Tag Archives: Classes

April 5

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It’s finally spring, and I couldn’t be any more excited. There is so much going on around campus that I can’t even keep up. I will certainly do my best to tell you about everything! First of all, Task Force One (TFO) is finishing up our duties and trying to get set up for the new students next fall. On March 27, we took part in Embry-Riddle’s Relay for Life. We set up camp on the ERAU track and stayed up walking all night. Even when it began pouring down rain we didn’t quit, and the rain made it even more fun. The ceremony was very meaningful, and the activities all night were tons of fun. ERAU raised tens of thousands of dollars for cancer research, and the event was a huge success.

Delta Upsilon is keeping me very busy as well. We have colony meetings every Monday where we have been getting a lot of things done to establish DU at Embry-Riddle. As an officer, I also have meetings on Sunday to get ready for the next meeting and upcoming week. Recently, Delta Upsilon took part in Collegiate Kindness Day, where we painted and worked all day. Although it was an early weekend morning, we had a good time and got a lot done to help the ArtHaus improve their facilities. We are also planning on participating in more activities this semester including Oozeball (mud volleyball), which I am very excited for. This past weekend, Touch-N-Go Productions put on their big spring concert. This year they brought the band Sugarcult to ERAU, and they were very good! You may know Sugarcult from their songs Memory or Bouncing off the Walls. They were pretty good live, and the lead singer was a really funny guy. TNG also brought two opening bands, Luna Halo and The Sleeping. Both did a good job, however Luna Halo was more my type of genre. The crowd got a little crazy and crowd surfing was common, but it was a fun experience!

I thought I might give you updates on classes as we are getting to the final stretch of the semester. MA112- We took our final midterm last week and I feel like I did very well. Collins knows how to teach Math and still have fun – a skill more Math professors need to attain. He knows his stuff and knows how to teach it to the students. This is definitely the best Math course I have taken in my life.

BA201- We are about to present our semester-long project this week in Business. We have been working hard to perfect our product and set up our mock companies. My company’s name is MoKurity, and we specialize in home security. The ten of us in the group have a lot of fun and have become good friends over the semester. This past Friday we painted the spirit rock in MoKurity colors and had a great time goofing off together.

PS142- Environmental Science is a great class. Professor Cabiac is passionate about science and has some great stories to tell. Some of his many stories over the semester have included chasing a squirrel into asbestos and a person smoking 12 packs of cigarettes and 5 cigars every day. He also has some great ideas about shipping nuclear waste into space, but feels the aliens might not appreciate it. However, he feels it’s “a risk we might have to take.” But all jokes aside, the class is never boring and I have certainly learned a lot about environmental science and the Northern Spotted Owl.

COM221- This class is A LOT of work. I have not had a class yet in college that requires this much writing, organizing, and researching. However, I am learning a lot and can sure produce a great technical document.

WX201- I am still doing well in this class and it is becoming much more interesting as we talk about predicting the weather and things such as tornados, hurricanes, and storm systems. I have learned a lot, and feel like I could give a decent forecast by looking at a few weather maps.

As this semester winds down I will be running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get everything done. However, being very involved and busy is great, and I love every minute of being in Florida. If you are coming down for Spring Preview day, you might find me hanging around the Oozeball courts or by the TFO information booth. If you see me, feel free to say hello. As always, if you have any questions send me an email and I will do my best to help you with anything!

Until Next Time,
Mack

February 22

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Hello everyone! I hope February finds you all well. Although I must say this all the time, my semester has been getting busier and busier. About two weeks ago, I was presented an opportunity to become a founding father for Delta Upsilon at Embry-Riddle. Delta Upsilon (DU) seemed to match my values and priorities, and I had to take advantage of this unique experience. The last two weeks have been packed with DU information sessions, recruitment events, and even a retreat. I have already made many new friends and learned a lot about what it means to be DU. This week, a slew of activities are planned, including the official colonization ceremony. I am excited to be a founding member of something I know will be great at ERAU.

