Up Close With the Queen of the Skies!

Posted on March 23, 2023 by Carly

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

Posted on March 7, 2023 by Carly

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.

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

Posted on February 21, 2023 by Carly

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!

IGEW 2023: Finally In Person!

Posted on February 14, 2023 by Carly

Side note, children are hilarious!

Last year (and the year before), the Introduce a Girl to Engineering Workshop (or IGEW) event was held virtually due to the pandemic. This year, however, the event was back in person, and we had over 200 students sign up!

While the in-person event is much more chaotic than the virtual event, it was still super fun. This is my third year on the IGEW committee, and I’ve enjoyed the past IGEWs. The event takes about a year of planning, usually starting with choosing a date and designing the modules. Closer to the event, the logistics are worked out, including asking volunteers to help with the event, gathering supplies for the modules, ordering food, and asking other campus organizations for their help. This year we had the Emergency Response Team (ERT) help out.

This year, I adapted last year’s airplane module into the airplane launching module. I focused on the fundamentals of flight again this year, but the students were all allowed to design their own paper airplanes. Then we added a paperclip to the nose of the airplane and used two pencils connected with a rubber band as a slingshot to launch the paper airplanes. After everyone had practiced launching their airplanes, everyone went into the hallway and we had an airplane launching contest.

The night before the event was module prep night. Every group of volunteers put the supplies for their room in their assigned room along with nonperishable snacks. After the volunteers were done with their rooms, they moved supplies to the union event center. It was mainly a lot of T-shirts.

And then, bright and early the next morning, IGEW happened.

*Volunteers waiting for the students to arrive!*

I arrived at the student union around 6:30 AM to start helping out with check-in. It didn’t officially begin until 7:30, but we were starting to set everything up and prepare for the families to show up. The participating children were always accompanied by a volunteer, and to get them into their groups, we ended up walking them from the check-in table to their specific group’s table in the event center.

After that, there was a quick welcome before we broke out into groups. Groups 1-5 were on the first floor while Groups 6-10 were on the second floor. Each floor had all five modules (Airplane Launcher, Binary Beads, Biodomes, Marble Roller Coaster, and Paper Making) but it was an easy way to divide up the participants. Each room also had three volunteers per room who would give the module presentation and assist the participants in doing the modules.

Lunch was also free, and it was served after the third module. Everyone ate pizza, and my group ended up watching the Bill Nye video about flight and aerodynamics while they ate. After that, everyone rotated rooms again and finished off the day by completing two more modules.

At the end of the event, everyone then went back to the student union where we took a photo standing on the Embry-Riddle seal. Several people had started to arrive for pick-up, and all of the participants went to the event center. To ensure a safe pick-up, family members were required to provide an ID while an IGEW committee member went to retrieve their participant. The participants were then given a certificate of completion, a bag, and information about SWE and this year’s IGEW committee.

The work didn’t end there. Even though everyone was picked up, we had to clean the areas we’d used and transport everything back to the storage locker. It was a long day, so everyone cleaned quickly and loaded things into cars. As part of the IGEW committee, I helped stuff the storage unit with all of the IGEW materials. Just like that, IGEW was over.

I’m grateful that I was elected to the committee for a third year, and I’ll definitely be seeking reelection for my senior year. I could tell how happy the event made the participants, and it’s nice to encourage the next generation of engineering leaders. Who knows- maybe they’ll even become students here! I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

New Perspective

Posted on February 9, 2023 by Chloe

Whether you are a student, parent, or alumni, there’s a high probability you don’t know me yet. Allow me to introduce myself! My name is Chloe Christovich and I am in my second year of studies here at Embry-Riddle. I am currently pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in Aviation Business Administration, concentrated in Aviation and Aerospace Marketing. I am from Jacksonville Beach, Florida, which is just far enough away to define my own sense of individuality, but also have my family close enough to visit. Speaking of family, I am one of 8 children, 2 of which have earned their degrees from ERAU! While Jacksonville Beach may not be so far from Daytona Beach, my lifestyle in each respective place is pretty different. I am here to tell you all about my life at Embry-Riddle. I intend to share with you things like what a normal day looks like for me, what I do on campus, how I deal with stress and anxiety, where and when I hang out with my friends, and what I do outside of being on campus, among other things. I am so excited to be sharing this with you all and can’t wait to tell you all about My Life at Riddle.

