The Finals Clean-up

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Brittney

Everyone has been surviving and hopefully finding some joy in their lives during the quarantine. We have all come so far this semester. I would be lying if I said the transition to online classes was easy or having to time manage moving off campus with school work was a fun time, but through all of these difficult endeavors, we have finally approached the last day of classes.
The day where we take a step back for a couple of hours before we start the study grind and all of our finals. The last time we get to spend time with the people at school before we go our separate ways for the summer. Although this year is a little bit different this time of the semester has reminded me to reach out to friends I have not seen or heard from in a while. Whether they are back in their hometowns or staying close to the school, the quarantine has made it impossible to see everyone. I have enjoyed catching up and reconnecting with them via skype and Houseparty and Snapchat and all the other wonderful social media allowing us to survive through the quarantine.

It has given me time to look back at the past year of school on good memories that have been made. From Halloween parties where I am dressed as taco bell hot sauce to beach trips to just last week where I impulsively cut my friend’s hair. There are a lot of memories I am thankful for and cannot wait to make more next fall.

Flash back to the Halloween party we went to this past year

Now it is time for me to wish everyone luck on their finals. We are all so close to being done with the semester and we all have so much to be thankful for. The student and staff of Embry-Riddle have been so helpful throughout this entire crazy situation and I would not want to be surrounded by anyone else right now. To all those graduating, congratulations, you will be missed but I am excited to see the things you accomplish. And for everyone I will see in the summer or the fall, stay safe this summer and make smart decisions. I’ll see you all in the fall. Go crush your finals!

#Adrenaline Rush

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Alumni

Embry-Riddle graduates include astronauts, US Air Force Thunderbirds, experimental test pilots, and aerobatic performers. It’s clear ERAU alumni are as fearless as they are focused. And they like to play as hard as they work!

Alain Aguayo’s passion for aviation is clear.

As a flight instructor at the Daytona Beach campus, he earned high scores at Rate My Professors dot com, where his students cite his thorough approach to training – tough but clear, caring and respected, 10/10 would take again!

He came to ERAU in 2006 and earned two degrees – in aeronautical science (flight) and in aerospace and occupational safety. A combination that serves him well as an aerobatic performance pilot. He won his first competition at the US National Aerobatic Championships 2017.

He visited the WIKD-FM radio station last year to share his experiences, and you can listen to the podcast here. He talks about his aircraft, the experimental Giles 202, with the alumni association on campus in this Facebook interview. He discusses Eagle Sport Aviation, the group that got him started, safety procedures and special considerations involved in aerobatic flying.

But you’ll get the full adrenaline rush on his YouTube channel where you can see him in action over the beaches of Florida. Check it out here.

Curt Bartholomew feeds his need for adventure in competitive swooping. If you’re not familiar, it starts out like this:

And then turns into something much more, check out the video here:

His love of jumping out of perfectly good airplanes began on campus with the Sky Diving Club while he was studying Aeronautics at ERAU’s Daytona Beach campus. He’s worked as a videographer for Skydive DeLand and now owns his own company, Team Alter Ego Fastrax where he’s an instructor helping others to master the art of swooping as well as canopy piloting, freeflying, BASE jumping, coaching, ground launching, and more. You can see more of Curt’s swooping on YouTube – including this breathtaking video that will get your adrenaline pumping! For Curt, like many aviators, the passion for jumping out pf aircraft runs in the family, his wife Jeannie is also an accomplished swooper and instructor for the company and boasts a long list of accolades.

Quarantine Blog

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Eugene

Greetings from my room in Seoul, South Korea. I have been isolated in my quarantined house as the government requires all individuals coming into Korea to be tested and quarantined for 14 days in light of the COVID-19 pandemic spreading around the world. It works out perfectly as I prepare for my final exams coming up near the end of April so I have been studying and catching up on my readings.

The past two weeks have definitely been an once-in-a-lifetime experience. Starting from my first flight out of Daytona Beach, it had a whopping total of 9 passengers on board and my second flight to Detroit had every middle seat empty. The check-in gate for my trans-pacific flight, we had gate agents conducting temperature checks before boarding. The majority of passengers had masks and gloves on and many of them had cautious looks on their faces as they carefully boarded the airplane.

