When you have an internship in the Summer, it usually starts soon after your Spring semester classes end. However, the time in between these things is often forgotten even though, at least in my opinion from my own experiences, it is very important.
This year I took about 2.5 weeks “off” between these things. Many things happened during this time including packing up my dorm, moving out of my dorm, putting boxes at home, unpacking some, repacking suitcases for the Summer, remotely finishing up some research work, and then visiting some family for 10 days in Hawaii and California.
During previous Summers, my “in-between” time consisted of around 24-48 hours to pack, unpack, and move around before work. Not only was this a bit stressful, but I also found it incredibly useful to take a break between school and internship work. As a ‘rocket nerd,’ I love my school work and internship work but quickly figured out that lack of breaks (even tiny ones) can lead up to a larger feeling of burnout at a later point. Having the time to move out, pack/unpack things, and spend time with friends/family can give a certain part of your brain a relaxing time to focus on different types of things which will actually help you better function at work and look forward to the next semester even more. It is also nice to have at least a day or two when you move into your internship home to get settled in, organize, buy groceries, and more so that after work you can work on other things, call family/friends, participate in hobbies, socialize, or even just relax after a productive day.
Overall, this “in-between” time, although often overlooked, is essential to success in your life and career. It should be cherished and planned out well. This Summer is the first one in which I truly did this, and I can already see how much it has helped. I’ll leave you all with some pretty pictures from my family travels during my own “in-between” time and next time start to go into more about my internship! Happy Summer and safe travels!!
One picture taken while driving around Oahu.Another picture taken while driving around Oahu.I found a stick fishing pole among the fancy ones!
The Spring 2023 semester and my junior year has officially ended! A lot happened this semester, so I thought that I would summarize it here.
I took a few different classes this semester: CEC 315: Signals & Systems EP 391/391L: Microcomputers & Electronic Instrumentation Class/Lab EP 394: Space Systems Engineering ME 200: Machine Shop Laboratory SYS 560: Introduction to Systems Engineering Management
Compared to previous semesters, this one was pretty light class-wise. CEC 315 was a great class with very useful topics and a great professor. The class had no deliverables other than two midterms. The second exam/midterm was not technically a final exam, so it did not happen during ‘finals week’ which really helps to spread the load out for many people. The professor is also very reasonable with exam questions, grades, and lecture material in general, so the midterms were not too stressful. EP 391/391L was definitely more of a challenging class, but the final project was a great way for students to combine things learned during the semester. There were some exams towards the beginning of the semester, but no final exam. The final project was only given during the last approximately two weeks, so there was definitely a ‘crunch time’ there. However, the product was great. My team designed a device that would basically use serial communication, a stepper motor, and LabVIEW amongst other tools to follow a light source and output live graphs with information such as temperature, battery voltage, and device angle. EP 394 is mostly a project class. We still had weekly lectures on topics ranging from control systems and class mechanics to spaceflight dynamics and orbits with mini quizzes, but our main grade stemmed from our project. We had free reign to choose our space-related project topic and our group, and then any resources we needed were provided by the Physics department and lab. This class also took into account that many of our projects were large endeavors and could only get a certain amount done within a semester. Overall, lots of work, but it was super rewarding, fun, and the grading scale was very reasonable. My team was designing a floatable platform that would use a camera for vision processing and microthrusters to control and test and vehicle with a control system that could be used for satellite attitude control in space. We received a very good grade for our progress including simulations, CAD models, vision processing code, communication systems, and pneumatic systems among a few things. ME 200 was very fun. Grades were purely attendance-based, and this was something I never wanted to miss. It was once a week for about 2-3 hours and consisted of learning then doing all sorts of things like riveting, drilling, band saw usage, and more. SYS 560 was a good class. I was taking this one to count towards my masters degree. No big exams were given, just about one homework per week, some in-class activities, and a final project. The final project was not too large, and it combined what we learned fairly well. We basically had to draw out a schedule plan for eight different programs with overlapping resources to be finished as efficiently and quickly as possible.
EP 391 Final ProjectCAD Model of EP 394 Final ProjectSetup for a ME 200 Project
Overall, it was a good semester! I am writing this from a location (TBA in the next post) where I am visiting family before my internship begins. A few days ago, I also finished up my research job remotely and plan to find out what my next research project (for next semester) will be over the Summer. For now, I’ll end this here and save my next blog post to tell more about what I have been doing since the semester has ended and things to expect this Summer!
Well, finals week has come upon us at ERAU, and like other students, I’ve been studying my free time away. As an engineering major, a decent chunk of my grade relies on my final exam performance. Luckily enough for me, I’ve worked hard all year so I’m striving for a good grade rather than a “can I pass the class?” grade.
But before we get into that, how about the quick story of the $400 meal I ate? Hundreds-of-dollars meals are relatively common at ERAU, surprisingly. I haven’t noticed this anywhere else, but it’s really not due to the price of food here.