Outside the O’Maley College of Business (O’COB) where most of my classes are held and also where I do work during my office hours for the Social Media Marketing Team.

A normal day for me could be entirely different than the day before, but most days look about the same. Just about every day, I wake up around 7 am. Living on campus means I don’t have to worry about commuting time, but I still like to give myself at least an hour in the mornings before I have to go anywhere. Depending on the day, I start classes at 9 am or 8:15 am. One of the benefits of getting to pick your own classes is getting to tailor your schedule to your needs and wants. For me, I like to get through all of my classes as early as possible, that way I have more time in my day to participate in extracurriculars or just sit back and relax.

This semester, I have class at 9 am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This class only lasts about an hour, and then I don’t have class until 1 pm! I use my break in between these two classes to grab a bite to eat, socialize in the Student Union, catch up on school work, or sometimes just take a nap. Once I’m done with all my classes for the day, I head back to my on-campus dorm and usually watch an episode or two of my favorite TV shows (These change depending on the day). I do this to relax and unwind from a day of work. After taking some time to relax, I like to clean up my room a little bit just to make sure I can be at peace there. Sometimes, I like to go to the gym in the evenings or I’ll go hang out with some of my friends – It really just depends on the day!

My ideal study setup – Complete with inspirational quotes, my favorite drink to give me some energy, and a wax melter with my favorite scent; Very dorm friendly!

On Tuesdays and Thursdays this semester, I have class at 8:15 am, then 9:45 am. After I’m done with my first two classes these days, I grab lunch from the Union and then head back to the O’Maley College of Business (O’COB), where I have office hours as the manager for the College of Business Social Media Marketing Team. Setting aside office time to work on content for the social media pages was one of my best ideas, and these 2 hours are absolutely my favorite part of the day. Once I’m done with my office hours, I head off to my last class of the day, and then I’m done with everything by 3:30 pm! This gives me plenty of time to do schoolwork, hang out with friends, and anything else I set my mind to.

A photo I took while observing a friend’s flight after classes.

Besides going to classes every day and hanging out with my friends, I am involved in a few other organizations here on campus. I have just recently taken over as the manager of the College of Business Social Media Marketing Team, which is one of my favorite things to be a part of! I love getting to use my creative skills in a way that benefits my fellow students. I am also a Resident Advisor for Housing and Residence Life. I am currently an RA in New Residence Hall 2, where my community is made up of first-year students. In addition to this, I am also a member of Greek Life. Being a member of all these different organizations keeps me on my feet, but I love the opportunities that are provided to me because of it.

Working for the Social Media Marketing Team during one of our Career Expo Headshots Sessions.

I’ve discovered, in my almost 2 years at ERAU, that there’s always something to do every day, which is why my schedule changes all the time. Sure, my classes are always the same every day, but everything else depends on what I find to do around campus! I am so excited to be sharing all about My Life at Riddle with all of you!

My Winter Break

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Carly

New year, new semester, new post!

Winter break, as per usual, was too short. I went to California, home to see my family (and my cats), and then back to Daytona Beach for New Year’s Eve. I decided to spend the week and a half before school started in Daytona Beach.

Unfortunately, I was supposed to leave California on December 22, but the snowstorm prevented me from getting home. Instead of risking getting stuck in the Dallas airport, I chose to stay an extra two days and leave very early on the morning of Christmas Eve. It turned out to be the right decision- my flight from Santa Barbara made it to Dallas, but the flight from Dallas to my home airport of Lexington, Kentucky, never left the ground.

I ended up gambling with the flights- the best option for me looked like I’d have two connections- Santa Barbara to Dallas, Dallas to Chicago, and then Chicago to Lexington. I decided to go with it, since Dallas and Chicago were both big airports so there would be plenty to do.

*Dallas’ D terminal- where all the large aircraft park.*

I had a few hours in each city, but I liked the Dallas airport a bit more because of the train. I took the train around the airport and looked at all of the airplanes, especially around the D terminal since that’s where the large aircraft were. I also happened to be going out of there since my second flight was on a Boeing 787, which was super cool. I’d never been on one before.

I eventually ended up back in my hometown, where it was freezing outside. I am not a fan of the cold, but it was nice to be home for a week or so before I headed back. I didn’t do a whole lot over the break- I mainly watched Netflix, played with my cats, and spent time indoors (it was freezing outside).

