Freshmen Year in A Bottle

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Adam

Hey there reader, if you are an incoming freshmen or just curious what college life is about as a freshman, you are in luck. Throughout this blog i will go over the entirety of my freshmen year, tips and more.

So if you do not know so far I am a freshmen currently attending Embry-Riddle in Prescott, Az. I am involved in Air Force ROTC and hope to fly some day soon. First i will go over some FAQ and need to know stuff.

FAQ:

Q: Is college difficult? A: Yes & no. The biggest thing i see an issue with is time management, revolving your life around classes and study time. The first year is almost always set at a good pace for a freshmen to begin learning and taking on responsibilities, But it is still just as easy to be lazy.

Q: Do you have enough spare time? A: Yes, as a normal college student i have plenty of time, all most too much…that is as a freshmen so far…but I am involved in AFROTC, honor guard and have an on campus job. Yet i still manage to go to the gym and have a life.

Q: Should I worry about an internship as a freshmen? A: No, about your sophomore/junior year you should look into them.

Q: How is having a roommate? A: Awesome and sometimes irritating. Having a roommate is great, My roommate and I are now pretty close friends. But i have to say, after a whole year you really start to appreciate having a room to yourself.

Q: What Should I Bring to college? A: Necessities! The biggest pain I have right now is packing to go home because I brought to much stuff that I didn’t use.

I hope those Helped, if you have more feel free to ask.

One thing most people do not realize is the resources they have. Utilize them, things like the main office, admissions office, an RA, neighbors and your professors are there for you.

Now freshmen year was great, i have a lot of great memories from it. From Air Force ROTC events to meeting awesome new people and clubs. I definitely feel like i made the right choice coming to Embry-Riddle Prescott campus to start my career as an engineer, especially with the best Air force Det. in the U.S. I couldn’t have made a better choice.

From the late night study sessions to the late night kick backs, and the early morning PT

sessions to the finals, the years go by pretty quick so hopefully you too can make a good choice and start a great career.

Thanks for reading.

Aircraft Accident Investigation: One of the coolest Safety classes available!

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Jason

Have you ever wondered how the NTSB investigates aircraft accidents? Or what happened to cause the aircraft to crash? If so, then SF 330 (Aircraft Accident Investigation) is the class for you! I just completed this class as part of my safety minor, and I am definitely glad I took this class.

The entrance to the Robertson Aircraft Accident Investigation Lab at ERAU Prescott.

Among the great knowledge that we learn throughout this course, the best part is that we get to spend time in the best Aircraft Accident Investigation lab in the nation! Led by our fearless leader Professor Waldock, SF 330 easily captures your attention and interest since day one. Professor Waldock is one of the greatest professors Embry-Riddle has. He is a prominent figure in the Aviation Safety industry and is highly respected as an aircraft accident investigator. The knowledge he shares with the class is invaluable because most of it is from his personal experiences. Time flies when in Professor Waldock’s class, as his stories bring the material to life! You should already want to take the class just to have Professor Waldock teach your class!

One of the numerous accidents in the crash lab.

So what do we learn? Literally everything that you need to know about how to investigate an accident. From impact patterns to determining power settings by looking at a propeller, from fire investigation to on-scene analysis, we cover it all. We put all our knowledge from the course together for our final project in which we get assigned a real accident in our crash lab to investigate. My group was given a Cessna 208B Caravan accident to investigate. Below is a picture of the accident we had to work with (click on the picture for a larger view).

The mangled cockpit of the Caravan.

Through our investigation, we determined the aircraft departed controlled flight as it was climbing, lost airspeed, stalled and entered into a flat spin to the right that resulted in 9 fatalities. Why did it do that? I’m glad you asked! The aircraft was trying to climb above IFR conditions, but flew through moderate icing at it was climbing to 17,000′. The airframe started to accumulate ice, which resulted in the loss of airspeed sufficient to maintain a climb. Due to the loss of airspeed, the wings stalled, and the aircraft immediately entered into a spin to the right due to the high weight of the aircraft and near-aft limit of the Center of Gravity (CG) (resultant from an incorrect weight and balance that was done too fast). The pilot did not execute a proper stall/spin recovery and the aircraft impacted the ground with approximately 100+ vertical G’s and killed the pilot and 8 occupants.

The wreckage as viewed from the right wing

There is more information I could write, but for the sake of reading, that is all I will put about the crash. If you want more detailed info, either leave me a message, or take SF 330 (Aircraft Accident Investigation) when you come to Embry-Riddle! Trust me, you will not regret your decision!

