Avion Fall 2020 Issue 1

the avion

embry-riddle aeronautical university • daytona beach, florida • september 9, 2020

issue 1 • volume 154

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CAMPUS LIFE AND EVENTS Executive Board

Editor-in-Chief Victoria Jordan

editor@theavion.com

Managing Editor Vipul Telang

managing@theavion.com

News Editor Oliver Du Bois

news@theavion.com

Photo Editor Alani Seaman

photo@theavion.com

Business Manager Samantha Stirmel business@theavion.com

Staff Advisor Ronnie Mack

Assistant Director of Orientation & Communications

Contact Information (386) 226-6049 theavion.com 1 Aerospace Blvd, SU 219 Daytona Beach, FL 32114

Freshman Life Amid COVID-19 Oliver Du Bois News Editor The first semester of college is one of the most frightening and exciting parts of your young adult life.

Suddenly, you transition from being a high school senior to going into a new, unfamiliar place with brand new faces, new teachers, and new rules. No longer are you the child you were mere months ago; instead, you have become an adult, and suddenly you have been thrust into a new world that you may not believe you are ready to face. All the challenges the typical college freshman faces is enough to overwhelm even the most gathered of people. Now, there is a new gener-

ation of freshmen with challenges few could even dream of: surviving freshman year amid a global pandemic. The Avion Newspaper randomly polled Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach freshmen to understand their experience these past few weeks and see what COVID-19 has changed for them, as well as what the student body can do to make their experiences more enjoyable.

The students were first asked about the three class types which Riddle is now offering: in-person classes, online classes, and hybrid classes, the latter being a combination of the two formers. Of these three class styles, it would seem as if the hybrid option is the most prevalent, as 31.8% of polled fresh-

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Image by: Oliver Du Bois

men reported that all their classes are hybrid style. While many would assume that, even though hybrid courses have become so prominent, they are not preferable out of all three class types, 50% of the polled freshmen said their favorite class type is hybrid, and the other 50% said their favorite is in-person.

In a staggering turn of events, 100% of all polled freshmen reported that their least favorite class style is the online style. Although this result may seem surprising, many students worldwide have been expressing their frustrations with fully online classes since the rise of COVID-19 last Spring. Max Willson, a freshman studying Electrical Engineering, explained that “trying to keep up with online classes is a lot more difficult than an in-person class,” which showcases why Eagles are so unsatisfied with them.

It may be because of online classes having such a poor reputation that 95.5% of polled freshmen expressed fear over COVID-19 negatively impacting their education.

Of the polled freshmen, 86.4% stated that they believe the pandemic has already added stress to their first semester. A common theme found amongst them is the fear of getting themselves or others sick, worries over virtual learning, people not following COVID-19 protocols, and a general increase in anxiety over this pandemic. Furthermore, campus events, which are usually fun stress relievers for students, are lower in number than usual, and this has not gone unnoticed. Not only that, but the number of club meetings has decreased as well. In fact, 68.2% of polled freshmen we asked stated that they have not been able to join a club yet.

CAMPUS LIFE AND EVENTS

Of them, 54.5% explained that their lack of membership is because of the limitations put into place by COVID-19.

The lack of campus events and club meetings has taken its toll on incoming freshmen’s social lives, as 90.9% of them said that they feel as if the pandemic has caused their social life to be diminished while attending Riddle thus far. Michael Marzahl, a freshman who studies Aeronautical Engineering, said that he could not meet people easi-

Image by: Oliver Du Bois

difficult to make any more friends with social distancing.” There is no doubt that our current freshmen have been feeling the loss of social

interactions past freshmen got to experience. It is likely for this reason that when asked what they want to do at Riddle once the pandemic subsides, the majority of polled freshmen said they want to go to more events, attend the Activities Fair, join clubs, and once again experience face-to-face interaction.

Even with all the challenges presented so far for freshmen, 95.2% of the polled students expressed that they have had a good experience at Embry-Riddle so far. Some of the fan-favorite aspects of Riddle for our new students have been the food, the passion of students and professors, Riddle’s campus-culture, and the support of friends. Even with all positive outlook regarding Riddle, 45.5% of the polled freshmen believe we will go fully virtual by the end of the Fall semester.

