Captain Judy Rice Library
On Feb. 3rd, we celebrated Captain Judy Rice at her Epic retirement party. Captain Judy taught Ground School at Epic since 2017 and impacted many lives throughout her aviation career. She has generously shared her knowledge through teaching and articles (Captain Judy’s Corner), so we honored her immeasurable contributions to Epic students by naming our library in her honor. We love you, Captain Judy! Pictured planting kisses are Ray Altmann (L) and Mike Thompson (R).
You’re invited to an Open House for our FAA Part 147 Aircraft Mechanic training facility in New Smyrna Beach on Saturday, March 4th from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Meet staff, tour the school, talk to current students, and enjoy some grilled hot dogs and hamburgers! There is even an opportunity to win a $5,000 scholarship. Our next aircraft mechanic class starts on May 22nd.
- March 2: MAG Aerospace Career Seminar
- March 9: Manila Aviation Seminar
- March 13: Tallahassee CommuteAir Career Seminar
- March 17: Ho Chi Minh City Education Fair
- March 20: New Smyrna Beach CommuteAir Career Seminar
- March 18: Ho Chi Minh City Education Fair
- March 22: Hanoi Education Fair
New Flight Students
Check out our newest class of flight students at their orientation meeting! They have hit the ground running and are ready to fly!
Women in Aviation International Scholarship Award
Epic was well represented at the 34th Annual Women in Aviation International (WAI) Conference in Long Beach. L-R: Shayna McCalla, Selena Davis, Lauren Faberlle, Emily Pollard, Halen Ashley (our WAI scholarship recipient), Stephanie Babian, Haley Konfrst, and Tanya Catalo were on hand where Halen was recognized as the Epic Aircraft Mechanic Scholarship recipient. Great job, ladies!
Epic Alumni News
Congratulations to First Officer Tyler Rokosny who can now be found on the flight deck of the Airbus A320/321 at JetBlue. Congratulations to Alejandro Rodriguez who is now a First Officer at CommuteAir flying the Embraer ERJ-145. He recently visited campus as a representative for CommuteAir at a career seminar, and we were glad to welcome him back to campus. Last but not least, Alexandra Orr continues her epic career as a First Officer flying the Boeing 777 at United Airlines. We couldn’t be more proud of these success stories!
Are you an Epic grad? If so, please send us your career update.
Epic Staff News
We welcomed several new staff members to Epic last month, including: Brenda Hembling, accounts payable; Gary Hoyle, aircraft mechanic senior consultant; Renato Giordani Jr., ground support, Woods Collins, Tallahassee dispatcher, and Rick Kaneaster, ground school instructor. Welcome to the team!
Epic Makes School Visits
Epic staff members were busy visiting schools in February! Tyren Willson visited students at Central High School in Phenix City, Alabama. Shiang Lu and representatives from United visited Atlantic High School in Port Orange, Florida to share training and career information. Jon Luck took a helicopter to Econ River High School in Orlando, Florida and presented Epic opportunities. Teachers, how can we help you?
Keon Sands Scholarship Established
We are proud to announce the award of a $20,000 aircraft mechanic scholarship to Dominick Bryant at the CLIMB event in Jacksonville. We have established this annual scholarship in memory of Epic employee Keon Sands (pictured in red shirt) who was also a member of the military. Keon was an outstanding colleague at Epic, and we are proud to honor his memory through this scholarship.
Pictured L-R: Dwayne Quick (Epic grad and founder of CLIMB), Jon Luck, Dominic, Tyren Wilson, and Kyle Claypool (Dominic’s teacher). Dominic attends Frank H. Peterson Academies of Technology.
Epic Featured in New Book
Our New Smyrna Beach campus, including both the flight school and aircraft mechanic school, has been featured in a new book: Living the Dream – New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Author Cathy Rader smiles proudly displaying some of the Epic pages here.
Aircraft Mechanic Exams
Congratulations to these aircraft mechanic students who passed FAA exams last month!
Airframe
Steven Mena
Jack Goebel
Pilot Check Rides
These flight students passed check rides on their first attempt in February!
Private Pilot
Robert Russell Carroll
Adrian Felipe Vinueza Cordova
Hisham Rashad Zohary
Travis Charles Bailey
Jesse Lee Dixson
Keneel Tryson Marshall
Shane Andrew Gabriel
Muneeb Omer Dahab
Joshua Westin Smith
Dillion Scott Gover
Instrument Rating
Dararaksmey Chou
Reynaldi Putra Riyadi
Bryan David Cintron Nieves
Cody Edward Raulerson
Joseph Daniel Quezada Zhingri
Hakon Lanshan Grant
John Melvin Robbins
Commercial Single-Engine
Jeffrey Thomas Knipe
Ryan William Bailey
Maisie Lynn Herrera Atencio
Tate Timothy Klug
Sergio Felipe Vargas Granados
Blake Tyler Anderson
Christine Noelle Larrivee
Commercial Multi-Engine
Toan Phuoc Nguyen
Raad Adam Barnawi
Mohamed Hmeyada
Tien Dung Pham
Macky Mc Eldie Tumanguil Tumbali
Douglas Elbridge Ferguson Jr
Collin Reece Eberle
Ashley Elizabeth Pickhardt
James Randal Boman
Sebastien Caron
Serene Pag Ong Arnan
Ryan Charles Mason
Allen Kang
Certified Flight Instructor
Caleb Ross Wilson
Jake Evart Hallem
Jesus Enrique Pax Cardenas
Andrew Joseph Laszlo
Megan Kathleen Knaack
Ryan Kip Groel
Max Willem Siemers
Certified Flight Instructor – Instrument
Drake Douglas Stutesman
Collins Zakary Maude
Thomas J Larmena Jr
Andrew Joseph Laszlo
Kyne Cullen Fenton
Jose Brian Perez
Multi-Engine Instructor
Ernest Umerov