It’s due to the airplane rental cost.
So, a few little airports have restaurants right on the airport, catering to pilots as a “fly-in” restaurant. So instead, on the Sunday before the last week of classes, Chris and I ended up at the Pyper Kub restaurant in Williston, FL. It has pretty good food and a pretty good price, but the “$400” bit comes from the aircraft rental and the time flying out there and back.
We didn’t end up renting an ERAU plane but instead rented it from Air America, one of the flight schools in the area. Around this time last year, Chris was practicing for his commercial pilot checkride, but since then he’s earned his commercial pilot certificate and multi-engine add-on. Now he’s preparing for his CFI (certified flight instructor) checkride which means more practice and more flights for me!
ERAU from the air. Looks small, doesn’t it?
Williston, Florida is west of Ocala and it was an hour or so flight (compared to two hours of driving). We left around 10 AM in the morning, ate lunch, and then did a few touch-n-goes in the pattern at Williston. After Chris was done, he headed over to the Crescent practice area which is a common practice area for Riddle students. The maneuvers (in my non-expert opinion) were similar to those he did on the commercial checkride, but he did it from the right seat. (Traditionally, students sit in the left seat of an aircraft where the instructor sits in the right- until you do your CFI stuff when you become the instructor in the right seat.)
Since I’m not a pilot I don’t really know a whole lot about getting your CFI license, but I do know a lot of students go into that pathway before heading to the regional airlines. The other option that I see students do is flying small cargo gigs, but the vast majority of students become instructors at Riddle and surrounding flight schools.
We came back and then it was a start of a long, studious week for me. April 24 marked the last week of classes, with Friday being a study day before finals began on Saturday, paused for Sunday, and resumed Monday through Wednesday. I have four finals this year: Aerospace Structures I, Space Propulsion, Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics, and Aerospace Engineering Materials. I have two other classes, but one is a lab and the other is the lecture that goes along with the lab, so I don’t have any finals from those.
I’m also a TA for an EGR 101 class, so I also ended up helping students in the engineering makerspace lab while they completed their final projects. I saw a lot of super cool projects, from a Rube Goldberg machine to a balsa wood glider, and then watched the teams present on Thursday.
Classes being over, especially in the summer, is kind of bittersweet for me. It means the summer is starting (and so will my internship soon!) but also that my best friends won’t be just a short drive (or even walk!) away. I’m moving out of my current apartment and into another apartment with a couple of friends, so I know next year will be fun. It’s hard to believe that I’m going to be a senior next year. I’m both ready to graduate and not ready to graduate- I’m excited for my first permanent engineering job, but definitely not ready for all of the adult responsibility that comes with it. I like living in the college bubble- I’ve got a lot of freedom but not too many responsibilities. And with that, I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!
It is officially May and my first semester of graduate studies has come to a close. The last 6 months have been so eventful, but so enriching in many different ways. I can’t wait to tell you about the last 6 months of my life!
Over the Spring 2023 semester, in addition to working at the Admissions Office and as a blogger, I got the opportunity to work as a graduate student assistant for the College of Business, partaking in different campus-wide events. I was able to continue to serve as the President of the Society of Women in Space Exploration (SWISE) Embry-Riddle chapter, promoting diversity and women empowerment in the field of STEM and space exploration through our outreach and meetings. SWISE attended beach cleanups, tabled around campus, and attended the E-week awards ceremony at the College of Engineering where we were awarded a plaque for our continued efforts in the fields of diversity, equity, and inclusion. I also had the opportunity to enjoy time with family and friends more than ever! It seems like the busier my schedule has gotten, the more organized my life gets…
SWISE E-Week Awards Ceremony Spring 2023College of Business Beach Cleanup
There were so many other cool opportunities this semester including volunteering to table at the Graduate Programs table for the College of Business, presenting to the New Smyrna Public Library about the ARTEMIS program, and continued work for Sidus Space in Cape Canaveral.
Sidus Space got to honor one of our employees at the We Venture Women Who Rock Awards Ceremony. It was a nice luncheon that showcased all the awesome women in all sorts of different lines of work who were nominated!
Earlier in the semester, I attended one of the astronomy open house nights at the College of Arts and Sciences. My friend and I attended the public lecture where we got to see an hour-long presentation from SETI’s Seth Shostak about alien exploration in the universe. We also got to head over to participate in cool STEM arts and crafts, as well as look through the 3-meter telescope on the 5th floor!
I got to spend time with my family and friends too. I ran a St. Patrick’s Day 5K race in New Smyrna with one of my best friends and then got to enjoy pizza while doing homework!