My flight from Detroit to Seoul Inchon on this A350-900

Upon landing in Inchon International Airport, I noticed the taxiways had multiple planes parked and stored along with dozens of gates closed for parked aircraft. The customs and security was more intense with members of the Korean army and their version of CDC dressed in full body hazmat suits. We had to wait in line to fill out a number of documents and answer questions from those agents.

Day 2 upon my arrival, I was tested negative for the COVID-19 and my 14-days began. I couldn’t hug my family or go outside of my place and it can be very tempting especially when the spring weather outside is so pleasant. However, the government here is trying their very best to contain the second wave of COVID-19 and everyone is encouraged to practice social distancing and stay home.

I had to sit at a separate table while we had dinner at the airport (Better safe than sorry)

As an aspiring airline pilot, it hurts to see how heavily the global airline industry is hurting from the impact of COVID-19. After going through a firsthand experience of seeing empty seats on my flights and the deserted terminal buildings, it is difficult to see the daily news of more airlines cancelling their operations and losing money and pilots.

Many people in small, local businesses and medical / first responders are struggling more than ever. I can only imagine what some people are going through during these rough times. I hope everyone can stay safe and healthy. However, I think it is more crucial that we can all be a little bit more selfless and thoughtful by actively practicing social distancing and being more conservative with stocking up with supplies.

Now would be a great time to find a good book to read, a TV series to binge watch or a new hobby to pick up as you spend your days at home.

Where are they now? BAE

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Alumni

As a student blogger, Maryam Gracias shared her experiences interning for the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) and for Delta, her study abroad research experience in Cuba, her love of travel and her studies as a spaceflight operations major. Why did she choose Embry-Riddle? “Because of my passion for flight and the great networking opportunities Riddle provides!”

Her hard work and networking opportunities paid off and she now works for BAE Systems, “a global defense, aerospace and security company employing around 88,200 people worldwide. Wide-ranging products and services cover air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology, and support services.” She serves as a systems engineer on the F-35 Fleet and she’s pursuing a master’s degree in systems engineering through Embry-Riddle’s Online campus. Studying online allows her to pursue an advanced degree while working full time.

In many ways she is a typical ERAU student: ambitious, adventurous, smart and passionate about life and aviation. Originally from Dubai, she moved to Florida where she graduated high school with the highest honors and played professional tennis. She earned a Brook Owens Scholarship and completed three internships while at the Daytona Beach campus. She also served as an O-Team member welcoming all new students to campus, and in the Women’s Ambassador Program to serve as a mentor to new female students at ERAU.

Her minor courses of study in flight, aviation safety and human factors incorporated her love of flying and offered the safety expertise that attracted employers. At Delta, she worked as a flight safety intern. And while her occupation is focused on engineering, she has not lost her love of flight. Check out her social media ten-day challenge images!

Who is the challenger Kim Szathmary? She’s a professor at Embry-Riddle! She has a PhD in Business Administration, a commercial pilot’s license and CFI (certified flight instructor license) and teaches Human Factors in Aviation Safety and Safety Program Management at the Daytona Beach campus. She’s also the faculty advisor for the Spaceflight Sciences Policy and Operations Club, their motto: Ad Astra Per Aspera or “Through hardships to the stars!”

Keep dreaming big, Maryam!

Online Classes & COVID-19

Posted on April 19, 2020 by Merrick

Happy March everyone! I am currently blogging from Northern Virginia, and here’s how my schedule has changed since COVID-19 come in effect and I began taking online classes:

I still wakeup early and drink coffee and I still begin working from the very beginning of the day until the end of the day.

I spend more time working on class things now than before. This is partly because I had to spend two days packing and vacating from living on campus to moving back up north by myself. Usually move out occurs at the end of the semester, after finals, and I am able to have my friends/family help me pack. This time was extremely expedited, solo, and very stressful . . . on top of up in the air RA responsibilities and professors starting online classes and uploading lectures and assignments that I began to fall behind on. Moving out and going to a safe place where I was not at risk of becoming sick (from exposure to thousands of students returning from traveling over spring break) began taking precedence over me trying to stay on top of 60+ priority daily email notifications.

So to say the least, my personal transition to online classes was very abrupt and sort of felt like I was running to keep up with a moving train. Quarantine preparation and move-out time were not originally factored into my Spring Break plan.

A selfie from the airport quickly traveling back from Daytona Beach to IAD, not pictured: a lot of hand sanitizer and a row to myself on the plane.

