I went out to Oklahoma City and went to the FAA Cabin Safety Research facility and worked on some interesting projects with airline professionals from all over the world. We did evacuation drills and saw that even the most experienced in the industry still have trouble evacuating a smoke filled aircraft. The fire exercises were the most difficult for me emotionally though. The flight attendant trainers made an interesting comment. “This is a step up from initial” I nodded and we talked to the FAA facilitator. She told us that this is a better simulation of an actual crash. I definitely have a new respect for smoke inhalation victims after doing this exercise. As I exited the aircraft and saw the light, and fresh air, I needed a second to recover. The rest of the night was a little difficult for me as well. The next day we did fire exercises to test the effective use of the flight attendant vs. fires. Later that night we all went into downtown Oklahoma City and did some of the touristy stuff such as boat tours and local restaurants. We had such as great time together. I would have to say though that the pool day was the best. The life raft drills were the best to show how flight attendants and passengers really need to work as a team to make sure that no one falls overboard or gets out the plane. I loved my “Crew” for the week and it was so hard to leave them. Luckily, I impressed the crowd with my ability to counter argue anything that was thrown at us by being able to photographically layout any accident or piece of information from research that was thrown at us. In the end it looks like I will have an internship lined up in a cabin safety-related field to better educate the future of flight attendants forever!

All I can say is sometimes you cannot help it, the action gets to you and you can’t tell the difference between reality and research or simulation. You start to believe that the events unfolding around you are real, the sounds of screeching metal, the smell of fire and burning furnishings, and the sounds of the screaming. You can forget how scary a deceleration process and post crash environment can be and there’s only one thing you can do…fasten your seatbelt!

Hello, and welcome to my… I lost track of what installment this was, but at least you’re here. As expected, I will recap my last two weeks with you so sit back, relax, and well… read my entry!

Just as any other week in my life, as if you expected any different, my schedule has been very busy with “things”! I will attempt to cover them all, but I don’t think I will be able to remember everything. Thankfully, my internship at the Prosecutors Office has kept me extremely busy. I have been able to experience some amazing things and I have to give all the credit to my boss, who is an exceptional person. If it was not for him, I am positive this internship would not be nearly as great. The format for this internship is definitely not typical. Since my boss is so tied into the Law Enforcement community, he has been able to send me out every few days on little assignments.

For instance, I have participated in three ride-alongs with three completely different law enforcement agencies. For those of you who do not know, a ride-along is when you shadow a police officer, by riding with him or her in their car, observing what they do for a shift. These ride-alongs have been invaluable for information and I have really enjoyed every minute I have spent with each officer. My appreciation goes out to each officer who allowed me to be with him or her that day. Although the three ride-alongs were great, the best one of the three was with the New Jersey State Police Marine Bureau.

Since I can remember I have always wanted to be a New Jersey State Police Trooper. As with many young boys, they dress up for Halloween as firemen and policemen. For me, every Halloween I was dressed as a policeman. In many cases, many kids grow up and realize they want to be something else. But, for whatever reason with me, I have been unable to shake the desire to be a cop.

That being said, having the privilege of being able to ride with the State Police was one of the greatest opportunities of my life. In addition to the ride-alongs, I have also been sent to a few training classes for law enforcement personnel. These classes include search warrants, emergency management, and gang recognition. These classes have been great for both educational purposes and networking. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for you, I will have to cut this journal entry short, as that I need to get some sleep for my assignment tomorrow, SWAT Training. Stay tuned and check in next week! Until then, stay safe.