Last weekend I had to make a trip back to Missouri. Although I had much to do back home, I did get to have some fun. I got to see my high school friends and also had some quality family time. Another thing I did was join in the excitement of Missouri Tiger basketball. All Mizzou fans are excited beyond belief (including me), as the team has broke into the top ten in the nation!!! Unfortunately, the one thing I didn’t have in Missouri was my luggage. Somehow, Southwest Airlines found a way to lose my luggage on a direct flight. Conveniently (sarcasm), it arrived one hour before I had to go back to the airport to fly to Florida. It was very annoying, but luckily I was able to make do with what I had left at my house. When I first decided on ERAU I was worried about the distance and not being able to go home often. I have quickly learned this is not the case, and I got to have a productive and fun trip.

Task Force One has been discussing and planning many things in our meetings. On Tuesday, we voted on an incentive activity as a reward for our hard work throughout the academic year. We have decided to go to a Japanese Steakhouse, followed by bowling, which I am really looking forward to. Also we have registered for the Relay for Life in late March. These activities will be here before I know it.

My classes are still going well. This afternoon I met with my company in BA201, and we went around town to interview people about our fictional product. We got some pretty funny footage, and had a lot of fun together. I think we will have a great presentation at the end of the semester, and I know I will have a lot of fun working with my group members in the coming days. In PS142 and WX201, I have more tests this week, which I am going to study hard for. And in COM221, I have begun researching for my big project, and I have already learned so much. Thanks for reading my journal, and please let me know if you have any questions!

Until Next Time,
Mack

February 8

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January is over, even though it feels like it just began. My first round of midterms is about over, as I have already taken big tests the past week in PS142, MA112, and WX201. I have gotten the scores back for two of the three, and I am pleased with the outcome. This week I will be continuing the round of tests as I take my first BA201 exam. I also received my semester-long assignment in COM221 last week: a 15-20 page research paper. Luckily, we have a group of 4 people who work together to complete the assignment, so I will not be doing it alone. I am still enjoying my classes and professors this semester, which is a good sign.

Last weekend was the Task Force One Super Bowl party in the Student Center. We teamed up with ERRSA to offer free food and drinks for anyone on campus, and Touch-N-Go provided their projector to view the game on the big screen. The event turned out to be extremely successful. We went through 40 pizzas in less than 20 minutes and had to order 38 more which arrived at halftime. The food was good, the crowd was large, and the game was very exciting. Although the Cardinals lost, I still had a lot of fun with my fellow TFO-ers at this event.

Last time I wrote, I spoke about the process in which I was partaking to earn a seat on the Student Representative Board. After making the final three I was invited to go to an SRB meeting and give a short bio on myself. Unfortunately, I did not do my best in the final stage, and I was not surprised to learn I did not get the open spot on the board. Although I was disappointed, I felt it was an honor to make it that far, and I learned quite a bit from the experience. The girl who received the position was very deserving of the award, and I support their decision in choosing the other candidate. With that said, I will still be involved with SGA and will hopefully get the position in the future.

On Saturday I drove a friend to the Orlando Airport, and since I was already there, I made a day out of it. Two friends and I hung around the airport, and got a few good pictures of the traffic coming in and out of MCO. After we left the airport, we headed to the Cheesecake Factory (my favorite restaurant) where we had an amazing lunch. The Mall at Millennia was our last stop before we headed back to Daytona. It was a great to spend a day away from campus and out of Daytona, and Orlando is the perfect place to do it.

These next few weeks will be quite hectic, but I am looking forward to having a lot of fun. The crowds are starting to pick up as we are only one week away from the Daytona 500. Also, I have expressed some interest in the new fraternity being brought to ERAU (Delta Upsilon), and I am excited to take the next step towards learning more about the organization and being involved with Greek Life. Among all of this craziness, I will also be taking a few days to fly back to Missouri, as I have a few duties at home. Remember if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Thanks for reading.

