talking about my frequent trips to Disney World, but I did go the other weekend yet again. This time, we left Daytona around 2 and got to Disney World around 3pm, leaving us until 10pm until the park closed. We had good luck in that on two separate occasions, families randomly gave us their FastPasses to various rides, allowing us to skip the line. Because of this we were able to cover the park very fully with plenty of time to spare for eating, fireworks, etc. At Monster’s Inc. Laugh floor, my friend Justin got randomly picked by the camera to be on the screen and answer some questions, which was pretty hilarious.

Well, that’s about it for this time, guys. Stay well and don’t hesitate to e-mail me with any questions!

Take care,
Pete

I’M RIDIN SOLO! That’s right, I finally solo’ed. On February 9, 2011, my instructor and I headed up to Flagler airport, which I frequently visit, so it was a bit easier to feel comfortable.

Once we had the airport in sight and contacted Tower, we entered the traffic pattern. We did 3 touch-n-go’s, which are when we land and then take off right afterwards (hence the term touch-n-go). Once we did a couple of those, just to confirm that I make good landings, we asked for a full stop landing and then taxied over to the ramp. She signed my flight certificate endorsing me to fly solo. She then went over and sat and I started up my might Cessna 172S and taxied over to the runway. I performed my before take-off “run-up” and my before take-off checklists. After my final items, and clearance from tower, I made my way on to the runway and added full power. Once I was moving, checked my instruments, “Engine instruments in the green”, checked my airspeed, “airspeed alive”, and at 55kts or about 64mph I called out “Vr, Rotate” and pulled back on the yoke and I took off. It was seriously one of the most amazing feelings I’ve had. Having being stuck on landings and failing to past my check ride, this was awesome. I was supposed to solo around December 10th or so, but it finally arrived. Once I reached about 100ft or so below traffic pattern altitude, I turned crosswind (perpendicular to the runway after takeoff). I then reached traffic pattern altitude and then turned downwind, flying parallel to the runway. I glanced out of my window and caught sight of my instructor on the ground. I cannot express how exhilarating this experience was and how liberating it is. You are so used to looking to your right and seeing another person there. To know that you are the only person in this aircraft at 1000ft is one of the best feelings in the world and probably since school started and I took off for the very first time on my discovery flight. I can look back and see how much progress I’ve made and although I’ve had my ups and downs, this experience tops it all.

If you’ve read my journals up to this point, you’ve definitely heard about my downs and how disappointed you feel sometimes, but in all honestly, those are in the past and I barely remember them. I highly encourage you to check out my video where I’ll show some footage and pictures of my solo and talk about it a bit more. (http://www.youtube.com/thatriddleguy) In other news, the Budweiser shootout is going on in Daytona and if you leave campus, well, be prepared. Traffic is a lot worse than usual and the streets are crowded with people trying to get to the track. There are people tailgating on the side of the roads where people who own property sell parking at the most random places – but whatever pays the bills.

Classes are going well and I’ve had a couple tests lately and done pretty well on them. I had my first test in Flight Physiology, which is a really an awesome course, and I received an 88%. Professor Moren graded the test within an hour and posted them online. I love when teachers do this; it is highly different then High School, where you would normally wait a week or two to get your grade.

Small note is that my friend is coming down on Tuesday morning to visit for a week and I am so excited for him to get down here. We met through mutual friends and chatted for a bit but then lately we started talking more and more and realized that we get along extremely well, so I invited him down for a week. Other than that, Embry-Riddle is still exceeding my expectations. Also, the Accepted Students event is April 16th and I highly encourage you to come because I came last year and it seriously was an awesome time to finally meet the people I will be having classes with and the people that I saw on Facebook but yet to meet in person. Here’s the link if you would like to register (http://www.erau.edu/db/admissions/form_preview.html) I’m going to go enjoy this 70’s and sunny weather! Over and out!

Spring semester begins after an intermission of Christmas break and, once finally in, January will quickly run by. Looking back now, I’m not quite sure when February came and when January left but one thing I know is that classes are ending just as soon. It seems the second semester passes by much quicker than normal and by the end of it (during finals) you’re unsure when it snuck up so quickly. I am excited to have a Spring break vacation, or as some of us say a “catch up” period. With only a week of “vacation” time I’m not sure what I will do but I plan to take advantage of sleeping in everyday and spending the time to just be “bored” or relaxation.