Flashback to waking up stress free and looking outside in Key West over Spring Break.

Once I traveled back home and transitioned to actually having time to spend on my online classes though here are a few things I’ve noticed:

Typical in-person classes in Aerospace Engineering are difficult, especially ones that are traditionally not offered as online courses (in the fall/spring as well as summer semesters) because they are too challenging. Now, take these courses with professors who are not the most technologically savvy, and force them to transition to teaching upper level engineering courses via a digital platform. In your head you might be thinking, that doesn’t sound like an idea that would flow very smoothly, and yes, I will tell you, indeed it does not.

Thankfully, however, flexibility is the key to Air Power and AFROTC has smoothly transitioned to hosting online classes and digital assignments to compensate for not having in person Leadership Laboratories, Physical Training sessions, and Air Force classes. That being said, it is significantly easier for classes that frequently rely on digital assignments and communication over online platforms to quickly and easily make a transition to solely remote learning.

I’ve had my first Solid Mechanics test online since digital courses began and even though most of the material was taught before spring break, it was still significantly more stressful as the constant worry of technical issues, distractions, or everyday life problems that occur in a home setting were looming around me (think power outages, that yes, of course happened to me 20 minutes prior to starting my exam).

I have come to the realization that I spend more time on my coursework now with online classes than I did with in-person classes because even with power-points, notes, and recorded lectures being uploaded, I am pretty much teaching myself material in addition to completing homework, projects, and “in-class” assignments on my own.

Verdict: I prefer in person learning to online classes.

Will report back soon folks, keep on keeping on, stay safe and stay well!

#meetRiddleAlumni

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Alumni

Embry-Riddle’s reputation for leading the aviation and aerospace industry is recognized worldwide. There’s also a lot of creative talent among Riddle alumni, and some gifted grads are garnering a good deal of attention on social media. If you’re looking for interesting sites to follow, check these out – featuring photography, inspiration and laughs!

Lonnie Marts III
Lonnie is not a typical ERAU student, but his ability to connect and engage those around him has been evident throughout his time as a student – and now on his channels. Buzzfeed recently published a write-up on Lonnie’s efforts and he’s reached one million plus followers on his TikTok account.

Lonnie’s first passion has been athletics, and he came to the Daytona Campus to compete in track and field. He earned his undergraduate degree in Human Factors Psychology and then went on to earn an MBA through the accelerated program. His goal of succeeding in the digital world is well underway!

You can also see Lonnie’s work on his YouTube Channel, and check out the university video featuring Lonnie.

Lynsey Schroeder

Lynsey began blogging as a student shortly after arriving at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus where she studied Engineering Physics. Why did she choose to attend ERAU? She summed it up well: “Its reputation, specialty and community.” In her student blog she shared her passion for science, love of music and experience interning with the SETI Institute where the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is the mission. Spoiler alert! No extraterrestrials were discovered. She also recalls the time National Geographic visited the Daytona Campus to film “Evacuate Earth,” a doomsday scenario with a plan to save the human race. Of course Embry-Riddle was the perfect place to serve as the base for developing the technologies that would carry humans to safety.

She earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree through the accelerated program. In 2014, Lynsey was recognized by Aviation Week & Space Technology as one of “Tomorrow’s Emerging Leaders: 20 in their 20s.” Now she works for Raytheon on Arizona where she really can’t tell us too much about her work – we’d need security clearance for that! But she does still share her talent and passion for photography and her photos are truly breathtaking! Her specialty is the night sky over the desert, she’d particularly adept at capturing images of the Milky Way. Her time lapse of the full moon can be viewed on her Facebook page.

Or see more of her work on her website: https://lschroederphoto.com/

Nicole Stott

Embry-Riddle alumna and retired astronaut Nicole Stott can also be found inspiring people online and on campus. An advocate for the arts and STEAM – including art as an important part of STEM studies, the Nicole Stott Art Gallery at the Daytona Beach campus is named in her honor and often features work by students and staff.

Most recently, she shared advice on managing isolation from her unique experiences spending more than 100 days on the International Space Station. It’s filled with inspiration and includes valuable tips that are particularly relevant now, but it’s also a truly timeless perspective.

Watch it here.

Fresh Air, Self-Care, and School is Where?