Until Next Time,
Mack

February 8th

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Hello again to all you readers out there! Let me just start this journal by saying thank you to all of the people who have sent emails with questions, and friends and family who are always chomping at the bit, waiting for me to post another journal. Things here in Daytona have been flying, and I couldn’t be happier with this semester’s turnout so far. Classes are still going fairly well and I am beginning to feel a little more at ease with the workload and overall expectations of what’s to come. I had two tests this last week, in Calculus and Physics, which I felt thoroughly prepared for and my performance was reflected in that. I scored very well on both tests and it was very pleasing to see the work I’d put in so far pay off. It has been freezing cold all this last week, but the good news is that it is supposed to be in the seventies during this entire upcoming week. I can definitely dig that! Walking to classes in the cold, especially at eight in the morning, is a real bummer – particularly when you are late so running through it is your only option. Nevertheless, I’m looking forward to warmer weather.

As far as student activities are concerned, I just have one thing to say about last week. Rush Week was a blast! All of the events were planned and organized very well, so it was nice to just be able to attend, have a great time, and get to know all of the brothers in Pike. I was able to attend all of the rush events, which included an “Invitation Only” dinner on Friday night, which was essentially for all of the men who received a bid to join Pike. We had a blast, and I am very happy with my decision to rush Pike. Besides Rush Week, there have been quite a few things going on in Daytona. We had the Rolex 24 race last weekend, then yesterday was the Budweiser Shootout, and all this coming up week is the Daytona 500 celebration leading up to the race on Sunday. It should be a lot of fun, but it will certainly be crowded. I headed across the street to the Volusia Mall yesterday, and was informed that I was being charged forty dollars for parking. I told the woman I just simply wanted to go to the mall, and she waived the fee. That seems like the start of a crowded and overwhelming week. I’ll try to stay on campus to avoid it all.

As I said before, my classes are at their stage where tests are beginning to start flying at me from all angles. I had two tests last week, and I have three tests this week. I feel fairly confident, but it is a little much all at once. Regardless, I’ll keep you updated as to how I perform. I am also looking into doing an internship in West Palm Beach working at the ATC Tower and TRACON (Terminal Radar Approach Control – basically the guys who handle all the departures after takeoff and arrivals before landing) facilities. I have completed all of the paperwork and have met all of the requirements to apply for the position, but I am required to wait until the first of March to go any further. However, I am excited about the opportunity nonetheless.

I hope you all enjoyed the Super Bowl. I am a Jacksonville Jaguars fan, so I really didn’t care who won the game. The Pikes had a get-together at one of the brother’s houses, so some of my pledge-brothers and I went and hung out. It was a great time, and an excellent opportunity for me to continue to meet more of the fraternity. Anyway, that’s all for now. I have an Air Traffic Management test tomorrow at eight o’clock in the morning. What was I thinking taking a class that early? At any rate, shoot me an email if any questions arise about Riddle or college in general. You can also find me on Facebook.

See ya!

January 25, 2009

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The Rolex 24 was this weekend and the good news is I didn’t have to work it! I got some homework done and hung out with some friends. It would have been nice to go to the beach, but the weather has been way too cold. Last Friday, I checked the temperature when I woke up and it was two degrees warmer back home in Illinois. I couldn’t believe it! One of the reasons I came to Florida was for the warm weather, so I hope that it warms up soon! People have been getting sick lately due to the weather and I hope I don’t catch it because I don’t really have time to get sick right now.

This past weekend we kicked off Relay for Life week with an Oozeball (mud volleyball) tournament on Sunday. I got to decorate the sidewalk with sidewalk chalk! I hadn’t done that since I was a little kid and I forgot how much fun it was! I even posted some pictures of my handiwork. We decided to do a Relay for Life week in order to get more teams signed up and get people excited about the event in March. There are activities planned for several days this week and it all wraps up at the basketball game on Friday night. I’m really looking forward to the actual event!

