Busy, Busy, Breathe, and Busy!

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In any given semester, the first couple of weeks are not too bad. The workload is relatively light because the teachers know that you are just getting used to your schedule. However, this period ends after a few weeks and EVERYTHING gets piled up on you all at once. This is how this last week has been for me. Volleyball spring season started up last Monday, and ever since then my whole life just went into fast forward. Assignments, tests, practices, and study time have all meshed together into one huge blur of being busy. Luckily this past weekend was a relaxing one! Lauren and I and a few more friends went and saw The Vow in theaters on Saturday night, and for the rest of the weekend we were in a chick-flick kind of mood, so we decided to keep the waterworks flowing with The Notebook and P.S. I Love You. (Corny, especially around Valentine’s Day, but what can we say… we’re girls! It happens!) Valentine’s Day was fun too. My roommate gave me an awesome handmade card and chocolate.

I just love having a great roommate!

The rest of the week was super stressful, so I was glad it was off to a good start! I had my first assignment due for Microeconomics, which took about eight hours to complete, so I was so psyched to turn it in today and get that burden off my chest! I was also glad that I had volleyball practice at 6 am this morning, so I could have this Friday afternoon to relax and unwind! Hopefully the rest of this weekend, I’ll be able to clean and catch up and just take a breath. One of the most rewarding feelings is knowing that you worked your hardest when you needed to, and you were rewarded because of it. Being here at Embry-Riddle has certainly taught me this lesson very well indeed!

“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.”

-Colin Powell

The usefulness of practicing emergencies

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4 weeks ago, I went up for a regular flight with my instructor to practice some basic attitude instrument (BAI) techniques. The sky’s were clear and it was a great day to go flying! One thing was different, a training manager (my instructor’s superior) came to observe my instructor on the flight to see how he teaches. Even though he was observing only my instructor, I felt an increase in pressure as I wanted to prove I was a good flight student and that my instructor had taught me well.

After checking my weight and balance (required for each flight to make sure the plane is not overloaded), we all got in and taxied out to the runway.  In the unit lesson, I had to demonstrate a short field take-off. I taxied out on the runway, held the brakes, went to full power, released the brakes, and took off!

Everything was normal until we reached a height of 400′ AGL (above ground level), which came pretty quickly after wheels up. At that moment, the left engine started to surge 10-20% in power. We heard multiple backfires and the aircraft yawed to the left. Tower even reported smoke coming out of our engine! Having practiced engine failures in previous flights, I knew what to do. However, when an actual emergency, or abnormality, occurs, the instructor usually takes over the controls to ensure proper communication and control. After we understood what was going on, I used the positive transfer of controls and handed control to my instructor. Following my pre-takeoff brief on emergency situations, I asked my instructor if he would like me to run any checklists or aid in anyway possible. We pulled the power back to 72% and  both engines were operating as normal. We decided to make a full stop and down the aircraft when we got back.

The educational experience from this abnormality was invaluable. I understood to stay calm during the entire ordeal and revert back to the outstanding training I have received, and continuing to receive, here at Embry-Riddle. Here is a picture of the plane I flew that had the problems.

Making Memories and the New Year

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It’s a new year and a new semester! Time to make New Year’s resolutions (let’s be honest, they’ll last about two months), go to brand new classes, and start the year off on a good note! Last year ended on a great note. My semester ended great, and I did really well in all of my classes. It was nice to finally be able to breathe after I had taken all of my tests! After finals were over, my family and I were able to go to Disneyland for a couple of days! It was sooo much fun. AND there were a lot of Chinese people there the same time that we were, so I was able to practice listening to the Chinese language while in line for rides (which were super long, since there were so many people there!). I am stunned both by how much I do know how to translate, AND by how much I don’t know how to translate! The Chinese language is so complex, but at the same time it was a blast being able to practice!

The icicle lights were so beautiful on the castle!