Around this time last year I was just as swamped with work but this work was for my exodus of high school, something I had looked forward to for so long and since it had finally come, I was very excited for another experience to begin (that being college). It’s funny, you reach your senior year as the “big dogs” on campus and when you start college you are a “freshy” once again, irony much? However, being at this point of my college career I see that it is a complete difference from high school. No longer is anyone holding your hand and making sure you do your homework or neither is their effort to make sure you do all your work on time or show up to your classes. I understand that for some people college can be too much freedom but for some (like me) it’s a place when you begin to grow up. Do I think I am fully mature yet? Of course not, there is always room for growth and, quite honestly, I kind of like keeping a little kid part of me still and not taking EVERYTHING overly serious (there is a time and place for everything). I can’t say how your college experience will be, for each of us it is different and unique to our own lives. What matters really is what we get out of the whole experience and choose to grow from or not.

Well we have been back to ERAU for about 3 weeks now but it seems like we’ve been back for a couple months. Classes have continued to be great and flying has really improved. I have yet to solo due to my landings, which tend to be variable. I would have some good landings and some bad. In my most recent flight, however, I seemed to have really improved. Nearly all my landings were awesome! I will be going for my check-ride this Wednesday, hopefully, only if the weather holds up, which it hasn’t been since we have been back. I’ve flown only about 3 or 4 times since being back from break and should have flown at least 9. Supposedly, this is the worst time down here in Daytona Beach when it comes to weather.

We actually experienced our first tornado warning of 2011 the other day. Severe storms rolled across Central Florida and a tornado watch was issued for the county. A tornado warning was then issued for about an hour when a huge line of storms came right across the area. Supposedly, there was a reported funnel cloud about 5-10 minutes away from campus. The campus alarm, called Code Red, was turned on and called everyone who is signed up for the system, which I recommend all you do when you come to campus, and alerted them of the warning. Alarms throughout the campus rang and campus safety sprawled out making sure everyone seek shelter immediately. Of course we still had our blinds open, pointing our cameras out. Heavy rain followed the sky turning an eerie orange color. No damage was reported and – call me crazy – but I love bad weather like that. I love sunshine but every now and then I like a little dramatic change. Speaking of change, I am slightly frustrated with Mother Nature at the moment. As soon as I move to Florida, all the hurricanes disappear and hometown, up north in Maryland, gets hit with numerous winter storms and constant snow.

Anyways, the Rolex 24 race, which is a race where drivers have to endure 24 hours of racing, was this past weekend. Many of my friends said that they couldn’t sleep because of the constant revving of the engines. Thankfully, I was able to. As I mentioned, classes have been going great. My humanities class, I have to watch the pilot episode of LOST for homework, which I never thought I would have to do. The class is called HU145 (Science Fi Heroes and Modern Monsters) and we talk about, not surprisingly, Heroes, Monsters, and Villains.

Aviation Weather (WX301) is going pretty good and so is my Instrument class (AS221). I seem to be really enjoying Flight Physiology (AS357), which is a course required for Aeronautical Science majors, and you are required to be a sophomore to take it. I am a freshman but because of those AP classes I took in High School I am considered a sophomore, so again, I highly recommend taking those upper level college classes in high school if they are offered. In the class you learn about how our body changes and works when we fly. At the moment, we are learning about the anatomy, which you need to know before you learn about how the body changes during flight, so we are learning about the different systems in the body like the digestive and circulatory system. The class also provides an opportunity for you to experience the effects of hypoxia, which is the lack of oxygen in the body, when you go inside a room where instead of actually sucking the oxygen out of the air, they simply replace it with nitrogen, which makes up a majority of the atmosphere anyways.

Before I finish up, I would like to thank everyone who has watched, commented, and subscribed to my youtube channel. If you haven’t checked it out, it’s basically a channel where I answer questions, give tours of dorms/facilities, and do anything that you guys ask. I really enjoy getting feedback from all of you so head over and ask away! http://www.youtube.com/thatriddleguy

Over and out!

Hi everyone! I hope that everyone is doing well. Many of you are likely just getting into your final semester of high school. This is an exciting time of year for everyone, so make the most of it. As you begin to make decisions about schools, you will be tempted to allow your grades to drop off entirely. Just a word of advice on that: be careful. A little drop off will not be a major issue, but keep it in moderation as the school of your choice will still see your final grades. But, enough of my nagging, I am sure your parents do that enough for you! I have had a very exciting few weeks since I last wrote. Much has happened and I have lots to talk about, so I will get right into it!