Being an alumni is an honor, but I am even more grateful that I get the opportunity to continue my education as a dual Master’s student pursuing my M.S. in Systems Engineering and an MBA simultaneously. I received an alumni package in the mail that was a nice gesture and testament to my legacy at Embry-Riddle. I am so grateful to be on such a beautiful campus!
As many of you might know, I graduated Magna Cum Laude with my B.S. in Spaceflight Operations in December 2022. It was a beautiful ceremony that I will never forget, honoring all the hard work I put into my undergraduate degree. I know this graduation was only one more in the books of many still to come.
My last bit of good news (for now): over Christmas break and into the new year, I got engaged! It was on Christmas day in front of our friends and family. It was such a beautiful surprise and the perfect end to my year!
Wow! What a jam-packed semester. I made Dean’s List, passing both of my classes and having a 3.5 GPA. I am so excited for more adventures in the Fall semester. I am already looking into Ph.D programs, like MIT’s Ph.D in Astronautics and Aeronautics or Stanford University’s Ph.D in Astronautics. This year has been great so far, now time for a fun, relaxing, and much-needed summer break. My fiance and I are headed to Orlando in 2 weeks for a 4-day Disney vacation. I got our Disney tickets discounted through the university. It pays to be a student employee! Also, I will be working full-time for Sidus Space while continuing my research on radiation shielding and preparing to present at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2024 (fingers crossed)!
Disney tickets for May 2023 from Embry-Riddle’s ICI fitness and recreational center
I am so grateful to be an Embry-Riddle student with so many awesome opportunities still to come. Cheers to the summer semester, no matter if you are pursuing classes, working, or just relaxing on vacation half the time. Everyone deserves a relaxing break… Reach for the stars!
Hi, everyone! I thought I would begin by introducing myself! My name is Isabella DeLorenzo, and I am currently finishing up my junior year as an Engineering Physics major here at ERAU with a concentration in Spacecraft Instrumentation. I have two minors in Applied Mathematics and Electrical & Computer Engineering. I also am participating in the accelerated masters program for my M.S. in Systems Engineering with a concentration in Engineering Management. That means I can begin work on my master’s before I finish my undergrad degree!
I do a few things around campus. For starters, I will start to blog here regularly! You can expect some updates on class projects that I am working on, my life over the Summer as I intern at SpaceX, elaborations on different things I’m involved in around campus, and more! (Definitely open to suggestions on topics if anyone would like to know about anything in particular.) I am also a member of our SWE Chapter and the Project Manager/VP for our Women’s Baja SAE team. I have another student job on campus as a researcher for the Systems Engineering department working on FAA-related projects. In addition to these, I have recently accepted a position as the COAS Student Council Chair of Engineering Physics.
Me in our Baja car during the Activities Fair in Fall 2022Me with our Baja Treasurer/Ergonomics Lead, Annabelle, during an RSO dinner at President Butler’s home in Fall 2022Me in Starbase, Texas at my job in front of older iterations of Starship in Summer 2022
I am originally from St. Augustine, FL; born and raised not too far from the Embry-Riddle campus. I have always had a fascination with space. I feel like part of what keeps me going every day is a drive to learn as much as possible about the universe we live in (and the multiverses beyond that if you subscribe that theory). It’s hard for me to say when that curiosity started because it was so early to be honest. It originally manifested as me setting alarms to wake my dad up in the middle of the night to watch meteor showers that I would map out months in advance. Then, I wanted to be astronomer. THEN, one day, I discovered electronics and engineering and the possibility that there HAD to be people designing the rockets I started to see launching more often. To me, as a kid, those rockets were miraculous wonders that held the possibility to learn about literal out-of-this-world concepts, improve life on Earth, and expand humanity beyond our planet. So, I determined that I would be a “rocket engineer” and do everything in my power to dedicate my life to pushing the space exploration industry as far as I could. During this journey, I found other passions like sharing my excitement for STEM with children, teaching others, production management, programming, designing electrical systems, space law, and much more. I also found Embry-Riddle, where I am now, and I look forward to sharing more of my journey with you all!
Well, if you’ve been following the blog it seems like I’m always doing something exciting. ERAU does have a lot of excitement going around but sometimes nothing special happens. So here’s what my life looks like on an average, uneventful week.
MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, AND FRIDAY CLASSES: I have three Monday/Wednesday/Friday classes and one Wednesday-only class. These classes are 50 minutes long each day and classes start on the hour with a 10-minute break in between. I have Aerospace Structures 1 (AE 318) at 10 AM, Space Propulsion (AE 414) at 1 PM and Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics (AE 426) every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and then Experimental Aerodynamics (AE 314) on Wednesdays at 3 PM.
