CJP Bob Hoover Scholar Updates
Brandon Baber
Hello CJP, and Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and is excited as I am about what 2020 is going to bring.
Last year was an amazing year for me for many different reasons. I made huge strides in my pursuit of an aviation career. In February, I earned my Instrument rating. In August, I achieved my Commercial single-engine certificate, and I began my multi-engine add on during the fall semester! My aviation knowledge grew tremendously after taking 15 classes throughout the year and earning “A’s” in every class but one. Getting a “B” in Physics 2 is still an accomplishment. I’ve also learned a lot about the operations of a Part 135 charter company by completing a full year of employment with Air Unlimited in Sanford, FL. I frequently learn from speaking with the pilots there. I ask questions about routes, weather and unfamiliar items on the aircraft I notice. Lastly, the most prominent memory I have from 2019 was the CJP Annual Convention at the beautiful Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs. Thank you so much for allowing me to take part in that. I received so much insight from all the guest speakers and the many opportunities to network and speak with all of you. It was an experience I will always remember and will forever benefit me.
My classes this semester are very beneficial to my career in the airlines. I am taking Flight Technique Analysis, Jet Transport Systems, Operational Applications and Pilot Career Interviewing Techniques. It is much easier to stay engaged and attentive in class when I know the material is beneficial to my future goals, as opposed to some of the classes taken early in the degree program.
This year is off to a strong start. I am approaching the check ride for my multi-add on and it should be complete by February. I’ve decided to begin my CFI training at Epic Flight Academy in New Smyrna Beach, FL. I start on February 10, taking the night ground school from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Monday through Friday for two months. It will be a heavy load with my Embry-Riddle classes, work in the daytime and then CFI at night. But I’ve learned from CJP members that you have to work hard to get what you want.
I am proud to say that I graduate this May. I will have a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Science and will officially become an Embry-Riddle Alumni. If all goes according to plan, I will graduate on May 4 and become a flight instructor in the same month. My short-term goals are to graduate Summa Cum Laude and become a professional flight instructor by May. Long-term, I want to become a First Officer with a regional airline to gain experience until I can move on to become a Captain and one day make it to the majors. I still regularly attend meetings on campus when the regionals such as Envoy, PSA and Endeavor Air come to visit. I’ve maintained contact with a great recruiter from Envoy. I’m open to all airlines, but I know I would like to live in Texa,s so a logical airline would be American Airlines and I hope to be based in Dallas.
For now, I will sit back and try to enjoy and relish in the present. As I have grown, I’ve realized how valuable and precious the time I have had in the past was. I will enjoy being a college student and treasure the many first-time experiences that only come once. Another wise lesson that has been passed to me from CJP. Thank you all for the overwhelming support, encouragement, and mentorship that has brought me from zero flight experience to soon-to-be multi-engine flight instructor. What you all have done for me is unrepayable. You have shaped the course of my future and molded me into a better pilot and a better person. I hope aviation really is as small a community as you all have said it is, in hopes that I will one day see you all again. Thanks and have a wonderful year!
Jacob Cook
What a year it has been for me, filled with plenty of ups and downs! As my time with CJP comes to a close, I have had time to reflect on all of the amazing opportunities that have come from this scholarship, and I will forever be grateful for the experience that I have had with CJP.
This past year I have accomplished a ton. I finished Commercial Single, the multi add-on and completed my CFI initial training and am currently working on CFII. I completed last semester with a 4.0 GPA and I am officially grinding through my last semester to finish my Bachelor’s in Aeronautical Science with a minor in Applied Meteorology.
Moving forward, I was also accepted into the PSA Cadet Program, with the intent to fly CRJ’s for PSA when I reach 1,000 hours. I owe a big thanks to CJP, specifically Mr. Broom, for putting me in touch with the right people to work my way into PSA, so thank you! Upon successful completion of my CFII training, I will be immediately applying to become a flight instructor at Embry-Riddle, which is where I plan to stay for a year or two to build my flight hours.
This past year I got to experience several once in a lifetime opportunities that would not have been possible without the Bob Hoover Presidential Scholarship. I was able to sit in the right seat of a CJ3 and CJ3+, watched an F-104 airshow, attended the CJP Annual Convention, got to hear countless stories about aviation, and learned several valuable lessons about my career and my personal life that will stick with me for a lifetime.
