Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction to Aviation
Sincethedawnoftime,humankindhasdreamtofbeingabletoleavebehindthebondsofgravity
andtaketotheskies,soaringwiththebirds.Itseasytounderstandwhy.Forsomeofus,flyingisa
symboloffreedomandpower.Itallowsustomentallyescapethehereandnow,wheresuchthings
asbumpertobumpertraffic,orlifeshurdles,holdusback.Flyingcanalsobeanoutlettoexpress
oursenseofspiritandadventure,andourdesiretochaseaftergreaterchallenges.Maybeitsthe
simplejoyousmomentasyoutakeoffintoabeautifulsunrise,orflyoverthatbreathtaking
landscape,thatyourlifenowfeelscomplete.Whateverthereasonmaybe,theresnodenyingthe
thrillofbringingthemagicofflighttolife.
Forthoseofyououttherethatlongtoexperiencethethrillsofsoaringthroughthesky,andhave
notyetreceivedapilotcertificate,Aviation101willguideyouintherightdirection.Thiscourseis
designedtointroducetoyoumanyofthetopicsthatyouasapilotmustbethoroughlyfamiliarwith
inordertoflysafely.
Theuniversityemploysover150certificatedflightinstructors,allofwhichhavetogothrougha
rigorousstandardizationandhiringprocess.Manyoftheseinstructorshavethousandsofhoursof
pilotingtimeandhavetrainedscoresofstudentsovertheyears.
BecauseEmbryRiddleisgearedforindividualsthatarelookingforaprofessionalcareerasapilot,
studentsaretrainedthesamewaytheywouldbeiftheyweregoingtoworkforamajorairline.All
ofourstudentsarerequiredtofollowEmbryRiddlesFlightOperationsManual,andtheFederal
AviationRegulations.Studentsarealsotaughttheproperuseofchecklists,learn,tousethe
approvedStandardOperatingProcedures,andperformallmaneuversinaccordancewiththe
StandardizationManualdevelopedforeachairplane.
Everytrainingflightisdispatchedfromtheflightdispatchdeskwithspecificdepartureandarrival
times.EachflightismonitoredbytheFlightSupervisortomakesuretheyreturnattheirdesignated
time.Priortoflyingsolo,eachstudentmustpresenttheirflightplanningtotheFlightSupervisor
whowilllookovertheirplannedflightanddeterminewhetherthestudentisadequatelyprepared
forthatflight.Thisregimentedprocesspreparesthestudentforlifeasaprofessionalpilot
whetherthatmeansflyingfortheairlines,charteroperators,orcorporateaviation.Everystudent
thatgraduatesfromheretakeswiththemthedisciplineandworkethiclearnedatERAU.Thisisone
oftheprimaryreasonsourgraduateshavesuchahighrateofsuccesswhenhiredbythecommuters
andmajoraircarriers.
Ofcourse,atEmbryRiddle,ourstudentsdomorethanjustlearnhowtofly;theyrealsoworking
towardsacollegedegree.Theyspendhundredsofhoursintheclassroomlearningthescienceand
theorybehindwhathappensinandaroundtheairplane.Classessuchas
Aerodynamics,FlightPhysiology,AircraftPerformance,JetTransportSystemsandmanyothershelp
buildasolidfoundationforfutureaviationprofessionals.Andwiththeairportrightonorcloseto
campusgettingtoyourflightlessonsisabreeze.
Inbetweenclassesandflights,ourstudentscanoftenbefoundpracticingtheirflyingskillsatthe
tutorlab,whichisfreetoalluniversitystudents.Heretheycanusethelatestinflightsimulation
softwaretopreparefortheirupcomingflighttrainingactivityortheycanpracticetakingFAAwritten
teststhattheywillhavetopasspriortoacquiringtheFAAcertificateorratingtheyarecurrently
workingon.Incaseastudenthasaquestionwhiletheyarethere,certificatedflightinstructorsare
alwaysonstafftoprovideanyassistancethatmayberequired.
ThetypicalstudententeringEmbryRiddlesAeronauticalScienceprogramhasanywherefromzero
tojustafewhoursofflyingintheirlogbookandwillimmediatelybegintheirtrainingfortheir
PrivatePilotcertificate.
