President’s Day Weekend!

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Maddie

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend – I sure did!

For my President’s Day weekend, I went to San Francisco! I left on Thursday evening after class (I had to miss my one Friday class but my professor was very flexible) and returned Tuesday morning. During my trip I stayed at a friend’s house. That’s one awesome thing about college – you meet people from all over and build cool connections, like being able to stay at their place!

The reason I went to San Francisco is because my boyfriend, Chris, is in the Air Force and goes to school in Monterey, California. Note: for those who are curious about long distance relationships, trust me when I say they are completely possible (I’ve been doing it for two years)! We loved the city so much!

Here is what we did –

Arrival at night: Chris came to the airport to come get me. He took a shuttle from the DLI (Defense Language Institute) to SFO and then we Ubered to In-N-Out!

Day 1: On our first day we went to Pier 39 and to the famous Boudin’s bread. We then took the ferry to Alcatraz and spent Chinese New Year in China Town! People were launching fireworks in the streets to celebrate.

Day 2: We woke up, got breakfast – which consisted of us putting our name on a list at one restaurant, then going to get a smoothie, avocado toast, and coffee all while waiting. You get a blanket when you eat some places too, which was a first for me! We then took a scenic route and walked to the Mission to get tacos and also saw Lombard Street (a super curvy road).

Day 3: I went to Union Square and the Westfield Mall. Chris and I love to eat. We travel by eating our way around the city! Every morning we try a new restaurant and coffee shop! We also had Pressed Juice and it was so good! Then I tried a charcoal latte, iced foam cappuccino, and a “make your own” tea blend machine! I also had super great toast with mascarpone and fruit – you’ve got to try it! We try to eat local and try recommendations from the people we meet or use Yelp. To get around, we use Uber Pool. This is a fun way to meet interesting people and it’s very inexpensive as long as you’re not in a hurry! It took about 20 minutes to get across the city but only cost about $5!

Day 4: Chris and I found a very cool breakfast sandwich place, got butter coffee (it’s actually really good), and then biked across the Golden Gate Bridge! On the other side of the bridge, we visited the tiny town of Sausalito. We toured the cute town and had really good Mexican food! Then we had to say goodbye and it was sad, but these trips are definitely worth it!

This weekend I went to Savannah, Georgia with Women in Aviation to tour Gulfstream! It was all paid for by the club and orchestrated by the school. Alumni gave the tours and bought our lunch! These opportunities are so amazing and unique to our university!

I encourage you to take any chance in college to take a break and explore! The nature of Riddle is that everyone is either at the beach, space station, or traveling on the weekends! Before you say college is too serious for trips, the week before my trip to San Francisco I had five tests, two quizzes, a paper, and a presentation. I was able to get A’s in all, so carpe diem!

Coming to a close

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Emmy

Hello again readers! Another busy weekend kept me from my computer, so I’ll have a few more updates this week.

I think everyone can agree with me that this summer has flown by (both figuratively and literally). It feels like yesterday I was up in Ohio competing at NIFA SAFECON and here I am now packing up my apartment to head back to the good old DAB. So this means that people are starting to leave and the internship program is coming to a close.

To celebrate all 190 intern and co-ops’ success this summer, Gulfstream’s Collegiate Programs put together an amazing evening of networking and celebration with many directors and Vice Presidents of the company. It was an evening of remembering where we were 4 months ago sitting in our first introductory training course to where we are now, pursuing our own projects and publishing formal documents and conducting real-life tests and evaluations to further product development. They had a slideshow of pictures that all of the interns submitted from their summer adventures at Gulfstream and in the Savannah area, so it was really interesting to see what else the interns did this summer. I wasn’t the only one to visit the Grand Canyon either which was awesome to see!!

But it’s amazing to compare your experiences with others. There were over 190 different Gulfstream summers experienced and we were all in the same room to share our stories and celebrate our accomplishments. I heard about intern positions that I didn’t even know about (did you know there was a Flight Ops internship?? I didn’t!! How exciting!) and different labs and office environments and schedules. It’s pretty amazing to hear about all of the diversity throughout the Collegiate Program and the company.