CJP, once again thank you for everything that you have provided for me over the past year. The financial aid that I received was life-changing and allowed me to continue my flight training and education with minimal stress. More importantly, the connections and knowledge that I received are priceless and have already helped me tremendously and will continue to help me throughout my career.
Thanks again from my entire family and me. You have made a major impact on all of our lives, and we will be forever grateful. I thank you all for everything.
Matthew Gailey
Happy 2020 everyone. I hope that everyone is having a great start to the year. It is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since I received the news of being named one of the 2019 Hoover Scholars. I cannot thank you enough for the opportunities and help that this honorable scholarship has given me. Without the support and help of the Citation Jet Pilots Association and the Bob Hoover Legacy Foundation, I am not sure that I would have made as much progress in my flight training as well as networking.
I am writing this just after a flight lesson; I am making tremendous progress through my instrument rating. I will soon be going on the instrument cross country once I can master precision and non-precision approaches partial panel (any pointers would be greatly appreciated!). I have met with the Embry-Riddle Flight Department Chair and the Chief Flight Instructor about my future at Embry-Riddle, and I have secured a plan to complete my commercial single-engine rating followed by my CFI so that I can instruct here in Prescott and give back to the school where I have learned so much. I have a plan to finish commercial single-engine by the fall of 2020. This is my last semester for classes and I am walking in the spring graduation this May. I am enrolled in Commercial Ground, Fundamentals of Aircraft Energy Management, Flight Technique Analysis and Human Factors in Aviation Safety. This is by far my most challenging semester, however, I feel more than ready. The most interesting class that I am taking is the Fundamentals of Aircraft Energy Management, which is taught by the College of Aviation Department Chair Juan Merkt. You can read his work in the current issue of the FAA Safety Briefing. I am excited to be a part of this new course offered at Embry-Riddle Prescott and I know that it will prove to be valuable in my future in aviation.
As I begin this new year, I like to recap everything that I did in the past year. I started the year off training at Embry-Riddle on my instrument rating. I was notified about the scholarship selection, which enticed me to accelerate my flight training. The help allowed me to push harder without the fear of being financially unable to continue. In the summer of 2019, I was an intern at Southwest Airlines, which put a hold on my flight training; however, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks of holding my flight training. Over the summer, CJP invited me to Oshkosh and I was introduced to the amazing sights and events surrounding the best airshow in the world. I was also given the opportunity to network with CJP members as well as at a career fair on the Oshkosh grounds. We were also given several VIP opportunities, including a helicopter ride and a ride with the Aeroshell Aerobatic Team. Finally, in the later part of 2019, I resumed my flight training and passed the halfway point to my instrument rating. I also secured my plan for my future at Embry-Riddle.
It has been one of the highest honors of mine being named one of the Bob Hoover Scholars for 2019, and I will carry this honor for the rest of my life. I am excited to finish my flight training here in Prescott and to become a professional pilot. Thank you.
Otto Maytag
Hello, CJP! I hope everyone is doing well and had a great holiday season and New Year. My winter break flew by quickly, as it always does. For the three weeks off, I stayed busy working at my two part-time jobs. I also enjoyed being home with family as I recharged for the new year. The spring semester is now underway as we begin 2020. This semester I have a full class schedule of 16 credits. With most of my “general education” classes complete, all my current classes are specifically aviation related. The two classes I think I will enjoy the most are Jet Transport Systems and Aircraft Crash Survival Analysis and Design. In systems, we will be focusing on the CRJ700 and 900. A capstone research paper is also part of this class. Survival analysis will be the last class towards my aviation safety minor.
This semester I am also progressing in commercial single-engine training. Before break I went to Palm Springs, California for the dual cross-country. The flight there was day and the return trip was night. Without any moonlight, the desert landscape was very dark. It reminded me of those late nights of instrument training and I was very comfortable in the situation. I am currently working on my night solo flights. Within the next week I have a solo cross-country to Albuquerque, New Mexico. This flight will be over six hours round trip, my longest solo flight thus far. Commercial has been a blast to say the least. After completing the ground school and FAA written exam, I am eager to begin multi-engine training.