First, at Daytona Beach International Airport, there is much going on. The main runway, 7L/25R is in the process of being entirely resurfaced while the business, corporate, and air carrier traffic is increasing for the racing events at the Daytona International Speedway. As you can see, the runway is being re-constructed with concrete and asphalt. The center portion is concrete—about 75 feet of width—and the remaining portion is asphalt. This serves to make the project a little lengthier than a purely-asphalt reconstruction; however the results will be well worth it in the end. All in-pavement runway lighting is being changed to LEDs, and an ILS approach is being added for the opposite runway, 25R. This means a lot of construction activity but it will truly be state of the art once the project is completed.

A somewhat unknown and private benefit of the construction is known and only able to be enjoyed by the construction workers and airport employees at the physical construction site. You see, the way the project is progressing is such that they are breaking the runway down into segments and resurfacing one area before moving on to the next. The first segment mandated the runway threshold (the beginning of usable runway for takeoffs and landings) to be relocated forward so that construction could take place on the first part of the runway. What this means is that if you are standing at the construction site, you have airplanes ranging from Cessna 172’s to Boeing 737’s, on final approach in some cases 100 feet or less about your head. They are so close that you can hear and feel the vortices from the jet engines spiraling down toward the ground. It is truly awesome.

Being out at the construction site allowed me to experience this, and it couldn’t have been at a better time either. On the particular day that I was out there, private aircraft from every NASCAR team were flying in to practice on the newly repaved Speedway. The list of aircraft included Saab 2000’s, a Boeing 727, a Boeing 737, Embraer 145’s, and more. The 727 landing so close was unbelievable. Some pictures are embedded throughout this entry.

That weekend, my roommate James and friend Tony decided to go for a flight as I had not flown since my instrument rating checkride in December. Initially, we decided to go to Savannah, Georgia for the day and look around, however when we got up around the Jacksonville area, I determined that the flight time remaining to Savannah would not give us much if any time at all on the ground there before we turned around and had to return to Daytona. So, we went to Jacksonville International Airport instead, a destination which has become a frequent stop for me and is always fun. We went out for lunch and looked around the area a bit before heading back to school.

The Daytona Beach area itself is reaching its peak tourism season as well, which to me is exciting. With the Rolex 24 race having just occurred, about a month remains until the famous Daytona 500, but before then many other, smaller, races will occur and there will be many people travelling here to prepare and attend them. I actually like going to the restaurants in the area and seeing lots of tourists as it almost makes me feel like I am on vacation too. I don’t know, I am weird I guess! Nonetheless, it will be fun time, as after the races end, Bike Week is just around the corner and shortly thereafter begins Spring Break around the area.

This past weekend, my brother and one of my best friends from home came down to visit. I showed them around campus and Embry-Riddle, and then we went to (where else) Disney World for the weekend. They liked the campus and of course we had a blast at Disney World. It is always a great time there and it really is not a far drive at all.

Speaking of Disney World, I just applied for an internship there known as the Disney College Program. I’m sure this is no surprise to you who read my journal regularly as you know how much I love that place, but being a business major here the internship is truly a great opportunity. Essentially, you work in the park as a “cast member” for a semester while attending the world-renowned Disney Institute and come away with the experience and knowledge from working at such an esteemed company. You were able to select different “roles” in which you’d like to work, and I selected transportation (monorails and boats), lifeguarding, and attractions in that order. I interviewed last week and should hear back from them within a few weeks. Wish me luck!

Other than that, my classes are going very well so far. I am enjoying them and am doing pretty well. I have had more free time on my hands this semester as well and I have been able to become more involved with clubs such as the Airport Management Club, which is something I have been meaning to do for a while.

Well, I think that is pretty much it. As you can see, it is a lot of fun here. It really is what you make of it, so make the best!

As usual, if you have any questions or comments at all, do not hesitate to e-mail me. I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Pete

Hi everyone! Happy New Year! I hope that you all had a happy holiday with your friends and family. I had a great time at home over the past month, and got to experience some really awesome things while working at the airport during the winter. Now, classes have started up again, and those seem to be going pretty well thus far too. I will talk about that a little later on in this entry.