Last Wednesday, the officers of Silver Wings and Arnold Air got together to plan some joint activities and hopefully get the organizations together on some service activities. So far, we planned a social at the park one weekend, a trash clean-up on the highway, a joint meeting, and a beach bonfire are all in the works. The Activities Fair was on Thursday and I think Silver Wings will have a good turnout. I’m looking forward to NATCON (the National Conclave for Silver Wings and Arnold Air) which is where all the chapters and squadrons in a region come together. In fact, some exciting news is that I think I’m going to run with some people from our chapter for National Staff.

Classes are going well and my first tests will be next week. This semester has really made me realize the importance of time management. I’m trying to get as much done as possible each day so I don’t procrastinate and have to spend all weekend working on homework. I have decided on a topic for my Business Law paper—the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. I chose this topic because I was actually reading about it in my Corporate Finance book and I thought it sounded interesting. Basically, the act was created after the Enron scandal and attempts to make sure the firm’s financial reports accurately represent its financial condition. I thought it would be a good topic because there is plenty of information out there about it. I’m hoping to have the paper done before Spring Break because I don’t want to work on it over break! I’ll keep you updated on my progress and let you know how the tests go.

Field Training Preparation has been keeping me busy and with all that we do it’s almost like another three credit-hour class! It seems like every week there are two or three additional meetings, but I love being busy like this because it makes the week go so much faster. I have held two jobs within the flight already—deputy flight commander and deputy flight physical fitness officer. For the deputy flight commander job, I had to keep track of the attendance and for the other one I was in charge of Physical Training one day because the cadet who was supposed to do it was sick. I’m learning so much and it’s keeping me on my toes.

This coming weekend is the Super Bowl and I’m pretty excited because some of my friends have a 42’’ TV and we are going to make some homemade pizza and watch the game! I forgot to mention that I went to the Daytona Beach flea market on Saturday and found a charm with my name on it, spelled correctly, for my charm bracelet—it’s the first time I have ever found my name with the exact spelling on anything!

Until next time,
Kaleigh

January 13, 2009

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Well, hello to everyone out there! It has only been a week since I wrote my last journal but I sure have quite a lot of new things to share. Classes here at Riddle are in full swing and the days seem to be flying by faster and faster. So far, I really enjoy going to my classes, which is more than I can say about any of my previous experiences with school. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I always went to class and tried my best in high school and last semester in college. But I can’t say that I truly taken pleasure in attending most of the courses I have been forced to take. Here at Riddle, it’s different somehow. Even though some of the classes I am taking are pretty generic and specialize upon some boring topic, the professors here are top-notch and really know how to make the course material relevant and practical. For example, my calculus professor is an Aeronautical Engineer, so somehow he always finds a way to relate what he is teaching to aviation. He knows the specific ways how vectors and derivatives and all those fancy terms are used in the real world, which is reassuring to see that the topics aren’t completely pointless. That factor to the education here at Riddle is something that has really stuck out and shown me how this college separates itself from other universities.

In my last journal, I gave you my list of classes but unfortunately, they have changed. At least some of them have. As it turns out, the math classes I took prior to coming to ERAU did not line up with courses in the outline for my major. This was a huge problem because I had already spent two semesters trying to knock out my required maths, but all the money and time I had invested in those classes was going to be overlooked. Luckily, I was able to take to Math Placement Exam which basically evaluates your overall math skills and places you into the correct math class. After taking it, I placed into the math I needed to be in and I got credit for the math I previously took. So in the end, it all worked out. Also, if you read my last journal you will remember me talking about the pains of registering as a transfer student. Because I couldn’t register for my classes until I got to campus, all of the ATC courses were full. But as it turns out, there were several other students in my same predicament. The director of Air Traffic here decided to open up another class of the entry-level ATC class, and I was able to jump into it. Unfortunately, that class was scheduled at the same time as my Aviation Safety class so I was forced to drop Safety this semester.

