It’s official, I’m now an FAA Certified Private Pilot! I took my checkride on December 16th 
with FAA Designated Examiner Bob Raskey. The weather was Marginal VFR and not preferred, but I was driven and well-motivated to finally finish up the course. I made it my goal to finish Private Pilot before I came back home for winter break. After staying on campus for an extra week, while everyone else was already home, you can see why I was so eager.
Prior to my actual flight test, I took a practice checkride and soloed two times to practice maneuvers and to reassure that I was confident and prepared enough to take the test. The practice checkride was with another instructor and consisted of an oral exam and a flight test. Both of which are what make up an actual checkride.
The university provides housing to students during the days that classes are not in session but the flight line is still open. This time period is called “overflight,” and costs just 25 dollars per day.
Classes finished on December 3rd and all of my grades are finalized and available on the ERNIE portal. I feel I did very well for my first semester away from home and in a new setting all on my own.
As soon as it was all over, I booked a flight and headed home back to NY. I’m glad to be home for the Holidays, but I think the warm weather may have spoiled me.
Over and Out.
My cousins and I went to a museum that was all about Abraham Lincoln last weekend. I learned a lot about Lincoln and found out that as a President the public didn’t like him very much; however, that all changed the minute he died. The museum was pretty elaborate and told the history of Lincoln from the time he was a boy till the time that he died. They had two movies that were interactive and captivated the audience’s attention. Being with my cousins was a lot of fun and I’m glad I was able to be home in time to go see them.
Well, my finals went well and I think it was a successful semester. My favorite part is the moment when I’ve finished my last final and I can take a deep breath realizing that I’ve made it through another semester. Next semester, I’ll be graduating and I don’t think that it has really sunk in for me, yet. I’m only taking two undergraduate classes next semester and two masters classes. One nice thing about my upcoming schedule is that I have made it so I only have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Four day weekends are going to be nice—except, I have PT on Mondays and Fridays at 7am. Oh well!
St. Augustine—the oldest city in America—is a place that everyone should visit! My sister and I decided to take a mini road trip up there and see some of the sites. We purchased a ticket that allowed us to ride on a trolley and visit many of the historical places. Some of the places we visited included: the Old City Jail, the Oldest School House, and the Fountain of Youth. We’re definitely going to go back because there is so much more to see and do!
far the best ride because it’s an indoor roller coaster and it’s completely dark, so you have no idea what is coming up next. We didn’t get to see Mickey Mouse but maybe next time!
My Strategic Management class is going to keep me busy this week; I have a test on Thursday and the final on Saturday. In order to prepare for the test, one of my classmates and I have reserved a classroom for several hours and we are just going to review each chapter in-depth. I hope it works and I do well on the test! My other finals aren’t until next Monday night, so I’ll have some time to study for them later on.
Silver Wings had our end of the semester banquet and fall initiation ceremony the week before Thanksgiving. This picture is a group of me and some of my friends. I met them my freshman year and we have all been friends since then. Next semester is going to be a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to heading to Seattle for our National Conference in April.
Another few exciting events took place within the past two weeks. I witnessed the launch of space shuttle Atlantis (STS-129)! As I stated earlier, I had class during that time, but my physics professor took us outside to view the launch. In my opinion, day launches are more exciting as I am able to view the launch vehicle in my binoculars. I was able to see Atlantis and its three main engines still firing away, well after SRB separation!
If I remember correctly, they were filming a remake of Red Dawn. The picture is one of me on the set next to one of the tanks that was getting ready to be filmed driving down the street. I thought that was pretty cool to see! One thing I can say about Detroit is that the city has taken a hit since the automobile industry has been struggling; hopefully, the economy will pick back up soon. Silver Wings is a pretty unique organization in the fact that it is run completely by college students and there are some big changes that are coming in order to distinguish ourselves more. In 1998, we changed the culture of our organization and that has allowed us to become sort of lost in who we are. Now, we are trying to find our identity and in order to accomplish that some new things are going to be happening. I’m excited to be part of the staff that is going to implement these changes.
The College of Business Industry Advisory Board always comes to town during Homecoming Week and what this means is about twenty professionals in the aviation industry come and talk to us students along with some of their other duties. Some of the people include the co-founder of Ryanair, the risk manager at Jet Blue, people who work for Boeing, Lockheed Martin, the FAA, and so many other companies. I was one of the lucky students who were invited to attend a dinner with all of them and I learned so much about being a leader. A tip one man gave a few of us students was make sure you always give your full attention to your boss when he is in your office—don’t answer the phone, be typing on your computer, or surfing the web. They are the only thing that matters for the few moments they are in your office. I was impressed by how much these people wanted to talk to us students and how willing they were to share their knowledge with us. I’m looking forward to when they come back next year!
This past weekend, I toured Orlando-Sanford International Airport with the Airport Management Club. We toured the domestic and international terminals, the ramp, and the airport’s firehouse. Every airport is unique, but Sanford stands out, as it’s partially privately held – a rarity for U.S. airports.