Thisinitialtrainingoccursinourbasictrainingaircraft,theCessna172Skyhawk.Oncethestudent
hassuccessfullycompletedthiscourse,theywillbeawardedanFAAPrivatePilotAirplane,Single
EngineLandcertificate..Thiscertificateallowsapersontodothingslikecarrypassengers,rent
airplanesatyourlocalairport,andflyforrecreationalpurposes.Youcannotreceivefinancial
compensationforflyingwithaPrivatePilotcertificate,butyoucansharetheflightsexpenseswith
thepeoplewhogoflyingwithyou.
Typically,thenextflightcourseourstudentstakeistheInstrumentRatingcourse.Onceagain,the
Cessna172Skyhawkistheairplaneusedfortraining.Inthiscoursestudentslearnhowtoflythe
airplaneinthecloudssolelybyreferencetotheflightinstruments.Studentsarechallengedto
maintainsituationalawarenessandorientationwithoutlookingoutsidetheairplane.
Becauseofthenatureofthistraining,theuniversityutilizesourLevel6FlightTrainingDevices,or
FTDs,manufacturedbyFrascaInternational,forasignificantportionofthetraining.These
sophisticatedFTDsareexactmockupsoftherealairplaneandsimulatetheperformanceofthe
airplaneinalmostallregimesofflight.ByusingourFrascaLevel6FTDs,weareabletosavethe
studentsasignificantamountofmoneycomparedtowhatthecoursewouldcostifitweredone
entirelyintheairplane.
AlthoughtheInstrumentflightcourseisademandingcourseforourstudentstocomplete,once
theyhavesuccessfullyfinishedthecoursetheywillhaveacquiredsomeofthemostimportantand
usefulskillsapiloteverlearns.Theywillhavelearnedhowtonavigatetheairplanesolelyby
referencetoinstruments,whichwillallowthemtoflyinalltypesofweather.Additionallytheywill
havereceivedtrainingincollisionavoidance,stall/spinawareness,andsinglepilotresource
management,allofwhicharerequiredskillsifonewishestobehiredbytheairlinesorflyfora
corporateflightdepartment.
Oncetheyhavetheinstrumentflightcourseundertheirbelt,theywillbegintheCommercialPilot
course.Thecommercialpilotcertificateallowspilotstobecompensatedforflying,whetherthat
meansworkingforamajorairlineortowingbannersforalocaladvertisingcompany.Anypilotthat
hopestomakeflyingacareermustgetacommercialpilotcertificate.
Duringtheirtraining,studentswillhonetheirpilotingskillstogreaterlevelsofprecision,expand
theiraeronauticalknowledge,andgainexperienceinmorecomplexaircraft.Specialemphasisis
placedonaeronauticaldecisionmaking,riskandsafetymanagement,andaswellasaircraftsystems
andemergencyoperations.
Evenaftercompletingthecommercialpilotcourse,andalthoughthestudentmaynowbea
commercialpilot,employmentopportunitiesarestilllimitedwithouttheadditionofamultiengine
rating.Sincemostcommerciallyoperatedairplaneshavemorethanoneengine,untilthestudentis
appropriatelyrated,thosejobopportunitieswillbeunavailabletothem.So,moststudentsfollow
uptheirinitialcommercialpilotcoursewiththemultiengineadditionalclassratingcourse.
IntheMultienginecourse,studentswillflyinthesophisticatedDiamondDA42L360.This
multiengineairplaneboaststhelatestinairframedesign,avionicscapabilities,andothernew
technologies.Thestudentwilllearnhowtooperateadvancedairplanesystems,perform
multienginemaneuvers,studymultiengineaerodynamics,andbecomefamiliarwiththerulesand
regulationsgoverningmultiengineoperations.
Withtheadditionofamultiengineratingtotheircommercialcertificate,ourgraduateshaveallthe
certificatesandratingsnecessarytobegintheircareersasprofessionalpilots.Theonlyhurdleleft
toclearisgainingthenecessaryaeronauticalexperienceandtrainingrequiredbytheairlinesand
otherindustryemployers.Forthosewhoaspiretoworkintheairlines,theFAAhasissuedsome
majorchangestotherulesandrequirementstobecomeandairlinetransportpilotandserveona
flightcrewforanairline.ERAUscapstonecourse,AirlineFlightCrewTechniquesandProcedures,
meetsallthenewFAArequirementsandutilizesourCRJ200fullmotionsimulator.Thiscourseputs
youthroughthesamekindoftrainingthatgoesonwhenyoufirstgethiredwithanairlineandgives
youalltheknowledgeyouneedtosucceedinyouraviationcareer.Theonlyobstaclenowisgetting
theflighthoursthatyouneedtogethired.