The Haunted Mansion! Actually, while waiting in line to go on this ride, we stood next to a tourist group full of people from China and their interpreter. I paid close attention to the conversations going on and was surprised by how much I understood! COOL!

It’s my second to last spring semester, so my goals this year are to keep going strong in school and in volleyball. It’s been a busy year so far (okay, the year’s only consisted of a couple of weeks, but still). I’m still in the GSIS program, so I’m taking eighteen credit hours this semester, including Intelligence and Technology, Chinese IV, Social Psychology, Microeconomics, a math class, and International Relations. So far they’ve all been really great and I’m excited to see how they turn out! My professors are all awesome and it’s fun to see how much enthusiasm each professor has for their subject.

Volleyball is still going strong. Spring Season starts in a couple of weeks so I’m still trying to live up to my New Year’s resolution to stay in shape. We lost two of our seniors, Laura DeGeorge and Sarah Galeai, but hopefully we’ll still have a good team this next season. It’s so strange… this fall season, I’ll be a senior! These past few years have just FLOWN by. Seriously, I have no idea where they went. Everything is just going by so fast, and I’m just trying to keep up while wondering where the heck all this time has gone. I guess life is kind of like that no matter where you are. But here at ERAU, it seems like everything just goes at the speed of light! And… I’m loving every minute of it!

I hope everyone has a Happy New Year, and may all your New Year’s resolutions come true!

“Begin today. Declare out loud to the universe that you are willing to let go of struggle and eager to learn through joy.”

-Sarah Ban Breathnach

Winter in Prescott!

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After the summer weather of +70 F, the next season to hit the campus is winter. Yes, I know that fall season should fall in between summer and winter, but it is more of a sharp transition.

The first snowfall here at ERAU was on November 18th. There was occasional snow in between then and the last week of November, but on December 1st, the clouds dumped snow by truckload. Most of the time, the snow does not stick and is mostly gone by noon the next day. However, the storm dropped temperatures enough (at least to 10 F) so that there is still snow over a week later! Here is a picture of snow over Prescott from my flight yesterday.

My group of friends and I went to the annual City of Prescott Tree Lighting Ceremony in downtown and the lights plus snow created the perfect winter wonderland image. Here is a picture of our group downtown!

And here are two pictures of the courthouse all lit up!

Hopefully we will get more snow because it puts you in a good mood for winter!

Online Courses Vs. Campus courses

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I apologize for not writing a blog in such a long time! I have been so busy this year with all of my classes and work. I also got an internship in town, which I will discuss more in my next blog. This semester I took 2 online courses and 3 courses on campus. My class schedule include Environmental Science and Statistics (online) and Geography, Environmental Economics, and Spanish I (Prescott Campus). I have enjoyed my classes, but I definitely like campus classes more than online courses. When you are deciding whether or not you should take an online course, you have to weigh your options. I would suggest only taking online courses if it is a class you need for your degree, but won’t use a lot after you graduate. This means do not take upper level courses online, it will be very difficult for you in the long run. Even taking stats and Environmental Science online had a toll on me because I did not have a professor in front of me, helping me out. I did not have lectures and I had to be completely self-disciplined. It was difficult, but it did give me more time to work and save some money. Also, I got to finish my 2 online courses early, which gave me a great opportunity to work on my huge papers and projects for my campus classes. I also found an awesome internship at the police department which has been a great blessing. I have enjoyed it a lot! I have already learned so much and I continue to learn every time I go. Next blog I’ll share a little more about what I have been learning and which department I have been working in.

I wanted to share my experiences with my online courses to give others an insight to them, because I know it can be a hard decision to make. Sometimes we have no option when we have to hold down a job or take care of family, but if you are fortunate enough to only take campus classes, I would definitely recommend it. Online courses are nice because you can get them over with and have the freedom to study when you want, but there are still due dates every week. You have to be self-motivated and I suggest trying not to procrastinate as long as possible. I wish everyone the best of luck with the upcoming final exams in December. I know there are a lot of projects and term papers due! I hope we all stay focused and do a good job. Don’t forget to register for Spring classes soon. Just remember to choose classes that you need, but also work best for your schedule!