On December 15, I finally flew home. That morning, because of the high demand for FAA written tests and the limited capacity of the extremely convenient FAA testing center on campus, I had to take my commercial pilot written exam which, I am happy to say, I did very well on. Even though three hours is allotted for the test, I completed it in less than 45 minutes, leaving me plenty of time to eat, do some final laundry, and finish packing. Then, a car arrived at my dorm to drive me to Orlando International Airport. I was excited because I was going to fly into the airport I work at—Tweed New Haven Regional Airport (HVN)—on a commercial flight for the first time. It was really neat to experience things from the other side and I was able to surprise several co-workers when I flew in unexpectedly.

The very next day, I went back to the airport and started up again working. Since I was only home for a month, I didn’t work any shifts on my own like I did over the summer, but instead helped out people with things they had needed me to do since I went away to school in August. This kept me pretty busy but it was fun anyways. I also had the opportunity to catch up with all of my friends and colleagues at the airport after not seeing them for several months.

Christmas was a lot of fun as usual. On Christmas Eve, we went over to my uncle’s house and I got to see my cousins and other family members.  It was also nice to catch up with them. We tried out a new “tradition” this year in which we all purchased gifts and had a grab-bag exchange. It was very funny and a lot of fun with everyone arguing to get the others’ gifts, etc. I received many nice presents from my family, and gave out some nice ones too. The holiday was very relaxing and that was just what I needed after the hard work I put in the past semester.

The day after Christmas though, the 26th, was much different. Connecticut and the surrounding states got slammed with a blizzard the likes of which we had not seen in years. At the airport, the weather equipment recorded sustained winds of 60 miles per hour, enough to prompt an evacuation of the Air Traffic Control Tower. I was at the mall with my family when I got called into work, and knowing that my 30-minute drive home would be nearly impossible in that weather, plus the fact that I would probably be needed all night, prompted me to pack a bag of some extra clothes and a toothbrush before I went in. Good thing I did, too, as I had to spend the night at the airport.

When I first got in to work, the snow was still just beginning, with minor accumulations. But, what seemed like right after I got in, it started coming down hard and the wind began to pick up. As nightfall set, this just got worse and worse. Because of the blowing snow, many of the parts of the airfield were not covered in a solid layer of snow as it would blow around a lot. However, after the maintenance department hit an area with their huge pieces of machinery, it would be covered again instantly by the blowing snow. Believe it or not, two corporate aircraft were trying to come in, but we closed the airport because of the poor braking action values we were getting on the runways and taxiways. The airport bought us all food and drinks, and it actually was a lot of fun.

As I just mentioned, airport maintenance plows the taxiways and runways with their giant plows and blowers, but operations still does plow some areas, such as the Perimeter Road and the firefighting access locations. It was my first time plowing, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly. The wind was intense and was making it painful to get out of the truck. Moreover, the visibility was so poor at times that I could not see the hood of the truck right in front of me. One time, I thought I was plowing a road, but instead I was in the middle of a grass area. Another time, in this low visibility, all of a sudden a blue flash of light lit up the night sky. It was very eerie but was most likely lighting from thundersnow. I got stuck in a snowbank so deeply one time that the wheels of the F-250 were completely suspended off the ground, and another plow had to come and push me out. It was really crazy. My coworkers and I would rotate positions, and then I would be in the office issuing NOTAMS, taking phone calls, and just coordinating everything in general. We got the airport back open as soon as the storm ended, though, so it was a very successful effort in my opinion.

New Year’s Eve was nice and relaxing for me as well. While I had to work during the day, that night my family and I went out for a nice dinner. I was able to meet my brother’s new girlfriend since I had been away, and that was fun as well. I tried to relax as much as I could when I was home, and that is what I did on New Year’s Eve and Day. I purchased a new TV for my room and got an HD cable box, so I spent a lot of time on my bed watching it.

Then, just a few weeks after the first storm, another significant snowstorm came and a similar response ensued. This storm, however, had been forecast to be minor, so when it ended up becoming a significant snowfall with low winds, it took us by surprise. Many aircraft already on the ground and en route to the airport were surprised as well, so I got many phone calls that night. First, the FBO called saying there were jets wanting to depart. Then, New York Approach control called and wanted a status update on the airport condition. While I was talking to him, the US Airways station manager called informing us that one of their inbound flights, Piedmont 4507, had been struck by lightning over Long Island and made an emergency landing at MacArthur Airport there. It’s very, very rare for this to happen in the middle of a snowstorm, but everyone was safe and they were being bussed in to New Haven. In times like these is when my job is the most fun, with a hundred different things going on at once and it all being your decision. This storm was actually on my last day working, as I took the rest of the time off to relax and be with my family.