Itisforthisreasonthatmanyofourstudentsdecidetopursueaflightinstructorcertificate.They
canbuildtheirflighthourswhilegettingpaidasprofessionalcertificatedflightinstructors.Itis
probablythemostcommonwayaspiringpilotsgetthehourstheyneedtomeettheminimums
requiredbyairlinesorcorporationstheyvealwaysdreamtofflyingfor.
EmbryRiddleoffersthreeflightinstructorcourses,theinitialflightinstructorairplanesingle
enginecertificatecommonlycalledaCFI,theflightinstructorinstrumentairplaneratingcalledthe
CFdoubleI,andtheflightinstructormultiengineratingcalledtheMEI.
ItsuptothestudenttogoasfarastheywanttogowiththeirCFItraining.Inmostcases,students
willgetatleasttheinitialCFIsingleenginelandcertificateandthenaddtheinstrumentairplane
ratingtothatcertificate,alsoknownasCFII.Withthatcertificateinhand,ourgraduatescangeta
jobatalmostanyflighttrainingschool.
EmbryRiddlerequiresinstructorapplicantstopossessatleastaCFIIbeforetheycanbeconsidered
foremploymentatourFlightDepartment.Thosethatarehiredaregivenafullloadofstudentsand
quicklybuildtheirflighttimeastheyhelptheirstudentsachievetheirgoals.
Asaflightinstructor,onceyoureupintheairwithastudentcountingonyoutoteachthem
everythingtheyneedtoknow,andrelyingonyoufortheirsafety,youquicklyrealizehowmuch
responsibilityyouhave.Butthesatisfactionyougetpassingonyourskillsandknowledge,and
watchingsomeoneprogressfrombeingbarelyabletotaxitheairplanetomakingtheirfirstsolo
flightmakesitallworthwhile.
Althoughflightinstructing,formostpeople,isjustasteppingstoneonthewaytotheairlines,many
airlinepilotswilltellyouthattheylearnedmoreaboutflyingwhilebeingaflightinstructorthanat
anyotherpointintheiraviationcareer.Thestudentsthatyoutrainandmentorwillalways
rememberyouandmanyofthemwillbecomefriendsforlife.Althoughflightinstructingmaynot
beyourfinaldestinationinyouraviationcareer,itcertainlycanbeaveryrewardingpartofthe
journey.
Career Opportunities
Soonceyouveearnedallyourcertificatesandratings,whatkindofjobsareoutthereforpilots?
Wevealreadytouchedononepossibleoccupationforaprofessionalpilot,butalthoughflight
instructingisaverysatisfyingandrewardingprofession,mostpilotsconsideritajumpingoffpoint
forbiggerandbetteropportunities.Theallureofflyingbig,powerfuljetsisathrillmostpilotscant
resist.
Airline Pilot
Perhapsthefirstthingthatcomestomindwhenyouthinkofacareerinaviation,isaprestigiousjob
asanairlinepilot.Airlinepilotsflyalltypesandsizesofaircrafttransportingpeopleallaroundthe
world.Airlinepilotsgothrougharigoroustrainingprocesstomakethemsomeofthehighest
trainedandmostskilledpilotsintheskies.Mostpilotsstartasafirstofficerforaregionalairline
andworktheirwayuptocaptainforamajoraircarrier.Pilotswillflydifferenttypesandsizesof
aircraftdependingontheroutesanddestinationsoftheflight.Thetypicalairlinepilotwillalways
domuchmorethanjustfly.Airlinepilotshavetomakeweatherandweightandbalancedecisions,
aswellasworkwithanentireflightcrew.Additionally,everysixmonthsairlinepilotsmustgo
througharecurrenttrainingcoursetokeeptheirskillssharp.Airlinepilotsusuallyworklonghours
andstrangeshifts,butwillalsogetlongbreaksoftimeoffbetweentripsallowingforachanceto
seetheworld.
Aerial Firefighting
EverynowandthenweseescenesofragingfiresonTVandbravefirefightersdeployedtofight
them.However,someofthefirefighterswontbefoundontheground,butintheskyabovethe
fires.