*Chocolate the cat enjoys soft blankets in a warm house.*

I left Kentucky for Daytona Beach on December 30 so I could be in Daytona for New Year’s. This time I flew with Delta and took the last flight of the night into Daytona Beach. It was a short flight from Atlanta, and one I’ve flown a lot, but I ended up sleeping through the entire flight.

While in Daytona, there were many Buc-ees runs, trips to Tanger Outlets (which is a nice shopping center), trips to Starbucks, and trips to various restaurants around town. My friend Chris was also in town, and we went flying over the Friday before school started simply because we could.

Flying is always fun. While I don’t regret switching out of aeronautical science, I still love going flying. Before coming to ERAU, I’d only flown in small planes a few times, and I found out that I really liked it. It’s one perk that seems to me like it’s exclusively Riddle. I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

I Asked A Pilot All of ZeeMee’s Flight FAQs

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Carly

Thanks, Chris 🙂

Chris (’23) is an aeronautical science major who has recently completed the last rating in his degree, the multi-engine add-on for his Commercial Pilot Certificate. He has over 200 hours of flight time and was accepted to the Delta Propel program in Fall 2022.

Is a private pilot’s certificate required before you attend ERAU, and should I do any other ratings before I come?
A private pilot certificate is not required to attend, but it is highly recommended. Completing your private pilot certificate before attending will reduce the length of training and save you money. If you want to be eligible for the restricted ATP, which you can get at 1000 hours instead of 1500 hours for a regular ATP, you must complete 60 credit hours in aviation courses and complete your instrument rating and commercial certificate at the affiliated part 141 training center, so doing your instrument outside of Riddle would make you ineligible for the restricted ATP. Riddle has a restricted ATP FAQ here.

How does flight training work at ERAU?
Firstly, you will register for the flight block. These are called 95S for private, 95I for instrument, 95C for commercial, and 95M for multi. At Riddle, we have Cessna 172 Skyhawk (single engine) and Diamond DA-42 (multi-engine) aircraft. An instructor will contact you to introduce themselves at the beginning of the term (or whenever one becomes available) to introduce themselves and make sure that you are ready to get scheduled. The instructor will start scheduling you for your flight block or other times that you say you are available and they have availability too. Finally, you show up to the flight operations or sim building and have the activity!

Before flights, you need to do a risk assessment, weight and balance, flight planning, check the notices to air missions (NOTAMs) and the special use airspace, and preflight the aircraft. I usually like showing up an hour before the flight activity’s start time to give me enough time to do everything. Sims and orals do not require you to do anything immediately before them (but study the material for orals and procedures for sims), so you can show up 10 minutes before the start time. After the activity is over, you debrief and add the flight/sim to your logbook.

What are the pilot pathway programs (Delta Propel, United Aviate, etc) like?
These pathways try to streamline the process for pilots coming from Riddle to get to the airlines. Many of them require you to instruct at Riddle or one of their partner schools until you reach the applicable minimums for the R-ATP or ATP and then fly for one of their regional partners until you reach a certain number of hours there.

When can students start flying?
This depends on how many students are accepted and how many instructors there are. You could start as soon as the first semester at Riddle or there could be a wait and you start at the beginning of the second semester or somewhere in between. When you have a block and an instructor is available, they will assign you to that instructor and the instructor will begin to schedule you.

What is the coursework like? How much time do you spend doing homework per week?
The coursework is definitely manageable. Depending on the class and assignments, there can be anywhere from 1 hour to 5 hours of homework per week per class.

What things do I need before I begin my flight training at ERAU?
The biggest thing is to get a first or second-class FAA medical. Making sure you can hold a medical will save you a lot of money and you’ll need one before your first flight course begins. You do not want to get to your solo, having spent thousands of dollars, and realize that you are not eligible for a medical. Other things that are needed are a headset (I’d recommend a noise-canceling headset to help preserve your hearing), and an iPad (required for Foreflight, which Riddle has a discount for). Riddle has all these things listed here.

Do you have to stay over the summer or winter break for flight training at ERAU?
No, winter break and Summer A and B terms are optional. However, if you are in the middle of a flight course, staying over breaks will help you retain proficiency and can lower the cost of training by reducing the number of repeat activities you need.