Here are my classes now:

  • MWF 8:00-9:00 – AT200 – Air Traffic Management I – This class is the basic, entry-level air traffic control class. The professor was a controller for thirty years or so at Washington Center so he definitely knows his stuff. So far, we have only learned about the history of air traffic control in the United States. The topics are a little dull for the time being, but I’m sure the material will liven up soon.
  • MWF 11:45-12:45 – WX301 – Aviation Weather – This is the second class in the Meteorology sequence. To be honest, weather is usually my least favorite subject in all of aviation and I absolutely dreaded WX201. But, so far this class has been pretty interesting. The professor used to be the local weatherman for the news here in Daytona, so that is really neat. Also, this class is held in very state-of-the-art classroom with computer stations at every desk. This allows the students to pull up the professor’s Power Point lectures up at their own desks, rather than having to stare at a huge screen at the front of the room.
  • MWF 4:45-5:45 – PS103 – Technical Physics I – First of all, this class is really easy so far. I took physics in high school so I feel that I have somewhat of a strong background on this subject and that might be why this class has been such a breeze. The professor is an engineer and he is a little off the wall, but a pretty good teacher nonetheless. I feel that I will be pretty successful in this class and I have always liked physics so I am looking forward to what else is to come. There is also a lab for this class that must be taken as a co-requisite that I have Wednesdays from 2:15-3:15.
  • TTH 9:45-11:00 – MA112 – College Math for Aviation II – This is the second mathematics course in a two-part series, obviously following College Math for Aviation I (MA111). It is a technical calculus class, and so far we have just been reviewing what was covered in MA111 for students who did have not taken it but rather have either tested into the class as I did, or transferred to Riddle from other schools and have taken a course equivalent. The professor (Jan Collins) is absolutely hilarious and I would recommend him to everyone who takes MA112. Anyhow, I usually enjoy math classes and this one seems like it should be fun.
  • TTH 11:15-12:30 – BA201 – Principles of Management – I like this class probably the least of all of the classes on my schedule. However, it is necessary so I am trying to stay interested and I keep telling myself that the material isn’t as boring as it seems. This class is just as its title entails, a course teaching the basic skills required to succeed as a manager in the business world. The professor talks non-stop for the entire hour and fifteen minutes and we just sit there and listen, jotting down the important points of her lectures. Hopefully this class will become more interesting as time progresses. There is a group project in this class, so that might bring a little spice to the party.

Campus life here in Daytona has been a blast so far. My dorm mates and I have been doing all kinds of fun stuff. Last week, my Resident Advisor called a meeting for our section of our floor in Doolittle. The point of the meeting was to introduce the new people, a.k.a. myself and one other guy, who introduced himself as, “King Louie,” or that’s what we thought he said at the time. It turns out his name is Kang Luiz, and he is from another country. It was a pretty funny conversation. Anyhow, the other point of the meeting was to sign up for sports to compete in “The Residence Hall Olympics.” This event is a chance for all of the residence halls to compete against each other in different sports. Soccer and basketball were Friday night and football and track were Saturday. I was on our flag football team, in which we took the bronze medal! I was pretty excited. Sunday was spent recovering from running, jumping, catching, and throwing all day Saturday. My roommate and I were both really sore so we both just rested in our room and watched TV.

I have probably eaten Chic-Fil-A everyday last week and this week for lunch. And dinner usually is spent at the buffet over in the Student Village. I bought some cereal and milk so I can have breakfast anytime, too. Overall, the food here is pretty good. Although, because I am so new here and all of my dorm mates are Engineering majors, many days I am stuck eating lunch in the Student Center by myself. I’m sure as time goes by, that will occur less and less. There was a basketball game tonight, so that was a blast! We played Florida Memorial University and we won, but the game was back and forth for its entirety. That made the game that much more exciting, especially when we pulled out a victory.