I’m preparing for my last month here at MTU in Munich! The end of my internship seems to be the exact opposite of the beginning…I’ve got so much work! Now that I pretty much know what I’m doing with UniGraphics, TeamCenter, SAP, and all the other various MTU software that I’ve had to learn I’ve been getting more projects (mostly because the other engineers don’t really have to explain much to me anymore). I’ve also been trying to help the new intern in my office, Anne-Christine, learn some of the programs but she’s been mostly working separately from me. The FAA Audit is next week! Herr Schnellbach still hasn’t mentioned if I’ll be able to sit in like I sat in on the Pratt and Whitney audit, but I think I’ll be able to. MTU is crazy insane about security. I’ve been moving from workstation to workstation this past week because an engineer from Poland has usurped my spot and apparently he’s not allowed to sit in any of the other three offices because of the military projects they work on there. Being from the US does have its perks (though I’m not sure that I’d call this particular one a perk…). The type of work is pretty much the same, edit the drawings, create the programming files, analyze this data and make a presentation with your conclusions (my excel and powerpoint skills are amazingly honed). I think that I (finally!) almost speak German as well now. Herr Schnellbach and I have meetings every other week with the engineer responsible for collecting the data about the Process Control software MTU is thinking of upgrading to (I mentioned it in my last entry) and our second meeting was last week. A representative from the software company was there, and they both were explaining everything in German…and I understood nearly all of it. I was even able to ask some questions of my own (but I spoke in English…). Getting to participate in meetings isn’t a daily thing for me, but I love it when I get the chance to give some input. It’s much better than doing just grunt work. Next week the engineer and I have arranged a meeting so he can explain some things to me in English (I’m supposed to be helping with the decision process about this software so there’s a few things I need clarified…)

I’ve also been busy outside of work. I remember when I first came here I knew no one, and spoke no German. I’d spend weekends wandering aimlessly around Munich by myself…now it’s great that I have a group of friends at MTU that I can do things with on the weekends. Unfortunately I won’t be able to go hiking with them this weekend because I’d already booked a train ticket to Köln (Cologne), Germany! It’s my first time seeing northern Germany, and I’m stopping in Frankfurt on the way back! Köln has a chocolate museum, I so can’t wait. But there’s a bunch of summer festivals here. I was last weekend with some work friends at a festival in Olympia Park, so that’s where the pictures are from this time…I’ve never before seen a real Olympic stadium before, the field (and park itself) is massive. I’m really sad Chicago (my home-town kind of) lost the 2016 Olympics, it would’ve be great having one of these by me. (We have a giant shiny bean so it’s ok though). I booked my train tickets for Prague today too! I’m going the third week in August when MTU has a vacation week. I know about three words in Czech and this is the first time I’m going there by myself so it should be interesting…It’s strange because everyone at MTU thinks it’s really neat that I get to go back to Florida in a month, and I keep telling them that Florida is nothing compared to all the things I’ve seen/done here in Europe…

This past Saturday, July 25th, was my birthday. I took a train to Kaufbeuren to visit my family here. It was so nice to see everyone again. My cousin (actually my third cousin) has her birthday the day before mine, so we got to celebrate together. She’s literally one day older since we were born in the same year. We went to a nice place to eat and I got to see the town where she lives with her husband. I was speaking German the whole time so hopefully I didn’t make too many mistakes…

In two weeks it’s actually the birthday of one of my friends in MTU (the other American girl). She’s turning 21, which means absolutely nothing here where the beer drinking age is 16 (you have to wait till 18 for the hard liquor, sorry high schoolers), but we’re going to pretend anyways that it’s just as significant as in the States. We’re mostly likely doing a massive barbeque in the park, which should be amazing. More to come on that next entry…Tschuess!

I have been working a lot! As August nears, it’s scary to think that I am approaching my 90 days already of being part time. I still love every minute of my job and the people I work with.

I am finishing up an online course that I started (always remember to check with the Records and Registration Office when you take courses off campus). It was a very interesting course about the history of aviation in America.

I have been hanging out with friends and doing some fun things. Also picking up shifts and generally enjoying my last summer as an undergraduate.

My trip to Oklahoma City is coming up in two weeks and I can’t wait to meet some of the FAA Cabin Safety people.

I hope that everyone who is coming to Riddle in the fall is excited and has all their things in order. August does creep up on you!

Greetings! A lot has happened since my last journal entry; so be prepared to listen or read rather… Let me start out by saying that even though I may not be at school, and am officially on summer break, my schedule has been the furthest thing from empty. My trip back to New Jersey was a fun one, and although I did not drive my car (had it put on a truck), I got to spend some great quality time with my parents. One thing to remember when you go to college is that although many of us move away from family to attend ERAU, it is always great to go back and visit. My last extended visit home to my parents was Christmas break, which shows how long over due I was to see them for some length of time. As planned, my Dad, my two Uncles, my Cousin, and I, all loaded up the car for our annual fishing trip to upstate New York. Every year “the boys” saddle up and take a weekend away, where we revert back to our more primitive origins. For everyone’s sake I don’t bring a camera, sorry no pictures. In reality though, our trip is a lot of fun and is especially great for me to spend time with my Dad!

