Summer Internship

A Sneak Peek of My Summer Internship at Epic Flight Academy By Cilia Salam Finding an Internship During the summer of 2021, I had the opportunity to do a summer internship with Epic Flight Academy. I had been trying to earn some work experience in the new normal of COVID-19 before I graduate with my master’s degree in the fall semester. At the beginning of the spring semester, I started applying and looking for internship opportunities. Like any other ambitious and enthusiastic ERAU aviation student, I was looking forward to an internship at a major airline. With uncertainty caused by COVID-19, the airlines had little to no availability for an intern. I ended up looking at local flight schools upon … Read more

Jul 20

Airfoil

What is an airfoil? The definition of an airfoil (or aerofoil in the UK) is a structure with curved surfaces, such as an airplane wing, fins, and horizontal stabilizer, designed to provide the best ratio of lift to drag during flight. The meaning of airfoil is the same for all aircraft. Let’s consider the stubby, short wings of my Grumman compared to the long, flowing wings of the Epic Flight Academy’s Cessna 172SP. You may wonder how my little bird would have enough wing to leave Earth’s gravity. You can compare this to an egret flapping frantically to rise a few feet from the sand. Its tiny wings are capable of supporting what appears to be an oversized body. However, … Read more

May 30

Cross Country Flight Planning

Captain Judy’s Corner: The Art & Science of Not Getting Lost Cross country flight planning is something every pilot must know. Even though it was 30 years ago, I vividly recall soloing in the Cessna150. Exhilarating, yet terrifying, describes this memorable day. There was nothing in life that prepared me for the intensity. My flight instructor assured I was ready. I knew I was ready, but I was anxious all the same. Leaving the airport environment on a solo cross country was as exciting and distressing. I prepared, studied the routes, check points, and unfamiliar destination airport environment. Nonetheless, I consistently got lost. Preparing a Navigation Log What helped me throughout learning cross countries? It was understanding how to prepare … Read more

Mar 19

What is yaw?

We climbed effortlessly in the Citation Jet to our assigned altitude of FL380 (38,000’MSL). This light jet is controlled much like most commercial jets and with similar design features. One of the Citation’s smooth handling characteristics in a climb are the result of the yaw dampers. The Citation has vertical fins under the tail cone and an electronic yaw damper engaging automatically when the yaw is overpowering the vertical fins. –Captain Judy Rice on her around-the-world flight What is yaw? The official definition is a twisting, or rotation, of a moving ship or aircraft around a vertical axis. Yaw describes an airplane, boat, or fish with the nose or front moving side-to-side through the air. Motion determines the meaning. Do … Read more