From approaching graduation from their studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) to experiencing the intensity of “Red Rope” training, and unexpectedly taking on the responsibilities of leadership, this year’s CJP scholars are building time, knowledge and experience to enter the nation’s aviation workforce, while also making vital contributions closer to home.
Emma Kirschenheiter
As always, time has flown by in the blink of an eye. I feel as though the Fall 2024 semester has just begun, but in reality, I have only one more week at this writing.
These past few months have been filled with so much good, and great excitement for the future. It has really hit me that I am graduating next semester, and a chapter of my life is coming to an end. But as scary as it is, I am so incredibly excited to take all that I have learned with me to my future endeavors.
For the sixth year in a row this past summer, I worked at the Davis Park Ferry Company captaining boats from Long Island to Fire Island. I note that because this job that started out as a simple, summer job to make some money turned out to be something so meaningful, and it has shaped me into the person I am today. And this may have been my last summer working with the company.
Although I am sad, I am so grateful for the years that I have been given the opportunity to grow at this company, and I will take so much of what I have learned working with 100+ passengers at a time, working with different crews each day, running into malfunctions with the boat enroute across the Great South Bay while ensuring safety for all lives onboard, and so much more to make me a better pilot. From junior deckhand to captain, I have grown so much, and now it is time to do so in a new area of my life.
At the beginning of the semester, sadly our Eagles Flight Team Captain resigned and I was asked to absorb the position. Originally, I was selected to be the First Officer for the Fall 2024-Spring 2025 year. But since the beginning of September, I have been acting as Captain of the Eagles Flight Team and it has been wonderful. I was able to run and organize the entire five-week tryout process with our head coach, and work very closely with the incoming freshman and sophomores. I have also organized many of our team events such as the Tryout Social, the new member Banquet, team field day and many team meetings!
The past few weeks, I have also been planning a trip to the JetBlue training center in Orlando for the entire team. We are planning to go sometime early this spring semester, and we are all very excited.
This past semester I have been working on my certified flight instructor instrument add-on (CFII), and I am actually waiting to be scheduled for checkride this week. The CFII flight course is quite short compared to some of the other flight courses at ERAU. I started in September, and I am excited to begin the checkride process.
Something that I am very excited about and looking forward to is applying to the ERAU flight department. Once I become a CFII, I will be eligible to hand in my application at my school. I have always known that I wanted to become a flight instructor and work for my school, and I cannot believe the time has come. I hope to start working for the flight department as soon as possible, whether that is next semester as a part time IP, or starting in the summer as a full time IP. If I get hired, I plan to stay in Daytona and accumulate my 1,000 hours through instructing at ERAU, and I will finally be able to give back to my students all that I have learned in the past four years.
Next semester I will begin the multi-engine flight course. It is unreal to me that 3 years ago I was working on obtaining my private pilot certificate, and now I will soon be finishing up my very last flight course at ERAU. I am very excited to start, and get the last of my ERAU course completion pins!
As I approach graduation, I have been taking everything in, reflecting on all that I have learned and experienced over the years, and I am just so incredibly excited to start my career. I have been researching and applying to pathway programs that I believe I will flourish in. I am so excited for what is yet to come, and to tell you all about it. Thank you for your time.
Jackson Nadeau
My Fall 2024 semester has been a long and productive semester. I’ve maintained my four-point grade point average, got to the end of commercial (waiting on the checkride), and have just learned so much in general.
Outside of Embry-Riddle, I went on a cross country from Deland to Marathon and back, in which I got to learn how to use a constant-speed prop on a C177B. This semester I also got to go in one of the army’s helicopter simulators and learn a little bit about flying helicopters, which is a new challenge I’m thinking about taking on in the future. Recently, I’m beginning to research where I should study to get my flight instructor license and where I should apply to work. I’m considering trying to instruct in the Northwest in order to gain more experience in mountainous and IFR conditions, and currently have potential job offers in California, Texas and Florida!