We came home from the trip just in time for July 4th weekend. As you may have expected this weekend was extremely hectic as I went from party to party talking to everyone who hasn’t seen me since I was this tall (motioning with my hands towards the floor). For any of the incoming freshman, get ready to deal with family and friends who will always remember you as an 11 year old. I have yet to meet one friend who has not had to deal with this. The holiday weekend was great, but I felt like I really hadn’t rested yet.

The next big event was my birthday on July 6th. I turned 21, and if you have been reading my last posts and know a little about me, you know I am a very conservative guy. I did manage to order a beer though with my parents and friends at dinner, along with go out to a bar afterwards. All in all I had a great time with no regrets except I wished my girlfriend was there with me, unfortunately she had to stay in Daytona Beach L. As you may have expected, my birthday did not allow me to catch up on my sleep at all.

While at home it is great to catch up with old friends, and although you might think of them as different when you see them again, you must realize you are also different. The beauty of college is that it allows you to become the freethinking individual you were destined to be. I know for myself, Embry-Riddle has really allowed to me grow both mentally and emotionally into the person I am happy to be now. The atmosphere of the university compounded with the academics really allows students to morph into beautiful individuals. That being said, I visited one of my high school friends, who vacations on Long Beach Island, and had an absolute blast! After the two days were all said and done I was extremely happy to have been able to have the opportunity to visit him.

I didn’t get any rest though, as my Mom and I decided it would be a good idea to drive down and spend the night in Washington D.C. Living only 3 hours from D.C. the drive was short. My Mom and I stayed in a hotel a few blocks from the White House. I had never stayed over night in D.C. and really enjoyed it! Only problem was…the heat wave. The humidity compounded with the heat made sightseeing difficult, but my Mom and I were determined! We fared the weather and drove back the next day. Might I suggest to anyone out there who has never visited our nation’s capital to go and do it. Washington D.C. has such great attractions and history that it is a must for any American.

You may think that I would take the weekend off to rest for my internship, which started on Monday the 12th, but I didn’t. In fact, I drove back down to D.C. to visit my other friend from Virginia Tech. Oddly enough, he was going back down to VT to move into his new apartment and I enlisted to help. We had a great time down in Blacksburg and although we were moving furniture, clothes, books, etc. I still had a great time. So where does that end up on the timeline? Sunday I drove back from Virginia and attempted to get a full nights rest for the start of my internship the next morning!

I have to admit, after my experience at DEA, I figured that any other internship could not nearly match it. After my first day at Ocean County Prosecutors Office, I knew I couldn’t have been more wrong. Although I cannot divulge much information, I can tell you that the persons working in the Homeland Security Unit are the brightest, nicest group of individuals I have met to date. Thankfully everyone in the office is extremely respectful of me and willing to help me with any questions I can come up with. Only being two days into it, they have already signed me up for many great homeland security classes, which I am looking forward to attending this and next week. I will keep you all posted on the progress of the internship!

Well, that is about as accurate of a picture of my past two weeks as I can give you. Until next time!

Sincerely,
Michael Kokes

The next few weeks will be exciting. I booked my trip to Oklahoma City for the FAA Cabin Safety and Survival convention in the beginning of August. Research topics include: aircraft accident research, aircraft seat and restraint systems research, brace-for-impact positions, infant/child restraint systems, aircraft evacuation research and procedures, aircraft fire safety research and procedures, water survival research, emergency equipment and procedures, drug testing and toxicology, and fatigue countermeasures research. I am super excited and hopeful to meet my future co-workers.

With graduation nearing, I have started to write an essay called “From Lexington to Graduation” reminiscing about the times I had prior to getting to school, all the times at school and still open-ended to the possibilities that await in my final term of my undergraduate. I have been accepted into Riddle’s graduate program for Aeronautics and System safety but I applied to Cranfield University in the United Kingdom to pursue some Cabin Survival research opportunities in their full scale cabin simulators. That will be one of the toughest choices if it comes down to it because I know that it would provide the best opportunity for me to complete my investigations in the cabin environment but I know that Riddle will provide me a wonderful education as well.

Leaving my friends behind and having to go seasonal at monorails for a flexible schedule will put a damper on things for me as well. We will cross that bridge if we come to it. The summer has been challenging working 5 days a week and going to school the other two. I am hoping to actually take some personal time this summer and return back to New Jersey to spend more time with my family. I am still enjoying work and making new friends while keeping in touch with old ones. All in all my fortune cookie said it best the other day, “When work brings you joy, never leave.”