TUESDAY AND THURSDAY CLASSES: I have one Tuesday/Thursday class that I’m enrolled in, one I’m a TA for, and one Thursday laboratory class. Standard Tuesday/Thursday classes are an hour and 15 minutes long and have a 15-minute break between classes. I have Aerospace Engineering Materials (AE 316) at 5:15 PM, TA for the mechanical engineering Introduction to Engineering (EGR 101) class, and Experimental Aerodynamics Laboratory (AE 315) on Thursdays from 2:15 to 5 PM. The laboratory classes are much longer than the standard classes to ensure enough time to perform assigned experiments.
When do I eat lunch? Really, it’s whenever I want to. On Monday/Wednesday/Friday, I have two 2-hour gaps and usually eat around 12 PM. On Tuesday/Thursday it’s typically the same. Sometimes I’ll bring my own lunch and sometimes I’ll buy lunch on campus or get it with a friend. It depends on my day- sometimes I’m swamped with work, and other days I have time to relax.
Aside from my classes, I have several activities that I’m involved in. On Tuesday nights from 7-8, I have an Aerospace Engineering Student Advisory Board (AESAB) meeting. I’m currently the public relations officer, but I was elected President for the next academic year (Fall 2023 and Spring 2024). The AESAB is the official liaison between the AE department and the student body, and we try to host semesterly events like Cookies and Comments and the AE Town Hall for students.
On Wednesday nights at 6:30, I attend meetings for the Society of Women Engineers. The meeting on 4/12 I went to was the Town Hall and election results meeting, where I found out I was elected as the next Professional Development Chair! While that means I won’t be on the IGEW committee anymore, I’m excited to begin working as the Professional Development Chair and helping other SWE members achieve their professional goals.
And finally, on Friday nights, I am in charge of the Women’s Ambassadors call session. I’m one of the two Co-Coordinators of the program, which is similar to a manager position. I chose to host call sessions on Friday nights, and that’s when the Women’s Ambassadors reach out to accepted students to be a friendly face on campus before they even start. Sometimes instead of a call session we have a general meeting (once per month) where we talk about updates and news.
So clearly, there are still gaps in my schedule- what do I do?
Well, that really depends. Sometimes I’ll do homework if the period is longer than 30 minutes to an hour, and other times I’ll take a break to relax or do quick work. And by “quick work” I mean things like sending emails (or replying to emails!!) or sending people information about a club/organization I’m in. It also depends on where I am in the academic year- if it’s a time that’s a little more stressful, I’ll probably be doing more quick work and less relaxing, but once those periods pass it’s more relaxing and less quick work.
Being involved, at least for me, depends on time management. If you’ve got good time management and good study habits I see no reason why you can’t be involved in a lot of things, even as an engineering major. Maybe I’ll see you at some future club meetings, and if not, I’ll see you in the next post!
Over the past weekend Blue and Gold Week started, and of course, there was a carnival just like last year. However, instead of a comedy show, the entertainment division of ERAU (called Touch-N-Go) decided to host a music festival called Eaglepalooza. It featured four national artists , Social House, Chase Bryant, and Desiigner) and three local bands (DJ Hot Fiya, SPF 50, and Paper Doors) and took place simultaneously with the carnival.
The carnival started at 2 PM, but I ended up getting there around 3. The disadvantage of going to the carnival during the daytime is that it was extremely hot. They had a couple of different rides than last year, so I went on the new ones before heading inside for a Starbucks.
After that, I decided to go see Social House playing on the main stage. I sat in the shade of the fitness center, which is where most people were, but a few dedicated people chose to be up front near the stage. I was relaxed enough in the shade, but eventually got hungry and went back to my apartment for dinner.
Social House performing at Eaglepalooza.
I came back to the concert around 7:15 just in time for the final local act, Paper Doors, to perform on the second stage. By then the day had cooled off and the sun was setting, so a lot more people had come out to watch. Paper Doors is also a pretty popular band- they’ve played various shows around Daytona and the surrounding area- and the turnout is usually good.
Paper Doors!
I was close to the front and noticed that a few people had decided to watch from the Starbucks balcony. It was much less crowded than the area in front of the stage, but still cool to see. Paper Doors played for almost an hour and did a song with another local artist, Ani, and everyone was having a great time.
After that, there was a 15-minute break before people piled in to go watch the final concert of the night, Desiigner. It was definitely an experience- there were rows and rows of people, and to me it looked like the most popular concert.
When Desiigner came on, his microphone was turned down a little too low, so people were yelling and trying to tell him that we couldn’t hear. There were some people around me who were holding up their phones with a sign, but it ended up being backwards and saying “hear can’t we” instead of “we can’t hear.” Eventually word reached the front of the stage (where I assume everyone could hear perfectly well) and the volume was cranked up.
The concert was super fun but really loud, so I was glad that I brought earplugs. I could feel the sound from the giant speakers and can only imagine what people directly under the speakers were feeling. I love the events that Touch-N-Go puts on and I’m excited to see what will happen next. In the meantime, I’ll see you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!
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!
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.
GameTime!
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!
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!