I flew back on January 11th, again out of New Haven, and managed to get back to Daytona just before a storm dumped 3 FEET of snow at home. I can’t remember ever having a winter like this at home in my 20 years of living in Connecticut. Usually, too, the snow melts in the days after the storm, but the temperatures have been so cold at home that it just sits on the ground building on top of itself.

Everything back here at school has been very good so far. I like my classes and professors, although I haven’t had a real class yet (just the introduction classes). It was nice to see all of my friends again when I got back and already we have had some fun times. Last night, we had dinner and went to see a movie, and today we decided to drive around and explore, which ultimately lead us to DeLand, a little bit inland, and to the college in the town, Stetson University. We just walked around looking at things and discovered a very nice, small town surrounding the school.

With the continuing runway construction at Daytona, we still get a front row view of jet landings on runway 16/34. I sure missed waking up to the sound of roaring jet engines at home!
You all are probably in the middle of, or just finished, your semester exams. If you haven’t taken them yet, best of luck to you. Keep working hard and please do not hesitate to e-mail me with any questions.

Talk to you soon!
Pete

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome board Riddle flight 2011, it’s going to be a great flight! Yes, we are back to Embry Riddle and that means winter break is over. It was an amazing break and, while disappointed that it was over, I was also excited to start new classes and see all my friends again.
During the break I worked back at my job at Giant for about a week or two right before Christmas and afterwards. My brother, his fiancé, and myself, went to her family’s house in Pennsylvania and it was so much fun. I had yet to meet a large side of her family so it was great to be introduced to them. Christmas afternoon, we headed back to our house and then to my mom’s side of the family. It was a great holiday and wish it lasted longer.
During the new year we practiced some of my future sister-in-laws traditions like putting money in our wallets and putting them out on the back porch and holding silver when the clock struck 12. Also we ran outside and smashed pots and pans together and yelled Happy New Year. I also yelled at the end “Don’t you just love your neighbors?!” It was very amusing, as you can imagine.

 A week before our return to Riddle, I noticed on the weather site that a storm would be moving across the country on Monday, our travel back to campus day. I began to freak out and started warning everyone, obviously via Facebook. The Friday before the storm, Delta had already cancelled my flight from BWI to ATL to DAB three days in advance of the storm, when they didn’t even know how sure Mother Nature would play. We got a refund after being on hold with them for 45 minutes and then rebooked with Southwest (my favorite airline). I stopped in BHM (Birmingham, AL) where there was snow on the ground! I left the north where there was nothing and went south and saw snow. It was pretty crazy. I was in BHM for about 4-5 hours and then I arrived in MCO instead of DAB, which meant I had to take a shuttle. Once back in DAB, my friend and I had to drive back to MCO to pick up another friend who missed his flight by 5 minutes. Basically, I didn’t get to bed till about 4 a.m.

The next day was our prep day where we were to buy books if we wanted and get organized for the new semester. My friend, Christina, got delayed due to another storm that hit the northeast and I had to pick up her in MCO that night and again didn’t get to bed till 3:30 a.m. I was supposed to fly the next morning too which made a lot of my friends say I shouldn’t go, but I wouldn’t want my friend to have to spend the night in the airport. Plus I know she would do the same for me.

Once I wake up to fly, I find out that it’s so cold out that the planes are frozen, so I got weathered, which enabled me to go back to sleep for a couple hours until my next class at 1:00. I’m taking HU145 (Science Fi Heroes and Modern Monsters), which seems like an interesting class and a bit better than other literature classes. My class at 215, Flight Physiology, was supposed to be after that class but got cancelled due to the teacher being out for surgery. After that I have Technical Physics 1 at 330, which should be an easy class for me since I took AP Physics in High School. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I don’t have class till 215, which is Aviation Weather, and at 345 I have Instrument Pilot Operations. Nonetheless, I am glad to be back and looking forward to a new semester and a new step towards graduation. I would also like to make a note that I am now making Youtube videos in order to show you around campus, show you the dorms, and answer any questions you guys might have. Please just leave your comments or questions in comment box on the site and subscribe to stay updated for the most recent content. Welcome Aboard!