Well that’s all for now. My mom sent me a special pot for cooking soup in the microwave, so I think I am going to make some ramen noodles in it. It looks like it is getting ready to rain too so I might go sit in the study lounge and do some calculus homework. As I said in my last journal, if anyone out there has any questions about life here at Embry-Riddle, just send me an email and I’ll be sure to answer your questions as best as I can. Later!

Josh

January 11

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Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a good holiday season. Mine was particularly busy, but I had a lot of fun. Right when I got back to Missouri, my friend and I decided to go to a St. Louis Blues versus Calgary hockey game. Although my beloved Blues lost, there was a lot of fighting and the two teams combined to score 9 goals. This excitement and intensity made the experience a lot of fun. A few days later I was lucky enough to also go to a Mizzou Tigers basketball game. Throughout the rest of my days in Missouri I was working, hanging out with friends, or spending time in St. Louis or Kansas City.

The day after Christmas, my mom and I went to see family near New Orleans, Louisiana. After a few days on the bayou, we went to their beach house in Pensacola. It was nice seeing my family and friends, and I never stop appreciating the nice weather in the South. Shortly after New Years, I found myself back in the Saint Louis airport on my flight back to Orlando. It all happened so fast and I had a lot of fun, but it’s good to be back.

The first three days of classes went very well. I think I am going to enjoy my professors and the material this semester. The only change to the schedule I had previously posted was a professor switch in Meteorology 201. I learned the first day of class that Barry was assigned to other duties and my new professor is Eicher. Here are some of my first impressions of my courses:

BA201- Hinebaugh is always energetic and a lot of fun. She has funny class rules, including singing “I’m a Little Teapot” if you are more than 5 minutes late. On Friday we were assigned to our companies (groups) and I am overall pleased with the members of the group.

PS142- I didn’t know what to expect from this class but so far it has been quite entertaining. Cabiac is loud and obnoxious, which makes the 8:15 course much more enjoyable. Although most people are taking Physics, I think I made the right choice by following more of my interests by taking Environmental Science.

I already had a lot to do this first weekend back. I took part in Volleyball during the dorm Olympics. My team lost in the first round but it was very close. I also got to attend another ERAU hockey game and basketball game. The hockey team BEAT the Florida Gators 6-5!!! It was an awesome game. I also made it out to the beach and swam in the chilly Atlantic. I have a few reading assignments to do to finish my weekend, but that is the extent of my homework. Thanks for reading, and let me know if I can help you with anything.

Until Next Time,
Mack

January 7, 2009

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Well hello to all out there!  Seems as though I was just finishing finals for last semester and here we are ready to start another.  To start, I’ll share a little bit about myself since I am a new resident student to Riddle.  My name is Josh Daily, and I am from the panhandle of Florida.  It’s roughly a six hour drive from campus, which is perfect; not too close to home, but not too distant either.  I was lucky enough to have an ERAU extended campus in my high school back home (Choctawhatchee Aviation Institute), so I was able to complete 18 credit hours of coursework for free while I was in high school. After high school, I attended Northwest Florida State College for last semester because unfortunately, I had to have surgery on my wrist forcing me to stay close to home.  In any case, I am here now!  I am an Air Traffic Management major here at the Daytona Beach campus.  I aspire to work in the ATC world in some way, shape, or form.

Transitioning into living at college could not have gone smoother for me.  I was really surprised at how well organized this whole operation is managed and run.  I had heard some horror stories from upper-classmen about the strains of housing assignments, registration, and adjusting to life on campus.  But honestly, the staff and students at Embry-Riddle are truly one of a kind.  I was assigned to Doolittle residence hall, and it took me all of five minutes to receive my keys and paperwork.  Before I knew it, I was all moved in!  I have been happy living in the dorms so far, and everyone seems to be really friendly.  From what I hear, Doolittle residents have some of the closest relationships due to the layout of the suites.  Eight students share a common bathroom facility here, which might sound terrible, but it’s really not bad at all.