Posted on April 13, 2020 by Brittney

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of situations to overcome and conquer. The main situation: online classes. Classes for the rest of the semester are completely online and through virtual meetings. This has been an experience. All of my professors have adapted their classes very well. Some pre-recorded their class lectures and host office hours to allow students to ask questions, some are doing live class sessions over zoom, and some of my classes are very project-based so the professor is there for questions, but otherwise, our projects are all that matter. No matter what my professors have decided to do, they have all been very helpful and understanding during this process of shifting to online learning.

Rory and I getting some fresh air with the pups

Along with the online classes, I had to move off-campus. I am very lucky to have good friends from Embry-Riddle and am now residing with my friend Rory who lives in Florida. His family has invited me to stay with them on several occasions including anything from hurricane Irma that happened my freshman year to holidays I do not have a family to spend with. They are my home away from home and I am very lucky to have them.

Rory and I long boarding again with the dogs(we do this a lot)

While staying at Rory’s, we do our best to balance school work (even though we often get distracted by each other) with making sure we are both staying on top of our classwork. We are also making sure to take care of our bodies and mind. We recognize when it is time to take study breaks, eat a snack, get fresh air, and goof around a little. We have been filling our free time by playing games and long boarding with our furry friends.

Overall, online classes and the entire COVID-19 situation is a little overwhelming, but knowing I have the support of all of my professors, classmates, friends, and family makes the situation a lot more comforting.

Quarantine & Self Care

Posted on April 7, 2020 by Merrick

Happy April everyone! I am currently blogging from Northern Virginia, where I am blessed to be quarantined with my sister who is an amazing chef. Currently sipping on whipped iced coffee with coconut sugar and vanilla almond milk and it’s lovely. I would like to provide a Quarantine update as April is the last month in the spring semester, and focusing on your studies is as important as balancing that with time to relax.

Staying constantly plugged in is something I’ve definitely struggled with while adjusting to online classes. So when I’m not monitoring my laptop or my phone, here are some things I like to do in Quarantine besides study, take notes, and do homework:

If you have the luxury of living in a semi-rural to rural area, take walks, runs, or hike! I’m working out, taking vitamins, drinking a lot of water, running, going on walks, hikes, or hilly/wooded area treks, eating healthy, and doing yoga daily. My personal favorite is Yoga With Adriene on Youtube, a virtual online yoga class with everything to relaxing sequences to power yoga that will give your muscles a run for their money. I usually practice her videos in my dorm room at school when I don’t have time to go to a class at the fitness center and they are perfect to do in your backyard or in your house, while using safe social distancing techniques (6 feet bubble)!

On a daily walk with my sister! (I’m 6+ feet away from her.)

I saw my first groundhog recently while on a walk. Can you spot it?

Try to branch out from boredom by listening to new music, or tuning into free social media live-streamed digital concerts from your favorite artists.

Catch up on podcasts! For me Crime Junkie by audiochuck, The Long Distance Love Bombs Podcast by Dr. Jeremy Goldberg, and Press Send with Chinae Alexander by Dear Media are my favorites to stream on Spotify.

Catch up on some shows or movies!

Things I’ve personally been watching include:

Hulu: Dave, Little Fires Everywhere

HBO-Go: Euphoria, Ramy Youssef: Feelings

Netflix: On My Block, Night on Earth, Tiger King

Disney +: All of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Ice Age, Ratatouille

Social media cleanse! The rule I’ve been following lately is to unfollow any pages that does not inspire or motivate me, or if I don’t think I’d be willing to stop and have a conversation with someone in person, there is no reason why I would need to keep their life online, so I unfollow! Be picky about what you expose yourself to, it’s under-appreciated self care!

Side-note: The Spring 2020 AFROTC Det 157 patch design I collaborated with another Professional Officer Course (POC) cadet came back from production, so now we have a decal. I’m super excited about it (even if I won’t be able to physically have it until the Fall 2020 semester, @social distancing).

AFROTC Det 157 SP20 Semester Patch Design

Keep on keeping on folks, stay safe, wash your hands, cover your faces, and I will report back soon!

Checkride Season

Posted on April 2, 2020 by Eugene

What is a Checkride?