GO EMBRY-RIDDLE GOLDEN EAGLES!!

First Flight in the Diamond DA-42 NG!

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Embry-Riddle Prescott got four new DA-42’s over the summer to switch out the old Piper PA-44 Seminoles. Yesterday, I had my first flight in the retractable gear, multi-engine aircraft! Here I am with R93, which is the plane I got to fly in!

It is quite different getting to use two power levers and a gear switch, but it is a lot of fun! When picking a practice area to go to, I decided I wanted to go to crown king; which is a practice area dedicated to only multi engines. After preflight, I got in with my instructor and started the engines. It is easier to start than the 172 because there is no mixture control in the Diamond; its is all control by the Engine Control Unit (ECU). We taxied out to runway 21L and took off.

In the practice area, I completed all the standard private maneuvers (stalls, slow flight, steep turns) and got to have a feel for how the aircraft flies. During the flight, we climbed to 12,700′ MSL; but not for more than 30 min. Also, on our way back, we got to 180 KIAS (indicated airspeed) and a ground speed of 199 KTS! I had a beautiful landing which was aided by the trailing linkage gear on the Diamond’s. I taxied back to the ramp and that was my first flight. I logged my first multi-engine time in my log book. It was a proud moment. I hope you will enjoy the Diamond’s as much as I do!

Happy Halloween!

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This last week has been tons of fun! From the game Humans vs. Zombies to Zombie Prom the campus has been all about the living versus the dead.

Riddle has a tradition of playing the Humans vs. Zombies game ever week prior to Halloween. It is pretty hilarious to watch. First everyone who wants to participate registers on the website solely devoted to the game. Everyone starts off as a human, which is signified by a bandana tied around your arm, except one person is a zombie, shown by a bandana tied around your head. If a zombie “attacks” a human then they too become a zombie, but the human can defend themselves by hitting the zombie with a sock and therefore stunning them for 15 minutes. Zombies, if they do not “feed” for 48 hours will die off, dwindling down the players of the game. Of course there are safe zones, such as class and in the library so it doesn’t distract for studies. I didn’t participate this year but plan to next year.

The game continued from last Monday until Thursday night at Zombie Prom, which I helped plan. We did a conjoined dance with Yavapai Community College where everyone came dressed as zombies, or in costume. It was tons of fun!



Octoberwest Weekend!

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This past weekend was our Octoberwest/Alumni weekend! To start the weekend off, recruiters from the aviation industry came out at the annual career expo! Everything from airlines to government agencies were there talking to interested students and giving interviews to those applying for internships and jobs.  Even though I am a sophomore, it’s good to talk with recruiters to learn about internships and requirements for jobs!

Friday night was the infamous, and ever hilarious, hypnotist Bruce McDonald! It was literally a laugh-out-loud event! The next day, there was the static display at the flightline as well as performances by Matt Chapman in his Eagle 580 and Elaine Larsen in her ERAU Jet Dragster! They put on an awesome show of aerobatics and jet dragster action which was the most exciting part of the weekend! here is a picture of Elaine Larsen and Matt Chapman performing!

I definitely got sunburnt that day, but it was worth the burn! Among the spectators of students, faculty and community members, 4 Apache helicopters, and 2 F/A-18’s  flew in before the show and left after it was over! I am always excited about the activities at the flightline because you have the opportunity to get up close to the aircraft and even sit in them! This is me in a WWII T-6 Trainer!

I even got to meet Matt Chapman and Elaine Larsen during the day, and getting to see them perform made it that much more awesome!

The topper of the weekend, and another personal favorite, are the fireworks! This year, my friends and I drove down to the lower fields to watch them and they were awesome! We got pretty close, which made the booms bigger and it felt like it was a private show! Here is one of the pictures from the fireworks!