There was delicious food and good music and lots of people. It was very interesting to see all of the departments represented that evening. Departments I had never heard of and groups I couldn’t wait to learn more about. I spoke with Chief Pilots, Engineering Managers and Directors, and Company Vice Presidents. It was truly an honor to be able to represent our great university within such a prestigious group.

My favorite part of the evening was the promotional video that some students put together, about their time as an intern or co-op. I love seeing how different we all are, in our majors, schools, departments, and interests. However, the one thing we all have in common is a love for aviation and a love for Gulfstream. You can’t work for a company as dedicated to aviation without loving it first. If you don’t love what your doing and what you’re a part o, then how are you supposed to perform at your optimum level? It gives you goosebumps when you realize what you’ve been a part of, even as small as an intern. I know that my projects have helped further product development in one way or another.

Back to work for me (only 10 days left!) – until next time.

Blue skies,

Emmy

Working for Gulfstream

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Emmy

Now that ya’ll have some idea of what it is that I do as a human factors engineer, you might be a little curious to see what I do at Gulfstream – or what it’s like to work at Gulfstream.

For us Riddle kids and engineers, Gulfstream is a dream company. Everyone wants to intern there, get a first job with them. In the eyes of the students, it’s a competitive company to be selected for, with high requirements and qualifications. You have to stand out of a massive crowd to be selected for a position with Gulfstream. I know I’ve wanted to intern and work for Gulfstream since 10th grade and here I am!

Your first day at Gulfstream is a little overwhelming. You got through a morning of paperwork and briefing, pictures and group projects. At Gulfstream, there is a program called Gulfstream University, which basically teaches you everything you need to know about the Gulfstream culture before you actually start your job. You spend two days with them going over leadership plans, history of Gulfstream, what it means to work at Gulfstream, and general rules and responsibilities as an employee. Gulfstream is very thorough; you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into when you go through training. It’s a very serious company as well. They are very proud of the work accomplished and the work ongoing. Don’t forget, we create and deliver the finest aviation experience here at Gulfstream!

I wouldn’t say that the rules and regulations that you follow as an employee of Gulfstream are strict as they are necessary. At first you might think “well why can’t I do this?” or “why does this rule exist?” They’re there to protect us, the employees, and the company as a whole. I don’t want to make it sound like there are lots and lots of strict rules – there aren’t. It’s a very enjoyable experience to be able to work for such a strong, developing company.

From my previous posts, you know that Savannah is a beautiful city and there’s always something to do! Depending on where you live in Pooler or Savannah, the offices are really close. Easily within a 15 minute drive.

Now, each department is different, so I cannot speak on their behalf – only for HFE (human factors engineering). You will have to do presentations and write papers everywhere you go – it’s just part of the job working in industry. One thing that I’ve learned while I’ve been here is that when you’re really into a project you’re working on, you can easily lose track of time and end up working 2 hours of overtime. It happens, but all that means is that you love what you’re doing!

I can’t go into too much detail about my job, like what exactly that it is that I do, but I can tell you with the utmost confidence that I LOVE working for Gulfstream and I LOVE human factors engineering. It’s the perfect combination of my passion for aviation and a great challenge. I love it!

With only about 3 weeks left, it’s sad knowing that I’ll be leaving soon! Now, I’ve had a pretty abnormal summer for an intern, competing in two National flight competitions (NIFA SAFECON and the Air Race Classic), but if you only do the internship, it’s 13 weeks of the most fun you’ll have during your summers as an undergrad (or grad!).

Can’t wait to see what these last two days of the work week bring to my desk!

Until then, blue skies!

Emmy

Plane Spotting at CYUL, TNCM, and KDAB

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Nicolas

Looking at a plane in the air that just took off or is about to land is part of my daily life. Since I work at the airport, I see planes moving everyday. Even at the end of my first year at Embry-Riddle I never got tired and I would still look in the sky to see what kind of aircraft it was. Last week, I decided to go plane spotting after work.