Visualmaneuveringinthefiretrafficareatodropfiresuppressantmaterialonoraheadofrapidly
movingwildfiresrequiresauniqueblendofflyingskills.Aerialfirefighterscanbringinlarge
quantitiesofwaterorfireretardanttoremotesightsanddoitwithspeedandprecision.Without
theirhelp,manyofthesefireswouldrageoutofcontrolandconsumelargeswathsofland.Inthe
future,thiswillrequirepilotscomfortablewithturbineaircraftandcapableoftransitioningfrom
conventionalflighttovisualflyingclosetoterraininmarginalweatherconditions.Avarietyof
experienceandadesiretobeapartofaveryprofessionalgroupofaviatorscouldleadtoaerial
firefightingandasatisfyingcareer.
videotapingtheAmazonjungle,takingphotosofafarmersfields,ormappingoutastretchof
highwayforaproposedroadproject,theneedforprecisionimageryisgreaterthanever.
Manydifferenttypesofaircraftareusedforthiswork,soopportunitiesexistforpilotsofvarious
aeronauticalexperienceinmultipleaircraft.Itsalsoajobthatdemandsattentiontodetailand
goodsituationalawarenessonthepilotspart.
Whetherapersonislookingforacareerorjustneedingsometimeintheirlogbook,aerialmapping
andphotographyoffersanexcellentwaytoachievethosegoals.Nottomentionyoullgetabirds
eyeviewofalotofplacesyoumayneverhaveseenotherwiseexceptperhapsontheinternet.
Agricultural Spraying
Thereareover11billionacresoffarmlandintheworld,900millionacresinjusttheUnitedStates
alone.Thatsalotofcropsthatneedtobefertilizedandsprayedwithinsecticides.Formanyofthe
largerfarms,thepreferredmethodofdoingthisistoenlistthehelpofprofessionalcropdusters.
Ifyouveneverwitnessedacropdusteratwork,itssomethingthatyouvegottoseetofully
appreciate.Themenandwomenthatdothisworkarebrave,talentedpilots.Literallyflyingjusta
fewfeetabovetheground,thesepilotsmakepassafterpassoverthecrops,manytimeshavingto
climbabruptlytoavoidtreesandpowerlines,allthewhilemakingsurethematerialtheyare
sprayingisuniformlyappliedtothecrops.
Thisisnotacareerforthetimid.Anytimeyouaremaneuveringthisclosetotheground,themargin
forerrorisgreatlyreduced.Thistypeofworkrequiresexcellentstickandrudderskillsandquick
reflexesonthepartofthepilot.Typically,smallsingleengineairplanesareusedbuttherearesome
farmsthataresoextensive,thattwinengineturbopropairplanescanbeused.Helicoptersarealso
used,butnotnearlyasoftenasfixedwingairplanes.
Soifyourelookingforaflyingjobthatrequiresasteadyhand,exceptionalpilotingskills,anda
touchofthedaredevilspirit,agriculturalsprayingmightbejustthejobforyou.
Charter Pilot
Forthosethatarelookingforsomethingsimilartothetypeofpilotingdoneattheairlinesbutona
smallerscale,flyingasanairtaxipilotforacharteroperationcouldbejustwhatyourelookingfor.
Airtaxipilotshaveavariedscheduleandroute,makingthejobbothchallengingandinterestingat
thesametime.Unliketheairlinesthatflythesamescheduledroutesdayafterday,airtaxipilotscan
bealloverthecountryondifferentdaysduringthesameweek.
Additionally,charterpilotsworkcloselywiththeircustomers.Theyareresponsibleforcoordinating
groundtransportation,catering,andotherspecialrequeststheircustomersmighthave.Charter
pilotsmaybetakingabusinessmanorwomantoanimportantmeetingonedayandbetransporting
afamilytotheirfavoritevacationgetawaythenextday.Thatswhyitissoimportantthatcharter
pilotshavegoodpeopleskillsandknowhowtomaketheircustomershappy.
Asfarascommercialpilotjobsgo,beinganairtaxipilotflyingcharterisoneofthemostinteresting
careersyoucanhave.Yougettotraveltoavarietyofdestinations,thereisnosetschedule,andyou
neverknowwhoyouwillmeet.
Cargo Pilot
Ifyouwanttoflyheavyjetsbutdontwanttodealwithalltheaddedhasslesthatgowith
transportingpassengers,thenmaybeflyingcargoisthejobforyou.Ofcourse,youllhavetobe
willingtoworkeveningssincemostcargoflightsoccuratnight.However,manypilotssaythey
preferflyingduringoffpeakhours.Bestofall,theboxesyouarehaulingwillnevergiveyougriefif
youmakealessthanperfectlandingatyourdestination.