So, when you come to Riddle; make sure you attend the various activities of Octoberwest!

Denver & Octoberwest!

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Holy fudge, how this school year has just whizzed by! The dreaded midterm week is upon us already. Which also means that we are halfway done with this semester, which is crazy. It seems like I blogged last week, when in reality I blogged a month ago! It has definitely been an exciting month. Our Riddle volleyball team had a tournament in Denver, CO the week after I blogged last. We were able to play at Johnson & Wales University (a specialized culinary school) and pull out a few wins. It was so fun. I just love going to Denver, especially because it’s so beautiful up there. The fact that we won made it even better, along with the fact that we got to eat at my former teammate’s house and see her family! That just made it that much more fun! Thank you, Lacey family, for having us at your home and taking pictures at the tournament! We always love seeing you all! :]

Great pictures taken by Julie Lacey! Thank you! :]

Since our tournament in Denver, Riddle had a what’s called our Career Expo as a part of Octoberwest, where different companies and agencies come to ERAU talking to students about career and internship opportunities. The whole Activity Center is packed with booths of representatives, and students dress in business-like attire to try to impress future employers. It was very exciting to talk to people who are interested in recruiting students from such a specialized school. Overall, I say it was a success.

Octoberwest in general was also a success. We had a group called the Mural Mice come and do an awesome chalk drawing on the sidewalk in front of the Student Union, clubs and different groups painted our Spirit Rock, we had a parade on Saturday, we had a Block Party (complete with face painting and carnival food!), and my personal favorite, the hypnotist Bruce McDonald. Bruce McDonald was my favorite because he took normally shy students and, in his words, “Let them show us what’s inside their creative imagination!” Students who were hypnotized showed the student body just how awesome their ballet skills are, showed us how straight a row of chairs really can be (in their hypnotized state, Bruce McDonald told them that they would win a billion dollars if they kept chairs all in a perfect row), and showed us how good their singing skills really were! The best part: they don’t remember a thing. It was hilarious for the audience and even the hypnotist couldn’t help but let out a few chuckles. He comes every year, and it is definitely worth it to go and watch!

Here are a few of the people who volunteered to be hypnotized. Bruce McDonald definitely did a great job. It was hilarious! (Picture courtesy of Greg Finn. Thank you!)

These past few weeks have truly been memorable ones, and after midterms (when I can relax again) I hope to keep making great memories here at Embry-Riddle!

“We do not remember days, we remember moments.”

-Cesare Pavese

Yay for Fall Semester!

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Oh my! School has already been in session for a month now!

I can’t believe it, time has been whizzing by! This semester I am taking only twelve credits, but it is certainly challenging. I have U.S. Foreign Policy with a new professor, Dr. Fields, he is great. The class is heavy with reading, but I enjoy it. Dr. Fields has been especially great at making each student in his class feel recognized by taking the time to get to know every person’s name and a little about them. It is things like that that make me really enjoy the fact that I attend a small school. I am also taking Business Law. I like this class a lot, though I already know many of the materials covered because I am considering law school after graduation and the course is very basic, but still helpful. My final class is the notorious….Chinese! I am still on the Chinese Track which I love, so I am taking Chinese five and six right now. The thing I like most about the Chinese Track is that I have the class every day and I am very familiar with my classmates so I am never hesitant to speak in front of the class, which is a must.

The most exciting thing of this semester for me is being a Resident Assistant (R.A.). It has been so much fun meeting all of my residents and helping them adjust to Riddle life, I have been really enjoying it.  Also this semester I am a Campus Academic Mentor (CAM) for the GSIS program. I sit in on the college success class that freshman are enrolled in and help new students with any questions that arise. That has also been fun because I have gotten to meet many of the new students.

I am excited for the rest of this semester, I can hardly believe midterms are only a couple weeks away.