As I look at the year ahead, I am on track to graduate in the fall of 2020. This will be a semester early since my first semester was fall of 2017. My college career is racing by, but I am enjoying every minute of the experience. Once I graduate, my plan is to fly as a corporate pilot. These jobs are harder to come by but are more rewarding due to the personal interaction with the client. I have an even greater appreciation and respect for the corporate community after spending time with CJP at Oshkosh last summer. While in Oshkosh, I met with members and friends of the Citation Jet Pilot Association, a very friendly and welcoming community. I am honored to be a part of this amazing organization.
2019 was an amazing year and 2020 will be even better! I have wanted to be a professional pilot for as long as I can remember. Seeing progress fuels my motivation as my goal gets closer and closer. Thank you all who make this scholarship possible for aspiring aviators. I greatly appreciate your support of my passion for aviation, and I look forward to seeing many of you in the near future!
Introducing 2020 Bob Hoover Scholars
Daniel Buchanan
It is a huge honor to be a part of the Citation Jets Pilot family. I would like to say a massive thank you for awarding me with the Bob Hoover Presidential Scholarship. I wish you could have seen my face when I got the congratulatory call as I was walking away from the flight department after a long and tiring day of flight training. This scholarship put everything into perspective as hard work and effort really do pay off in the long run.
Who is Daniel you may ask? Well, I am from Queens, New York, where I lived for the first few years of my life before I moved to the Caribbean Island of Jamaica. JFK International Airport in NY will always have a special place in my heart because this is where my love for aviation was born. My dad and I made it a tradition to visit JFK every day after school to catch a glimpse of the industry in action. I can remember the vivid images of all the different airlines that would mesmerize me. I also think those visits played a major part in the reason I love Delta Airlines so much. I remember us parking by Terminal 2, which just happens to be Delta’s Terminal. Time passed, and I moved to Jamaica, where I finished up my education before starting Embry-Riddle. My love for flying did not stop when I moved. I completed a Private Pilot ground school and did a few flights to keep the fire burning. I was in ninth grade when I first heard about Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and after visiting the website, I knew that I had to attend this school. When it came time to choose the core subjects I wanted to focus on, I geared my choices to what I believed ERAU would have wanted to see.
Fast forward seven years, and I’m now a third-year senior at my dream school. The high school plan worked out perfectly. I’m currently enrolled in the Aeronautical Science program, where I attained my private pilot certificate, instrument rating and recently finished the commercial flight course. I am waiting to be scheduled for my DE check ride. Looking ahead to the future, I would love to become a CFI at Riddle to keep building my time toward the airlines while helping others attain their aviation dreams. I aspire to work for Endeavor Air, Delta’s wholly-owned regional, then proceed to work for Delta.
I have a few involvements on campus. I have an on-campus job where I work as a student assistant flight dispatcher. I’m also a chairman in the Aeronautical Honor Society for the college of aviation, an executive officer in the Airline Pilots Association Club (ALPA ACE), and a member of the ERAU’s Flight Line Assimilation Program (FLAP).
This scholarship is the best gamechanger I could have ever received. After my dad passed away last year, my mind was filled with doubts regarding school and flight training. My mom would tell me not to worry and that she would try her best to fund my dreams, but I could not live with the feeling of possibility becoming of a financial burden. Which I why I got a job and jump at any opportunity there is to further my career and lessen the monetary setbacks. Thank you, CJP, for believing in me, keeping the spark my dad lit burning and helping me fulfill my heart’s desire. Blue skies and tailwinds.
Shane Drury
First, I would like to introduce myself to the members of this organization so each of you may get to know me a little more. My name is Shane Drury and I am from Shreveport, Louisiana. Ever since I was a little kid, I have had a burning passion for aviation. I first put that passion to use by joining the Civil Air Patrol in 2011, where I took my first flight in a Cessna 182. I then remained in the organization throughout high school, where I finally obtained the position of Cadet Commander. I decided to attend Embry-Riddle as they had an aviation program like no other school in this country. I knew this would be the best place for me to achieve my career goals. Some of my other hobbies include playing tennis, running, traveling and working on computers.