Are flight activities included in tuition? How do I pay for them?
Flight activities are not included in tuition and draw from a separate flight account associated with your Riddle student number. Your instructor should go over how to pay with you after your first activity. After a flight activity is complete, it will show up on the ETA homepage with a button to pay for the activity. To view your flight account’s balance, go to ERNIE and click the “My Accounts” tab. It will show up as a negative number, but that is because it is credited to your account. Flight activities are a pay-as-you-go model instead of a flat fee. Riddle also has a flight FAQ found here.

…

Flight training at ERAU is unique, but it’s good to have another perspective! I was a flight student very briefly before I switched to aerospace engineering- I found out that flying simply wasn’t what I wanted to do as a career path. I’ve written a few times about flight activities- one about my experience observing a flight, commercial checkride preparations (also with Chris), and one of a random flying trip I went on here. Hopefully, this post answered some of your questions, and I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

Everything That’s Happened Since Thanksgiving Break

Posted on December 13, 2022 by Carly

It’s finals season, yay…

After a very restful Thanksgiving break, it was the final countdown before finals began.

Of course, ERAU was full of support. The week before finals is called stress relief week, which has a bunch of giveaways for stress-relieving things like coloring books. I snagged one of those, and it’s actually pretty relaxing.

Stress relief week also had stress-relieving dogs, which was great. There were several dogs for students to pet and love as they walked in between classes, and I definitely took the opportunity. They stayed for a couple of hours during the peak of the day so more students could pet them.

That week, my classes were wrapping up and preparing for finals. Everything was due on or before the designated Friday called “study day.” At ERAU, we have classes on Monday through Thursday, Friday is a study day, and then finals are on Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. This year I had four finals- one on Saturday, two on Tuesday, and one online. I had a fifth class without a final, too.

Although I don’t know my final grades yet, I’m hopeful and think I did well. It wasn’t as exciting as last year’s finals week when I got to go flying, but my finals were earlier in the day than last year. I also spent a lot more studying for finals this year. Classes are getting harder, but they’re still manageable! On Study Day, one organization hosted free tutoring for some engineering courses that a lot of people struggle with. It was definitely helpful.

The Student Government Association also had its semesterly forums around stress relief week. The senators from each college (Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering) hosted their own separate forum days where students get free food for providing feedback. They usually bring inflatables and free food, and everyone likes free food.

The best free food I’ve ever had was actually during one of the forum days- I forget which, but they brought “tornado potatoes” which were flat ovular potatoes on a stick. They were deep-fried and made fresh, and then you could apply salt if you wanted- kind of like a less-cooked Buc-ee’s beaver chip. Since there was no limit on how many we could have, I had three.

Overall, it’s been a busy time of year, but the semester is almost over and I’m due for another break. I’m excited to see what the spring will bring and what I’ll do. In the meantime, I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

Thanksgiving Break 2022

Posted on December 1, 2022 by Carly

Home is where my cats are.

So, this Thanksgiving I went back to Kentucky for Thanksgiving break! I didn’t end up going back last year but this year provided me with less homework to complete over the break so I could have a few days of vacation. I flew Avelo Airlines, which gave me a direct flight from Orlando (MCO) to my home airport of Lexington, Kentucky (LEX). Since Avelo is an ultra-low cost carrier, I’d stuffed my backpack full of everything I needed for the trip to avoid fees.

The flight leaving Orlando was around 6 AM, so I ended up leaving Daytona at about 3 AM. I was too exhausted to pay attention to the flight since I was running on very little sleep, and I ended up sleeping for a good portion of the flight. After arriving on the ground and making my way out of the airport, I met my parents, who then drove me home.

It felt weird to get in around 8 AM since I still had the entire day ahead of me. When I got home, I had breakfast and then played with my cats for a few hours. It was nice to be able to relax, and I was anticipating lunch. I had already planned to go to my favorite local noodle restaurant. As always, the noodles were delicious, and I can’t wait to go back when I’m home for Christmas break!

Thursday was Thanksgiving, and of course, that was its own entity. I made a delicious chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting as my contribution to the meal, and it was enjoyed by all. It’s my favorite dessert to make, and the cake mix comes straight from the box. I usually use milk instead of water, add an extra egg, and replace the vegetable oil with butter instead. It’s delicious (and if you get the chance, I suggest you try it)!