In 2012, Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (CYUL) inaugurated the Jacques-De-Lesseps Park for plane spotting activities, the only official observation park in Canada. The park faces 9,600 feet runway 06R/24L. The thing I like about Montreal is that we have a lot of international carriers so I can have a variety of aircraft in my pictures. I like the Air Canada A320, but sometimes it is great to see other airlines that we don’t see very often in North America like Royal Jordanian and SkyGreece Airlines.

I like to see people watch planes even though they have no clue what type of aircraft it is. The airport installed a sign where it shows all the types of aircraft that flies in and out of Montreal. It indicates the shape of the aircraft as well as the number of passengers it can sit.

Last year during the Christmas break my family and I went on vacation to St. Maarten. The island’s airport (TNCM) is best known for its low approaches over the shore and Maho Beach. There are a few restaurants surrounding the beach with a perfect view of the approach. Here are some of the pictures I took when I was there:

KLM Boeing 747-400 a few seconds before touchdown.

The ‘Queen of the Skies’ flew over a crowded beach!

Wells Fargo Bank Gulfstream G550 over Maho Beach.

Wells Fargo Bank’s Gulfstream G550 over Maho Beach.

United Airlines Boeing 737-700 arriving from Newark.

In Daytona Beach, we also have great locations to see what is going on the runways. I enjoy going on the terrace of the Aviation Maintenance Science Building and the Flight Operations Center. I highly recommend to the new incoming freshman to go check it out. We don’t have a lot of commercial flights there but we do have a lot of general aviation traffic!

All the pictures in this blog were taken with my iPhone. Yes, I know it is not the greatest camera but it did the work. Below are some of the pictures I took in Montreal:

Swiss Intl. Air Lines Airbus A330-300 heading to Zurich.

Air France B777-200ER taking off from 24L. There are up to 8 daily flights between Montreal and Paris.

Delta Connection CRJ 700 operated by GoJet Airlines.

Air Transat Boeing 737-800 with new fuel efficient Split Scimitar Winglets.

I only have about two weeks left working at the airport but summer is not over yet. I have many things planned in the next weeks. In my next post, I will share my experience working in an aviation environment this summer.

Until next time!

Nicolas

NBAA Regional Forum: Great Success!

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Kyle

On January 30th I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the National Business Aircraft Association’s Regional Forum in Boca Raton, Florida on behalf of Embry-Riddle. The exhibitor area and static display ramp were sold out with over 80 vendors and 20 aircraft.

The exhibitor area was packed with vendors and potential customers alike, really putting a positive vibe over the whole event.

The advances in technology were at the forefront in the static display area with Cessna showing off its newest revision Sovereign aircraft alongside its TTx piston rocketship and Gulfstream bringing its G280 demonstrator. Turboprop aircraft were also shown off including a new Quest Kodiak, a Beech King Air 250, and the ever pleasing Piaggio Avanti II, rounding out the new aircraft contingent. On the technology side, FltPlan.com was there supporting their online and mobile flight planning applications and many vendors were selling new iPad and wireless capable apps for everything from flight and performance planning to inflight wifi. The ever changing technology is sure driving the revived business and general aviation markets!

Technological advances are really driving the business and general aviation markets as a whole. New flight deck systems such as this Garmin system in a new Cessna Citation M2 are not only making pilot’s jobs easier, but also making flights more safe and reliable.

The real purpose of traveling down to Boca was to interview five industry officials and get their take on the state of business and general aviation as a whole and maybe provide some insight into the future. First I heard from Gil Wolin of Wolin Aviation Consulting, a man that grew up in the back of his dad’s V-tail Bonanza and has been in the industry for over 70 years. He brought up the points that aircraft sales are up and that new aircraft are driving these numbers even higher, validating my point that new technology is again driving a prominent industry in a time of uncertainty. We then heard from Mr. Steve Johns, an aviation insurance broker from Michigan with over 25 years of experience in the industry. Mr. Johns spoke about insurance rates and that they are decreasing and have been for some time now, helping the unstable market in these times. Mike O’Keeffe from Banyan Air Service also spoke with us about FBO and aircraft sales being positive in late 2013 and early 2014, again showing good signs for our industry at the moment.

Check out the recap of the entire NBAA Forum in Boca Raton on our COB YouTube page!