Here at Embry-Riddle, the flight portion of our degree for those majoring in Aeronautical Science requires us to complete the Private, Instrument, Commercial and Multi-Engine certificates / ratings. I have been working on my Commercial Single-Engine Certificate which will be added to my instrument rated private pilot certificate. Every rating or certificate you complete, you need to take a knowledge test and a practical test, known as the checkride. These checkrides can be completed with a check airmen (ERAU instructors) or a Designated Pilot Examiners (DPE) (FAA).

Commercial Pilot Checkride

If you are completing your commercial pilot training here at Riddle, you need to take the in-house checkride (oral and flight with ERAU check airmen) then you need to complete an oral and a flight with a DPE, known as the DE. By the time this post goes up, I will be waiting for my DE to get scheduled upon completing and passing my in-house checkride.

My In-house Checkride

My checkride was fairly straight forward. The oral portion went by rather quickly, just like every other oral checkride here at Riddle. I had about 3 observers who were also students on the commercial track, who wanted to observe my checkride before they have to go on their own. We are sometimes asked to take observers on our orals and flights to encourage backseat learning. After about 2 hours of intense briefing and questions being tossed around, I had passed my oral portion of the in-house checkride.

Couple of days later, I was put on schedule for the flight portion. It was a 2 hour and 20 minute flight on a hot, spring day here in Florida. Despite all the thermal bumps in the air and the extreme afternoon heat in our small cockpit, the flight went smoothly. The check airmen asked me to perform the required maneuvers, perform my landings in a small non-controlled airport near Melbourne and demonstrate my abilities to safely operate and conduct this flight. He was very helpful in guiding me in times when I was stuck on a question or occupied with maneuvering my way through other traffic.

Riddle provides these cool pins for every rating / certificate you earn!

Here’s a pretty neat visual on what my checkride looked like from the sky! (N430ER)

Checkrides in the Future

Now as I study and prepare for my “real” checkride, a DE with the Designated Pilot Examiner, I am heading back into self-quarantine surrounding myself with books, documents, study guides and other references to prepare myself.

For those who are hoping to become airline pilots in the future, you will start to hear a lot about checkrides starting with your very first Private Pilot certificate. You will start to hate everything about checkrides because they are the most daunting part about flying if you are not a big fan of examinations. Good news and bad news, you will be well prepared for every one of your checkride despite what your nerves tell you. Bad news, the checkrides will never end until you decide to retire at the age of 65 because airline pilots go on their “checkrides” every 6 to 12 months (depending on your company).

Stay safe and healthy everyone!

Spring Break & Schedule Changes

Posted on March 26, 2020 by Merrick

Happy March everyone! I am currently blogging from Northern Virginia, in quarantine for the n-th day, and WOW at the current global situation with COVID-19 currently afflicting the world…but honestly we should’ve left this one in 2019.

BUT FIRST, let’s flash back to the beginning of March when college students were about to go on Spring Break, COVID-19 seemed like a distant tragedy, and life only seemed stressful at average levels.

Greetings from Key West! Our postcard decal.

I spent Spring break with one of my best friends in Key West, Florida and even though it was still Florida, being on *basically* an island for a week was absolutely well needed. In the current situation, confined from the great public domain with a strict and paranoid 6ft rule of distancing from strangers, I am feeling greatly nostalgic of a week ago when I was happily soaking up sunshine and basking in the glory of constantly being sun kissed and barefoot with salt water hair and always a little bit sandy, despite all the showers I took.

A short lived windy bike ride to the Southern Most Point in the USA.

Being one with nature (currently reminiscing from inside my house).

Key West had an extremely casual, laid back, go with the flow atmosphere which is completely opposite of my usually very busy and structured life. During the last few days of Spring Break we got an official university communication email saying that Spring Break would be extended two days into the following week and online classes would be happening until early April. At first this sounded like a fantastic and fun idea, until reality set in when we returned. When we got back to Daytona Beach, stores were starting to run out of food, the media seemed to be spreading paranoia, and everyone was panicking. A few days later residence halls were vacating and I prepared to come back to Virginia as there was talk about canceling flights and limiting domestic travel across state lines.

Fast forward a week and I’m in a quarantined lifestyle with online classes until the end of the semester, metros shut down inside Washington DC, Uber and Lyft currently closed, and Amazon not delivering groceries anymore, yikes!

To be continued folks, will report back soon, COVID-19 updates are around the corner!

My Life @ Riddle

Daytona Beach Edition