My Summer Plan: Interning with Alaska Airlines

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Jason

This summer I think will be the best summer yet. Why? I accepted the opportunity to intern with Alaska Airlines working under the Chief Pilot! I am absolutely enthusiastic about getting my internship because it has been my dream of mine to work for Alaska Airlines as a pilot since the age of 4. I know I will not be a pilot for them on this internship, but this is certainly a HUGE first step in the right direction towards that goal.

Where will I be? I will be in Alaska Airlines’ Flight Operations building located on the south east end of the SeaTac airport in Seattle, WA. What will I be doing? I will be assisting the Chief Pilot, the Manager of Flight Operations, and other Flight Operations employees with tasks, projects, reports, and presentations. I am not 100% sure, but I might get to run the aircraft simulators too! I will also be working with another Flight Operations intern in Technical Publications to accomplish various projects that might include some business travel. After talking with the Manager of Flight Operations, he said their past interns had to travel to Anchorage and LAX to complete a taxi time project. I have no idea what the project was, but it sounded pretty cool.

Me on an Alaska Airlines flight

The coolest part of the entire internship is the opportunity the opportunity to jumpseat in the cockpit! Essentially, this is job shadowing, but it is my chance to observe the Captain and First Officer as they fly. From before start all the way to shut down, I will be taking notes on how a normal flight is conducted. I will even get a chance to jumpseat and observe my inspiration to becoming a pilot and my mentor, my uncle!

737 Cockpit from the Co-Pilot’s side

Here is my speech of encouragement. Word hard for what you want to do. If you put in the effort, it WILL pay off. It sounds cheesy, I know, but it is honestly the truth! I worked hard, starting freshman year here at Riddle, to get this internship and was selected after 3 rounds of interviews. I highly recommend going for an internship. It is a terriffic learning experience where you get industry experience and put your foot in the door with an airline. I have friends interning with Delta, Express Jet, FedEx, Ameriflight, and Cape Air. The internships are out there. All you have to do is work hard and apply.

So Far So Good

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Adam

Hello readers, if you do not know already I am a current freshman at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott Campus, and in this blog i will be catching you all up on what i have done all year long in terms of classes, clubs, Air Force ROTC, and more. First off I am going for my Electrical Engineering degree, as well as being a cadet in Air Force ROTC and have so far enjoyed the beginning of my career here.

The first semester, the first semester was pretty difficult because of the transition away from home, but class wise i was not taking anything difficult. Basic classes such as calculus, history, physics, as well as engineering 101, and Air Force 101. These classes are the main classes you will most likely have. I did get home sick for a period of time, but eventually that passed and I got used to living at school. The things I have missed the most were my dogs and home cooked food.

After the first semester i began to realize, this is it, the real deal. So once the second semester came around, I was well prepared. This semester I have taken Calculus 2, Physics 2, Engineering 115 aka (MATLAB), Humanities, and Air Force class 102. Although i am still not into the difficult classes yet i feel more prepared then i was at the end of last semester. My roommates and I enjoy going to the movie theater on the weekends, hikes, and out to eat, there are plenty of great restaurants in town, i suggest going into town and exploring, they have some interesting stores.

Now throughout the year I have been involved in many organizations, and activities in town and on campus. This past weekend i went into town for a chalk festival, held annually, this event is awesome and lots of fun. I also participated in the human society’s dog walk on campus. I am also a part of AFROTC Honor Guard and have done many performance in town as well as out of town. If you plan on joining AFROTC I highly suggest joining one of the teams in Honor Corps, such as Sabre, Rifle Drill, and Honor Guard.

The campus is easy to navigate getting to class in about 5 min is really nice. One of my favorite pass times is going to the gym on campus, and hiking across the street.

Hopefully you enjoyed my blog, if you want any more information feel free to let me know.

Bubble Wrap is Back!!!

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Cherie

Embry-Riddle Prescott students know that as soon as bubble wrap appears Finals are here!! This may sound really odd to some people so I will have to explain myself a little.

The Bubble wrap is posted around campus by the Residents Hall association for two reasons:

1. BUBBLE WRAP IS AWESOME

2. It helps reduce stress that’s pent up by all the hours you spend studying and not sleeping.

This is only one cool thing that the campus does to help you ease through the grueling process of finals. The dining hall gives out snacks and drinks, hosts a finals breakfast at 11pm the first day of finals week, and the scholars cafe stocks up extra coffee for those students who utilize the library until the wee hours of finals week.

And when its all over, the Residents Hall Association helps you check out, pack up, and head out for summer. Whether it be home or to another dorm room for the summer session the RHA always makes you feel welcome and at home.