Registration was probably the most painful part of the process, but it still took me less than thirty minutes.  Because I am a transfer student, registering for classes was problematic because some of the courses I had taken in previous semesters did not line up with the course outline here at Riddle.  On top of that, incoming students in the spring terms must wait until arriving on campus to sign up for their courses.  This situation presents the challenge of finding the courses you need, but digging to find ones that aren’t full.  For me, I wasn’t able to take any air traffic classes this semester for that reason.  But, the classes I did sign up for are needed in the long run, so no worries!  Speaking of classes…

Here’s my schedule:

MWF: SF210 Aviation Safety,  WX301 Aviation Weather,  PS103 Physics w/ lab

TTH:    BA201 Management,  IT109 Intro to Computers

Anyhow, classes start tomorrow and I’m really looking forward to this semester!  So far I have done nothing but goof around on campus and hang out with my newly found brethren of Doolittle’s 3rd East wing.  Food here is pretty good so far, and the meal plan set-up is quite neat.  Whether playing volleyball, tennis, or football, playing some Xbox in the room, or just simply walking around campus enjoying the weather here in Daytona, there seems to always be something going on.  I’m sure I’ll find tons of other activities to do outside my studies to keep me occupied while on my downtime.

Well, that’s all for now.  I’ll be sure to update as often as I can to keep all of you readers out there informed.  If anyone has any questions about academics, dorm life, or student activities just shoot me and email and I’ll be sure to respond as soon as I can!  Thanks for reading this and I hope to hear from all of you out there.  Be sure to let me know when you get your acceptance letters!

Josh
Daily539@erau.edu

October 6, 2008

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What an experience this has been. I think it’s just starting to sink in that I am in college now! I finally get to live my dream of becoming a pilot. The past couple of weeks were just simply amazing. As I said in my last post, I have started my flight training and it has been the best experience of my life. I am learning so much from my instructor and I have a blast during my lessons. Now I can’t take my mind of flying, I am so addicted. In my other classes, however, we are starting to get into the core of the course and the real heavy-duty work is starting to emerge. I already have a few big papers due and I am pretty nervous. I have to do a 7 page paper for my IT 109 (Introduction to Computers and Applications) class. I also have a 2 page paper due for my COM 122 (English Composition and Literature) class. I also took a few tests. Last Thursday, October 2, I took my first test in Pre-Calculus and today I had my second test in Private Pilot Operations. I have no doubt that I passed them!

Outside of school work, there is so much to do on and off campus. I am still involved with the newspaper, TFO and First Generation. First Generation had its first trip to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral this past Saturday October 4. I was unable to go but a few of my friends did and they enjoyed it! TFO is starting to get a few things started on campus. We are currently looking at ways we can gain more members and also ways in which we can fundraise. And as for the newspaper, The Avion, things are getting crazy! We are usually in the newspaper every Sunday from 1 till whenever, slaving to produce the newspaper for which our staff has won so many awards. Even though it consumes so much of my time, it’s a very rewarding experience and it makes you feel proud when you see your name in print. Apart from clubs, I and my friends have been to the beach a lot! We play volleyball, play on the sand and do some reading or just for fun, dig a hole and bury someone in it! Sometimes when we are bored in our rooms, we either play flight simulator or play musical instruments.

As for my roommate, he was trying out for the flight team. However his efforts did not earn him a spot on the team, but he does have the ability to go to practices if he wants. He is a little disappointed that he didn’t make the team but he now has time to get more work done and have a flexible schedule.

Even though I am having so much fun on campus, I still think about home a lot. I am starting to accept that I am away from family, and I realize it’s not a bad experience. Being far from home is teaching me a lot about being a responsible person and being able to take care of myself. I call home a lot and everyone there is so proud of me, and that motivates me every day to get up and get my work done.