Althoughthereareplentyofsmallcargobusinessesthatflylightsingleengineandmultiengine
airplanes,themajorplayersinthecargoindustryflythesametypeofairplanesthatthemajor
airlinesdo.FedExhasafleetofover600airplanes,mostofwhichareturbojetorturbopropaircraft.
andtheindustryasawholefliesover2,000jets,mostofwhicharestandardandwidebody
freighters.Theseplanesaremodifiedversionsofthejetsthattheairlinesfly.
Asacargopilot,youmaynotgetallthegloryandrecognitionthatairlinepilotsget,butyoullbe
flyingintothesameairportsandusingthesameequipmenttheydo,allthewhileavoidingthose
busyrushhourandpassengerissuesassociatedwithprimetimeaircarrieroperations.
referredtoasROTCandlettheUnitedStatesGovernmentpayforyourcollegedegree.In2010,
about30%ofallcommissionedofficersintheDepartmentofDefensewereROTCgraduates.
ROTCstudentsattendalltheregularcollegeclassesrequiredfortheirdegreebutalsoreceivebasic
militarytrainingandofficertrainingfortheirchosenbranchofservice.Theyparticipateindrills
throughouttheschoolyearandtakepartinextendedtrainingduringthesummerbreak.
ERAU ROTC
ManyoftheflightstudentsatEmbryRiddleareintheROTCprogram.EmbryRiddlehostsoneof
thelargestROTCdetachmentsinthenationwhich,overtheyears,hasproducedmoreofficersthan
anyotherAFROTCdetachment.ItsnocoincidencethatfutureAirForceaviatorschooseEmbry
Riddlemorethananyotheruniversityastheplacetogofortheirprimaryflighttraining.Embry
RiddlehasbeentrainingAirForcepilotssince1941,manyofwhichhavegoneontoleadsuccessful
careersandbecomeleadersintheirfields.Whethertheychoosetodevoteawholecareertothe
military,jointheguardorreserveswhentheopportunitybecomesavailable,orpursueflying
outsideofthemilitaryaftertheirinitialservicecommitmentiscomplete;ERAUstudentswhohave
completedROTChaveacompetitiveadvantageovermanyotherpilots.
EmbryRiddleishonoredtobeabletosupportthebravemenandwomenthatvolunteertoservein
theUnitedStatesArmedForces.Thetraditionthatwasestablishedin1941continuestothisday
andwillremainapointofpridefortheuniversityaslongasourmilitaryhasaneedforthebest
trainedyoungaviatorsthiscountryhastooffer.
Conclusion
Beingaprofessionalpilotisachallengingandrewardingjob.Theaviationindustrycontinuesto
growandtheneedforprofessionallytrainedandeducatedpilotshasneverbeengreater.Whether
youwanttoflyacommercialpassengerjetforamajorairlineorbecomingaprofessionalflight
instructor,theresajoboutthereforeverykindofaspiringpilot.
EmbryRiddleisofferingthisfreeflighttrainingcoursesothatwecanpromoteaviationand
encourageyoungmindstoconsideracareerasaprofessionalpilot.Therearealmostasmany
differentkindsofpilotjobsastherearedifferenttypesofpilots.Onethingthattheyallhavein
common,however,isthechancetoriseabovethehustleandbustleofeverydaylifeandseethe
worldfromanaviatorsperspective.WhetheryouretakingoffinaCessna172oraBoeing787,the
viewfromyourofficewillmakeallthetimeandeffortittooktogettherewellworthwhile.
Wehopetheinformationpresentedinthiscourseinspiresyoutoearnyourwingsandfollowyour
dreams.EmbryRiddlehasbeeninthebusinessoftrainingpilotsforover80years.Nobodyhas
beendoingitlongerordoesitbetter.Ourreputationiswellknownthroughouttheindustryandour
graduatescanbefoundincockpitsaroundtheglobe.Maybe,someday,youtoowillcarryonthe
proudtraditionofEmbryRiddleaviatorsandfindyourplaceinthesky.
IfyouareinterestedinfindingoutmoreaboutEmbryRiddleAeronauticalUniversitypleasevisitour
websiteaterau.edutoday!