To wrap this all up I just want to reassert that general aviation is such an important piece in the global economy. It isn’t only a thing of pleasure, it is a definite business tool for everyone from middle managers to top level management in all sorts of industries. Flying in an airplane is a true form of being able to time travel, something that people have been dreaming about for quite some time. Being able to travel anywhere quicker than the airlines, get closer to the destination you are really going to, and still have an office to work in with wifi connectivity makes business aviation a go-to answer for any sized company or family really. Thanks to organizations like NBAA, AOPA, and EAA and initiatives like No Plane No Gain, general aviation is on an upswing and might once again return to its glory days.

For more coverage of the NBAA event in Boca and other ERAU College of Business and aviation news, join me on the new COB Report video series on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/eraubusiness and view our newest video recap on the NBAA event in Boca Raton (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lmefabO_nI).

Happy flying,

Kyle

From the Cockpit Desk of Kyle Ludwick

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Kyle

In front of the Riddle AMS Gulfstream III.

Hey guys! Being a student at the world’s leading institution in aviation studies is quite the task, and also quite an honor. The experiences and opportunities that students get here are unbelievable and it’s awesome to be a part of it. Growing up as a kid I always wanted to have that big desk in the corner office, but my first love was flying, and here at Riddle I can pursue both! I’m an Aviation Business Administration major here at the Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach campus and also have my Commercial Pilot multi-engine and single engine ratings. Learning the “Business of Flight” here at the College of Business and juggling many other tasks makes life hectic, but there’s no other way I would want it. Many long days are put in as I am also a Student Government Representative for the COB, a COB Student Advisory Board member, and a student assistant in the COB Dean’s Suite. Like I said before, students at Riddle get some amazing opportunities, like the chance to tell all of you about my experiences through this blog. I hope you all enjoy it and continue following my journey through my junior year down here in Daytona Beach!

Kyle

Gulfstream Grandeur.

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Waverly

POSTION: Embry-Riddle

For those of you who don’t know, a Gulfstream III was recently donated to Embry-Riddle’s Aviation Maintenance Science Program! And if you didn’t know, a Gulfstream is my favorite type of (modern day) aircraft. We got the amazing opportunity to check it out today. Needless to say, I was a kid in a candy store!

Near the Embry-Riddle Maintenance Hangar, GIII

Getting my Gulfstream loving!

GIII

I was in a state of pure happiness. It’s moments like this that make all the hard work pay off – especially after having three tests! Sometimes it’s important to cherish the little things in life; details can be the most important things. The details that make you see how intricate life truly is. It’s important to realize how blessed we are in the midst of living a busy life. I ran out of the College of Aviation this afternoon completely stressing out over an upcoming test and saw this beautiful Gulfstream staring me in the face. Then it hit me.

GIII cockpit

We all get caught up in the ‘doing’ of life that we forget the importance of ‘being.’ This causes us to get caught up in the ugly part of life and forget the beauty. We worry, we stress, we overanalyze, we overwork ourselves because we feel we have to live up to this “status quo,” yet we don’t realize that we are forgetting to actually live. It’s not that a Gulfstream taught me this, the concept has been there all along. But the Gulfstream was definitely a reminder for me to stop and smell the flowers. Sometimes if we stop for a moment in the midst of all our rushing, we see the things that bring us those rays of sunshine we often miss. Yes, I was worried about a test, but I was discreetly reminded of why I am doing what I do in the first place. Fear defeated by pure faith. Those are the moments you don’t want to miss.

Me and Sojung under the GIII wing!

On a side note: October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month!

The following weeks are broken down as listed below:

Oct. 1-6, General online safety. Raises safety awareness among Americans.
Oct. 7-13, Mobile online safety & security. Focuses on the need to protect our safety regardless of when and where we access the internet.
Oct. 14-20, Cyber education. Gears toward the advances and opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education.
Oct. 21-27, Cybercrime. Works to display how people can protect themselves from internet crimes.
Oct. 28-31, Cybersecurity and critical infrastructure. Fixates on the necessity to protect our critical infrastructure.