For example, for people who are staying for the summer session, there will be a barbeque to welcome you into your new dorms and celebrate the summer (even if you are still at school for summer, its summer and summer rocks!). For those students leaving after finals there is a get together for all to celebrate the end of their first year in college before all everyone heads home and we reconvene next fall.

Hopefully, you will get to participate in these cool events next year!!! And as always Thanks for reading and have an awesome summer break!!

Finals….

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Cherie

Its that time of the semester again, the time we all look forward to and yet simultaneously dread. This will be my second round of finals in college and to be completely honest with you, I am soooooo ready for summer!!

My summer plans involve work, and summer classes but, still 4 credit hours and a job isn’t as hard as 18 and two jobs so I’m excited for my upcoming relaxation time 🙂

It is definitely hard to continue being motivated in order to push through your last few weeks but, I figured i might be able to offer you some small tidbits of advice, take them or leave them, its up to you. Some of my proven finals techniques that got me through high school and my first semester of college are as follows, enjoy!!

1. No Cramming

2. A book is not a pillow…although they sometimes turn into one

3. Organize your study schedule, this will reduce stress and help you keep track of your finals schedule

4. Eat healthfully, bananas are great power food for your brain!!

5. Pranking the library during finals week is strictly OFF LIMITS!!

6. Review everything, but only a few times and then pick out the things you need to study the most and focus on those.

7. Relax, you know your stuff, with some dedicated studying you will be fine 🙂

So good luck everyone, I hope my tips and tricks work for you and if you have any to share please leave a comment, i look forward to hearing from our readers!!!

Eagle Cards…What are those??!!

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Cherie

So today I have picked a rather interesting topic to discuss with y’all, I’m sure most of our readers have heard us mention an Eagle card at some point or another and your curious about what we are referring to. Well, the Eagle card is an ID card and somewhat of a Debit card. It can be used to gain access to the dining hall, recreation facilities, and to do your laundry or buy some extra food. As i mentioned earlier it is also a way for the university to confirm your identity as a student.

The typical Eagle Card looks like this:

As a debit card it can hold three types of funds, Eagle Dollars, Dining Dollars, and Flight Dollars.

Eagle Dollars is money that you put onto the card. They can be used for buying snacks (when your dining dollars run out), doing laundry, sending mail, and in the campus copy center. There are two ways to get money on your card, put on yourself via blackboard or visit the eagle card office and they will assist you in manually putting money onto te card.

Dining Dollars are awesome, you will come to love them. Basically, its money that your meal plan gives you to spend on items that the dining hall, simply to go, WOW, and the Scholars Cafe sell. It is additional to your meal plan and can be used for items that the dining services don’t usually serve to students but offers in there convenience sales stock. For example, you want some candy to eat while seeing a movie, you can use your dinning dollars to purchase some 🙂

Candy Anyone?

A note about these though: you are only given a certain amount each semester anything you spend above that limit comes straight from your own pocket!!

Flight Dollars are a fund that you can use at the Flight line, you have to put this money onto your card just like you would with Eagle Dollars. I’m not entirely sure about the other details of the Flight Dollars so if you have any questions go ask Jason or Maddie, my fellow bloggers and student fliers!!!

Thanks for reading 🙂

Preparing for Finals

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Adam

So the end is near and final exams are approaching, its crunch time. Preparing for finals, is every college kids dread. There are good habits and bad habits that you may develop for studying. I will go over a few tips to avoid the bad habits. And some ways to keep yourself relaxed because the last thing you need to do is be stressed out. Here at Embry-Riddle Prescott campus there is plenty of tutoring available for all subjects personally i appreciate the small class size here.

So the end is near and final exams are approaching quickly. The stress is really hitting and its time to study. Some of the best ways to study are up to you’re personal preference but there are better ways to go abut it then others. All teachers are different so studying by doing practice problems and looking over previous test/quizzes, for classes such as physics and math, are a great way to understand how the teacher would like you to approach the problem. Also understanding the terms or ideas behind formulas is a great way to comprehend such problems.

Classes such as English and history are much different, but again looking over homework, quizzes and tests are great ways to prepare for these tests. If you want an insight on anything, going to tutoring and talking to previous students of a particular class or just talking to the teacher is a great idea. Understanding and comprehending what you are doing in class is the best way to do well on tests especially finals, that leaves less work for you to do in the end.

Using your resources is important to getting insights on a class or a future class, or time management.

Personally loosing motivation will happen, and one of the most important ways to do well in school is by staying motivated. Going out with friends and keeping up with hobbies is a personal favorite. Any way to stay active and healthy will also help. In Prescott, AZ there are plenty of outdoor activities, from intercollegiate sports to camping the movie theater.