Next, I would like to thank all the members of the Citation Jet Pilots Association on receiving this very generous scholarship! Your contributions to this scholarship mean more to me than any of you can imagine. Unfortunately, being able to receive a world-class aviation education at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is not inexpensive. The hardest part of attending this school for me is not the academics, flight instruction, or trying to maintain a life on my own, but trying to fund my education here. Thus far, I have covered the majority of my education in the form of student loans, but being chosen as a recipient of the Bob Hoover Memorial Scholarship has removed one of the heaviest weights off my shoulders. I am finally able to focus more on my academics and flight instruction instead of worrying how I am going to fund next semester’s finances. Not only will this scholarship help me in a significant financial sense, but will allow me to become a part of a world-class aviation organization in which I look forward to engaging in and becoming more involved in the aviation industry. Once again, I could not be more thankful for being chosen as a scholarship recipient, and I look forward to meeting and working with the great people of this organization!
Since starting my education at Embry-Riddle, I have had many ups and downs with my flight training. Since I came to this university with previous flight training experience, I was hoping to finish my private training in a shorter amount of time with the university. Unfortunately, I ran into some challenges in trying to do so in a time effective and financial manner. Fortunately, my uncle, who has been flying his entire life and owns his own plane, agreed to finish up my private training with me. Thanks to him, I was able to obtain my private license over this past summer and saved thousands of dollars thanks to his generosity and passion for instructing the next generation of pilots. After receiving my private pilot’s license, I was able to obtain my instrument rating this past semester at ERAU thanks to my instructor for providing a very good training experience. Now I am currently working on receiving my commercial license, which I hope to have by the end of the summer this year.
In an academic sense, I have had a very good experience so far. I am currently in the Aeronautical Science degree program working on a minor in finance. I have 59 credits complete towards my degree and I am currently on track to graduate a semester earlier than anticipated! I very much enjoy all of my degree-specific classes such as the ground school classes for my flight and have also enjoyed the weather classes I have taken since I have been here as I find meteorology a very interesting topic. I also enjoy my business classes as I enjoy learning about all the different aspects of finances and the economy. I chose a minor in finance because I hope to be efficient with my future finances and any future business ventures I might endure. The classes that present a challenge to me are my general education classes such as communication and humanities classes. For example, I took speech last semester and that was a big challenge for me as I have a very hard time speaking in front of crowds. But it became one of the most valuable classes I have taken here as it has universal applications throughout both my personal and professional lives. This semester, I am currently taking my commercial ground school class, a humanities class, aerodynamics, international studies and a physics lab.
For my extracurricular activities, I have been a part of the ALPA ACE club on campus – a great organization for aspiring airline pilots. For many of the meetings they have pilots from many different airlines come and speak about their careers, where you can also speak to them one on one as well. I was also able to participate in the ATOP (Airline Training Orientation) program through this organization where we attended JetBlue University in Orlando and received ground and simulator training in the A320. I also work for the Information Technology department on campus where I work 25 hours per week to cover all of my other expenses.
Once again, it is such an honor to have been chosen for this scholarship, and I look forward to my future time with this great organization!
2018 CJP Bob Hoover Scholar
Dillon Smith
Although a little late, Happy New Year! I hope everyone is doing well.
I just wanted to check in and say “hi.” I reminisce about my time with the CJP often and just wanted to let you all know what I have been up to since graduation. I am finally finishing my flight training at Embry-Riddle.
After an excruciating six-month wait for a multi-engine instructor pilot, I am finally weeks away from being a newly licensed commercial pilot. Although it was very frustrating to sit around and not fly all summer, it has ended up to be a blessing in disguise. Just this last December, Embry-Riddle partnered with Horizon Airlines with a new Pilot Development Program, and since I am technically still an Embry-Riddle student I was eligible to apply and got accepted into the program. With this program, Horizon is going to cover the cost of most of my flight instructor training and I have a guaranteed spot as a flight instructor at Embry-Riddle and as a First Officer at Horizon (granted I stay competitive and know my stuff). Once I get this license finished, I’ve applied for CFI training at the local flight school NorthAire, then will apply for a job as a Flight Instructor at Embry-Riddle.
In more exciting news, I fell in love with the most amazing girl last November and we will be getting married this May. This all has been such a long journey since I started college, but it has been so wonderful to see how it is all coming together and my life is constantly cooler than I could have ever imagined.