Start to Semester Two

I am now back situated at Purdue for the Spring 2011 semester. There have been a few changes to my academic experience. I am now spending 8 hours a week at the airport up from 3 last fall. My two aviation classes are AT187 aircraft propulsion and operating systems and AT144 which is a changing curriculum known as fundamentals of flight or private pilot lectures and is a "ground school" of sorts. The AT187 class with Professor Jay Hedden is almost exclusively management majors this semester with about 50 of us and Hedden has worked as a mechanic for United. AT144 will take us through FAA manuals and get us familiar with things such as METARs and safety protocols with instructor Brian Dillman who came through the AvTech program himself in the 90's.

My other courses are Calculus 3 times a week with a perminant instructor yet to be announced, English Composition 4 times a week and Elementary Psychology 2 times per week with me and 450 of my closest friends. That leaves me at only 5 courses down from 6 last semester but at 18 credit hours, up from 16. The Aviation Technology Student Council is opening their doors this coming Wednesday so I will finally have a chance to get involved pending their approval. I am eager to represent air traffic control and have a voice with the institution for a number of years.

I failed to mention before that Captian Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger who splashed down US Airways 1549 in the Hudson River two years ago today had visited Purdue a couple months ago giving me the chance to pick up a signed copy his autobiography and mention to him with all my childhood years flying his airline that I was a huge fan. He studied industrial psychology at Purdue after finishing at the Air Force Academy and the human factors side of things has helped him as a safety specialist and pilot as he describes in detail with the book. His visit though was overshadowed by Neil Armstrong being here the same weekend and even rallying our football team during an end of 3rd quarter "Shout" dance.

My schedule is quite demanding but the distractions around campus are being replaced with snowbanks and slush that will not be going away anytime soon. It feels good to be back and my horizons continue to broaden each day for new and exciting things as the new year gets going. I will have plenty more to report on if this ATSC thing really does happen.