In the Homeland Security Student Association (HSSA), we have been discussing the upcoming weeks and how to spread the news about the importance of Cyber Security. If you didn’t know, hundreds of thousands of cyber attacks happen in just one hour every day in many different countries! It’s extremely important to know how you are protecting what you do on the internet.

Life is such a gorgeous thing and in this case, it was complemented by a gorgeous airplane. Next time you find yourself anxious, worried, or unsure- just know that from those situations stem the greatest circumstances. Stop and smell the flowers every once in awhile.

It’s a beautiful life. Do it justice.

Blue Skies ✈

The Rungs of an RVR Ladder.

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Waverly

POSITION: Women in Aviation Conference in Nashville, TN

Well, I have now returned to school from an on-the-whim Spring Break trip back home to San Diego! As most of you know, I was fortunate to have a 10 day Spring Break and be able to attend the Women in Aviation Conference held in Nashville, Tennessee! Wow. I can’t even begin to describe how awesome of an experience it was. I was in aviator heaven. From Boeing to Gulfstream to Virgin Air to XOJet to AOPA to Walmart Aviation to Delta to United to FedEx to UPS to name a few.. I guess you could say I was a little overwhelmed. Meeting pilots and company representatives from all over the world was nothing more than humbling. Honestly, I never truly realized how much there is to aviation until I attended this conference.

Top Left: Boeing. Bottom Left: Gulfstream. Top Right: FedEx. Bottom Right: WAI Main Booth.

From banquets, to FedEx chocolates, to having lunch with the Women in Aviation Chapter from Ghana, Africa, to Women in Corporate Aviation and Setting Your Stage for Success meetings, to just spending time with the girls in the Women in Aviation Chapter here at ERAU, this was an experience that I will take with me for a life time. Walking into the main Exhibit Hall at the Opryland Resort Convention Center, there was this overwhelming feeling I had- like I was a part of a family. Ok, ok, maybe that sounds weird, but there’s just this sudden connection you seem to have when you know everyone that possesses the same interests are all in the same room as you. I met some incredible and inspirational women and left with stories that I will take with me throughout the aviation world for many years to come. There’s this incredible ladder called aviation and I’m loving every moment in climbing it.

Embry-Riddle’s Booth at the Women in Aviation Conference

Spring Break back home in San Diego, CA

I got to spend a great deal of time with family and catching up with my beloved city. Not to mention- real Mexican food! I miss home, but it was definitely fun running around being a tourist in my own town for the week I was back. Now it’s time to finish out these last 4 weeks strong!

While being at the Women in Aviation Conference, a quote that I read on the plane ride home from BNA back to SAN struck me: “It’s better to be at the bottom of the ladder you want to climb than at the top of the one you don’t” – Stephen Kellogg

I immediately thought, ‘Wow. I don’t think I could have read that quote at a better time.’ Whether it’s through a job or getting a degree, we’re all climbing a ladder, but only some of us are climbing the ones we truly want to climb. Some of us climb ladders because others expect us to or it is the one that has simply presented itself in front of us. Whether it’s parents, friends, or society who tells you what ladder to climb- I want to know: are you climbing the ladder for yourself, or others? Let’s take a detour; in aviation terms, RVR is a means of visibility (Runway Visual Range). It is the distance which the pilot of an aircraft on the center line of the runway can see the runway markings so the plane can be landed in safe visibility. Some of us can see a reward at the top of our ladders so we quickly and eagerly climb the rungs to get the trophy; the job title, the degree. Yet we don’t see that starting a journey in and of itself is a reward we have already proclaimed. It’s not about the ultimate satisfaction at the end, it’s the juiciness inside the middle of the sandwich. RVR is great, don’t get me wrong, and you may be able to see the end of a certain ladder, but that doesn’t mean it’s yours. Your ladder may be scary, tall, frightening with minimal visibility as to what is at the top. Let that fear be your reassurance, because once you take that first step, you will open up a world of reward that you could have never imagined and I can guarantee you that nothing is more exciting than following not your parents, not your friends, not society’s ladder laid out for you, but rather your own. Trust me. It’s much taller.

To the starting end of the semester and my first year in college –

Blue Skies.

✈

My Life @ Riddle

Daytona Beach Edition

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