Friday was pretty chill. Again, I spent the day at my house relaxing and doing nothing productive. It felt good to have a few days to do nothing but exist, play with my cats, and not think about schoolwork. That’s why they call it a break.

On Saturday, I packed up all of my things and prepared to head back to Orlando. I had a 2:45 PM flight this time instead of an early morning flight, which was very nice. It was a smooth ride back to Orlando and I ended up sleeping on the way back, too.

Orlando’s airport is a lot more chaotic than Daytona and it serves a lot more aircraft. There were several aircraft lined up for a runway as we taxied by with three different airlines. I love airplanes (not as much as I love spacecraft, though!) and it was fun taxiing by and watching them all sit there.

The other fun thing about the Orlando airport is the terminal shuttle. At the TSA checkpoint, I went through, the airport separates two terminals by a shuttle, so I ended up taking the shuttle to the other terminal so I could look at planes. It was also great that the Starbucks line was considerably shorter at the other terminal.

I went back to the car and had to take a shuttle back to the parking lot the car was in, but it was much cheaper to park over there. By the time we left the airport, it was already dark. That’s one thing I don’t like about daylight savings is the lack of light in the evening.

The Orlando airport has its benefits and drawbacks. The main benefits from Orlando are (usually) cheaper flights and more food options, but it comes with the additional cost of time. The TSA line was very short when I was there at 5 AM, but when I went through at 3-4 PM for a trip, the line took me an hour. The Daytona airport is much closer, and the TSA lines are always short, but the flights are generally more expensive and there isn’t as much to choose from in terms of dining.

The other benefit of the Daytona airport is seeing Embry-Riddle flight students take off and land next to the larger commercial aircraft that come in. When I left from Daytona, I’ve always thought of the students that start at ERAU and then end up at the airlines- including a few of my friends. Maybe that will be you one day, too. I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

Artemis I Launch & the Road to Thanksgiving

Posted on November 22, 2022 by Carly

Definitely worth the lack of sleep I got.

A little over a week ago the Artemis I mission launched to the Moon, and it couldn’t have come at a busier time in the semester. Officially lifting off at 01:47:44 AM, I was near the Cape watching it live and in person. The two-hour launch window opened around 1 AM, so we left Daytona at 1:30 to make sure we could get down in time and find a spot- the launch was very popular.

My school schedule is a lot busier than it was last year, so I haven’t been able to go to a lot of launches. I did, however, go to a Falcon Heavy return-to-site launch where I heard two sonic booms. The launch was timed perfectly to go an hour and a half before class, so I was able to get back in time. That launch was in the morning, and this launch was my first night launch of the semester.

Of course, Artemis I was a popular launch so there were five people in the car driving down. Most people had proactively brought bug spray (I, unfortunately, didn’t) since this is Florida and there are mosquitos-a-plenty. The spot we chose was full of people, but we were still able to get a good view.

Most of the time was spent waiting on the rocket. I unfortunately didn’t get any good pictures since we were so far away, but we could see the launchpad. It was exciting since I’d seen the rocket on the pad during a trip to Kennedy Space Center, and when it launched, it lit up the whole sky. It was literally like daylight. I definitely do not regret going- I would’ve stayed up even later for the opportunity to see it.

I was pretty exhausted by the time the rocket was gone from sight, and I ended up promptly falling asleep on the drive home. Thankfully I was not driving, and after I got back to my apartment, I ended up going to bed immediately. When I arrived in class the next morning, I found out that a lot of my classmates were also tired from staying up to watch the launch.

On Wednesday afternoon, the College of Aviation hosted a forum day complete with free caramel apples, a Hungry Hippos–themed inflatable game, and a Wipeout-style red ball obstacle course. I played the Hungry Hippos game and ended up coming in last place, but it was fun nonetheless, and actually made it from one side to the other on the Wipeout game. It was definitely a much-needed break in between my classes.

After that, the week continued on through Friday and I had a weekend full of homework before ending up here- the week of Thanksgiving break. I’m excited for the break. I’m going home to Kentucky to see my family and pets, which will be fun. I’ll only be there for three days, but it’s a quick little vacation from school. Then it’s two or so weeks to finals, finals week, and then winter break- which will definitely be fun. I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!

My Life @ Riddle

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