One of my big accomplishments this semester was joining a special warfare training club at Embry-Riddle called “Red Rope.” The tryout process, or “indoc,” was on eight separate days with eight extremely intense workouts. The eighth and final day of indoc was ETD, or extended training day, which lasted through the entire night and into the next morning! We went from about forty people on the first day to six on the last day, with only four of us making it through ETD and into the club. I like to do things like this that are extremely challenging to make myself a better and stronger person.
A new challenge I’m currently taking on is commercial check ride! I’ve just completed my in-house oral checkride for commercial and am waiting for the flight to be scheduled. I’m so ready to be able to move onto the next thing, as completing commercial will be a huge accomplishment! Next semester I’m looking forward to knocking out my multi-engine add on in Riddle’s Diamond DA42s. A good friend of mine also should also have his Aero Commander 500 back from maintenance by then so we should do some flying in that as well!
Most of my free time that wasn’t taken up by school, flying or Red Rope, I spent working and studying in order to stay ahead in school and try to pay the bills. However, I was also able to learn how to play tennis and pickleball and am currently looking to join some pickleball tournaments or leagues. I’ve also reached out to the River City Grotto, which is the closest caving/spelunking club to Daytona Beach and am trying to join them on their next trip!
I’m very excited to graduate this upcoming May and be able to focus solely on flying. Working towards my bachelor’s at Embry-Riddle has been an extremely challenging and rewarding endeavor, and the end is in sight! I know I’ll be able to use everything I learned here throughout the rest of my life, especially as a lifetime flight instructor and member of the aviation industry. While I know Riddle has been developing me into a professional, I’m excited to actually become a true professional and not just a student anymore, although to some extent I’ll always be a student as I continue to learn more and more.
I can’t wait to have the ability to be able to give back on a larger scale! Lastly, I just wanted to say thank you again so much to the Citation Jet Pilots community for being able to help so graciously, and have been proud to be a representation of the scholarship and CJP as a whole, and look forward to continuing to stay in contact and work with CJP in the future!
Amelia Vaith
I always want to start by saying thank you again to all of the members of CJP who have been instrumental in supporting me to pursue my dream of a career in aviation. I am thrilled to share my progress from the last few months of my college career with you.
This past year has been a whirlwind of growth, both academically and professionally. I am now in my final semester as an undergraduate aeronautical science student at ERAU. My studies have been rigorous and rewarding, blending technical expertise with leadership and environmental awareness. Highlights of this semester include engaging in course work such as flight technique analysis and eco-literature, which have broadened my perspective on the intersection of aviation and sustainability.
While excelling academically, I have also worked diligently as a flight instructor, in Daytona Beach, FL, at Air America Flight Service after instructing at Galvin Flying in Seattle, WA over this past summer. This role has been immensely fulfilling, allowing me to share my passion for aviation with students while sharpening my own skills.
Over the summer, I reached a milestone of 350 flight hours, including extensive experience in a Cessna 152 which I quickly grew to love. This was a significant step toward my long-term goal of becoming a leader in the aviation community and hopefully flying within a corporate flight department in the future. Looking ahead, I am preparing to graduate this December 14.
With hopes to pursue my CFII certification, I aim to continue building experience as a flight instructor and am actively seeking opportunities on the West Coast. My time at Galvin Flying has solidified my commitment to mentoring aspiring pilots, and I hope to further contribute to the industry through teaching and professional growth.
It is bittersweet to be nearing the end of my college career. ERAU has been a transformative chapter, filled with challenges that have tested my resilience and opportunities that have fueled my ambition. As I prepare to step into the next phase of my journey, I am deeply grateful for the support I have received from organizations like the Citation Jet Pilot Association. This generosity has not only lightened my financial burden but has also served as a reminder of the incredible community within aviation.
As I transition into the professional world, I am excited about the possibilities the industry has to offer. Whether as an instructor, a mentor, or eventually in a leadership role, I am eager to contribute to the field I am so passionate about. Thank you once again for your belief in me and for your commitment to supporting the next generation of aviators.