I hope you guys are being successful in your college search. Don’t be a stranger, shoot me an email or an instant message and I will be more than happy to answer any questions you have.

Until next time!

September 22, 2008

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Hello everyone, it feels so good to be back at school and getting into the swing of things. This year is going to be filled with fun and excitement, as well as knowledge that will help me succeed in many years to come. I am finishing up my last year in college and teaching young students the wonderful world of flight, what more can I ask for? I love my life!

As a senior here at Embry-Riddle, I have already taken all of my general education classes, as well as most of my Aeronautical Science/Flight courses. Because of the fact that I received my private pilot license before I came to Embry-Riddle, I was able to obtain all of my pilot’s licenses by my junior year. This has allowed me to focus on my class work and gain an abundance of knowledge from teaching others how to fly. What an experience! This past year has been very rewarding, and I look forward to what my senior year will unfold.

This semester, I am taking my last five Aeronautical Science classes. It’s going to be a blast! These are the capstone classes of the program and they will provide me with the knowledge I will need to succeed in the professional aviation environment. These classes include Airline Dispatch, Aviation Safety, Flight Management Systems, Crew Resource Management, and Flight Technique and Analysis.

Airline Dispatch is the capstone course for a program we have at Embry-Riddle known as the dispatcher program. A dispatcher is someone that works for an airline who prepares all of the paperwork for a flight. Some of the paperwork includes the route of flight, a review of the weather along the flight, and filling out a flight plan. This is something great for a pilot to have, because if he/she is working for an airline and is suddenly unable to fly, you can turn to your dispatcher certificate. This is a great back-up plan to have in your pocket in the aviation industry. I have really enjoyed this program and it is very enlightening. Most of the required courses are already built into the Aeronautical Science program. You only have to take a few required electives to qualify to take the dispatcher exam. If any you are interested, see your academic advisor for details.

My next class is Aviation Safety. All I can say is WOW! Our professor was a Marine and Naval aviator with thousands of hours of fighter experience. He also flew F-4 phantoms in Top Gun! The stories he shares with the class are truly amazing, especially how he can relate it back to the subject matter. This is definitely one of my favorite classes here at Riddle. In Aviation Safety, we investigate previous accidents and talk about how to prevent them in the future. I look forward to what I will learn this semester from others mistakes.

Flight Management Systems is also a very interesting class. Here we learn how to operate all of the computer systems and autopilot in a Boeing 747-400. It is truly amazing how accurate the Aerosim program is to programming a real 747-400’s computers. We practice loading routes of flight into the system and flying simulated flights using the autopilot. Since most of the airline and corporate world is operated using autopilot, this is a very valuable skill to have.

Another useful skill I will learn this semester is how to fly an aircraft in a two pilot cockpit. Crew Resource Management teaches us the special skill of how to work together and provide the passengers with a safe flying environment. General aviation pilots need this training because we are used to operating an aircraft that requires one pilot. This skill works great in small aircraft, but once you begin flying large transport category aircraft, the workload in the cockpit increases tremendously. Therefore, you need to know how to divide up the duties in the cockpit in a safe, yet efficient manner. This class is going to provide me with this skill.

Finally, the last course I am taking this semester is Flight Technique and Analysis. This course is the capstone course of the entire Aeronautical Science program. It takes everything I have learned over the past 3 years and ties it together into one. We use the Aerosim program just like FMS, except we perform actual flight scenarios in a crew environment. We learn how to deal with emergencies, weather, and passenger problems. The flights that we will fly are identical to scenarios an airline would present to their new hire pilots. I am very excited to see how this course will tie everything together, and provide me with a means to succeed in the real world.

As the semester continues I will give you an update on each class and talk more about the wonderful world of flight instructing. Until then, stay motivated, work hard, and fly safe!