Hello everyone, and welcome back. This journal entry, I am going to tell you right off the bat, is not going to be that great L. Last week was finals week, and as you may suspect, much of my time was spent studying. Thankfully I did great and I’m on to the next thing.

As I may or may not have stated in my last journal entry, June 18th was my last day at DEA, again a sad moment, but there is an upside to this all. Friday June 18 was a long day at DEA, and since I did not get back to the office until later I was unable to return my access badge. I returned, after class, on Monday June 21 to turn in my badge and got the great news, that DEA wants to have me back as an intern in the fall (woohoo)! I am very happy, as I suspect that I made a good enough impression on someone there to have them ask me to come back. Although I would be lying if I said that Monday was a complete surprise to me, as I had been working with a few people at DEA getting all my new paperwork in previously. As I have mentioned before, paperwork has become a large part of my life and I suspect it will be at least until I retire.

Aside from finals, much of my time has been spent getting ready for my trip home… ok, let me be honest. I am one of those people who packs the day, hour, minute before. It may be crazy for some people to think, but I can be ready for a month long adventure in just an hour. There was one exception though, when I went to Costa Rica on a cruise for a week and only brought 3 t-shirts (oops)! In addition to my mental preparation for home, I have been busy helping my girlfriend move into her new apartment. I think everyone can be in agreement when I say “everyone hates moving.” Although it took us 6 hours and many trips with my SUV, we did it. I sure do have compassion for people who move out of the dorms every year. Moving my girlfriend’s things really made me thankful I have one more year in my apartment!

In addition to my finals last week, we also had some great waves for June in Florida. Again, I wasn’t completely honest when I said that all I did was study, I did do a little surfing. I couldn’t resist, the waves were calling my name. The beach is a great place to relax and socialize and there is nothing cooler than driving your car on the beach. The other night my girlfriend and I visited the inlet and snapped a quick picture of the lighthouse at sunset. I have yet to actually go in the lighthouse, but it is on my to-do list. Another cool attraction at the inlet is the sea turtle refuge. In addition to turtles, the refuge also houses birds and fish. The last time I was there they had two bald eagles.

Well I better start packing, just kidding. I will talk to you all in two weeks!!!

P.S. I love taking pictures of storms etc. so I have included some pictures I took with my phone, thought some of the meteorology people might like them!

Aviation Safety:

When I received my award check from my Aviation Safety award, I sent a huge portion of it to the people designing the OH5191 memorial in Kentucky so that it could help fund the project. I am proud to say that last week, the final design was released for the memorial for Delta Connection Flight 5191 which impacted the ground during takeoff in August of 2006. The design, by sculptor and Kentucky resident Douwe Blumberg, will feature 49 birds which are the major component to be a memorial to the crash victims and a tribute to those who tried to save them. Around the perimeter of the base upon which the sculpture will rest will be the names of those who perished, and an appropriate tribute to the first responders. It makes me feel so much better to know that everyone affected by this accident will have a place to visit their loved ones as well as a place for all of us to go “visit” Kelly. The project is expected to be completed by the fifth anniversary of the accident, August 27 2011.

Monorail:

Like time, the system keeps going. The past few weeks have been very hot but everyone is still all smiles when they know they are going to Disney World! I really love my job. I know I keep saying it, but I would not trade it for the world. Seeing the smiles on the faces of the guests of all ages is something you cannot put a price on. The magic they feel when they see the castle for the first time, or the “Ooo ahh!” you hear watching the production of Summernighttastic! Fireworks, makes me proud to be a cast member.

The best part for me is knowing that I am getting them to that magic. The magic may start when you first drive onto property and see the purple signs, but our department is one of the first departments a guest may come in contact with. We transport about 360 guests per train during the opening hours of the parks! At first it was a terrifying thought to be in charge of that many people at one time alone but at Disney we are never alone. We have a great team of support so that you guys can enjoy every minute of your experience here. I am talking to some of my managers to join the safety committee in our department to really dive into the department head-first in the area that interests me most!

Finally, I went to Blizzard Beach when I got back to Florida from Jersey the other day with my friend who works in Watercraft. We had a really fun time playing in the parks and enjoying some fun in the sun.