The big idea is to get your mind off of school and whatever worries you have on weekends or when you have the time to, i speak this from personal experiences.

As long as you can remember to stay focused when you need to, you can survive.

Thanks for reading, hope it was a help.

Dining Options at Riddle

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Cherie

Hey there everybody. At our Preview day I heard a ton of questions about what Embry Riddle Prescott has to offer in the way of dining options for on campus students so I just thought it would be nice to discuss each one of these options with you!!

The Prescott campus has four dining options, the largest is Earharts Dining Hall, and then there’s, World of Wings (WOW), The Scholars Cafe, and finally a convenience store called Simply To Go. Ill talk about each one of these separately so you can get a better idea of what Prescott has to offer.

Earharts- The biggest dining facility on campus it is open all day until 9pm on weekdays and 7pm on weekends. Earharts serves, vegan, vegetarian, and meatlovers as well as gluten free, soy, and low fat options. Earharts is the best place to go in order to get some variety in your food choices and also to satisfy any dining limitations you might have.

They will also allow you to take food out in Recyclable boxes so that you can store food in the refrigerator that is provided for you in the dorms. Seating in Earharts is never lacking as well, there are high barstool type tables, booths, outdoor dining patios, group dining and single dining accommodations.

If you should ever need any other special accomadations while dining at Earharts then tthe staff will promptly help you out. They are all very friendly and efficent, several of them are even college students at Riddle!

World of Wings- Everyone on campus calls the WOW, they are a more fast food style resutrant which serves food to order. They will most commonly have soup, fried chicken, chicken wings, wraps, hamburgers, salads, and a few interesting specials from time to time.

My personal favorites are the fried chicken tenders, hamburgers, and salads. They are excellent!!! WOW is a great option and it is open during the same hours as the dining hall, so if you want to change up your eating habits stop on by WOW for some good food!

The Scholars Cafe- This is located in the library and easily visible as you come in through the doors. The cafe serves Starbucks coffee and pastries during normal bushiness hours, the ladies who work there are really sweet and can make a killer Caramel Macchiato 🙂

They offer black coffee, fraps, Chai Tea, regular tea, specialty coffee drinks, and soy substitutions. The pastries they have are really delicious as well; these are scones, muffins, cookies, brownies, and dessert bars.

In another case they offer additional drinks and food to purchase such as sandwiches, salads, breakfast burritos, fruit and vegetables, energy drinks, bottled water, juices, and milk. I love the service that they provide, especially because it is located in the library for when we are up late doing our studies!

Simply To Go- A convenience store style arrangement, this allows you to use your dining dollars ($ that is on your Eagle card, you have a certain amount each semester that the school gives you to buy additional food).

In the store they offer breakfast foods, icecreams, energy drinks, protein bars, chips, drinks, shampoo, etc etc. So basically anything you could ever need when you are stuck on campus and don’t have a ride to go to walmart with.

Another really fun fact before I begin is that your Eagle Dollars (on your Eagle Card) can transfer to numerous restaurants in the town of Prescott so if you need to get off campus but don’t have any cash then utilize this awesome perk!!

Whatever your preferences are for dining Embry Riddle Prescott can take care of you!! We look forward to seeing you here on campus and we hope you will enjoy trying out our dining facilities.

Come fly with us!

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Jason

Are thinking of becoming a pilot, or want to do a flight minor, but are not sure if it’s right for you? When you’re here for Accepted Student Preview Day, come on over to the flight line and go up with us on an introductory flight in one of our state-of-the-art Cessna 172’s.

One of our Cessna 172’s

What will you do? Where will you go? I’m glad you asked! We are going to put you in the left seat with one of our great instructors and let you fly the plane! After you take-off, you will depart to one of our practice areas, which surround the entire Prescott area. In the practice area, you will do some maneuvers like steep turns, power on and off stalls, and slow flight! When you come back to the airport, the instructor will help you make the landing!

Probably the best part about this introductory flight is that you can log flight hours! If you are going to become a professional pilot, or want to get your private pilot’s license, this is a HUGE first step towards that goal. This is your chance to start early to accumulate hours towards the proposed 1,500 hour minimum rule for pilots. When you go to fly next, whether it is with Embry-Riddle or another place, the hours you got on this introductory flight count for the rest of your flying career! It doesn’t matter if it is training towards a license, or flying around for fun, the hour you got with us adds to all of your future flights!

The view in one of our practice areas.

We’ll help you make that first step towards being the best pilot possible. Pack your bags for April 13th and join us at Embry-Riddle Prescott. Come ready to fly, the skies are open, and we are awaiting your arrival!