While there is no telling when we at Embry-Riddle will return to normal, it is definite that our university will continue doing whatever they can to bring a sense of normalcy to campus, all while helping our new Eagles spread their wings and soar.

Page Editors Cover Photo John Reid Campus Editors Chirag Mehrotra Victoria Jordan Rajan Khanna Alani Seaman Industry Editors Vipul Telang Alani Seaman Gianna Castano Samantha Stirmel Entertainment Editors Jordan Thomas Oliver Du Bois Rajan Khanna Alani Seaman Comics Editor Samantha Stirmel Copy Editor Oliver Du Bois

Contributors Reporters Photographers

Oliver Du Bois Alani Seaman Victoria Jordan Rajan Khanna Vipul Telang Gianna Castano Salim Roig Rajan Khanna

Correspondents

Victoria L. Gustafsson, Abbey Otero, Ronnie Mack, Jessyca Derby, Alexandria Gombas, Jessica James

The Avion is produced weekly during the fall and spring term. The Avion is produced by a volunteer student staff.

Student editors make all content, business and editorial decisions. The editorial opinions expressed in The Avion are solely the opinion of the undersigned writer(s), and not those of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the Student Government Association, The Avion, or the student body. Letters appearing in The Avion are those of the writer, identified at the end of the letter. Opinions expressed in the “Student Government” and “Student Life” sections are those of the identified writer. Letters may be submitted to The Avion for publication, provided they are not lewd, obscene or libelous. Letter writers must confine themselves to less than 1200 words. Letters may be edited for brevity and formatted to newspaper guidelines. All letters must be signed. Names may be withheld at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief. The Avion is an open forum for student expression. The Avion is a division of the Student Government Association.

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“ It has been so difficult to make any more friends with social distancing ” ly since students are “spaced out and unable to communicate well through a mask.” Hannah Daren, another freshman studying Aeronautical Engineering, added to this by saying that, “It has been so

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Image by: Oliver Du Bois

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IN REMEMBRANCE OF 9/11

How the World Changed

Victoria Jordan Editor-in-Chief The United States of America, a country of global prestige, power and influence, became the target for terror and anguish. Tuesday, September 11, 2001, at 8:45 a.m. forever changed the lives of many as an American Airlines Boeing 767 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City, instantly killing hundreds of people.

The day continued with a second plane crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center, a third plane hitting the Pentagon, and a fourth plane crashing in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. With the events of 9/11, it became clear that

America was under attack and thus catapulted the country into an era of war on terrorism.

With each passing minute, the world watched in astonishment as the global giant was crumbling and a sign of weakness was visible.

From their classrooms, offices, and homes, individuals watched the continuous broadcast of newscasters detailing and showing the catastrophe that was unfolding.

As we approach the 19th Anniversary of 9/11, the cultural impact of this day still resonates around the world. Three major components that have been impacted include community, religion, and security. For community, citizens rallied around the brave firefighters, police

officers, doctors, and more in the call to action to save lives of the innocent. As families returned to their homes without their family member(s), the desire to remain close to and cherish the time with those you love became prominent. With the need to remain close came the overall need to feel safe and secure.

The government began to enact policies such as The Patriot Act to increase surveillance authority over individuals’ data. Today, this continues to be a controversial topic on the rights of citizens, with the government having the ability to view data history, call logs and text message, as well as the ability to wiretap phones. Religion also became

a dividing factor in people’s lives.

Some strengthened and developed their faith, while others questioned or even turned away from it as a coping and understanding that the transpired events did not align. The events of 9/11 changed the lives of a nation. From feelings of triumph to a day of utter gloom, this continues to be a day of significance and remembrance.

“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.”

-Sandy Dahl

The 9/11 Project: Preparing for the 20th Anniversary of the Attacks Victoria L. Gustafsson Correspondent September 11, 2001, was a day of anger, sadness, fear, and change.

Some of us remember watching news reports on that day or know people who were involved. Even if we weren’t alive at that time, we have heard stories and seen photographs. All of us have been affected by that fateful day. 9/11 is the day the world changed, and today, we live in a world shaped by the aftermath.

A group of students, faculty, staff, and alumni is looking ahead to the 20th anniversary of the attacks in

2021. Our goal is to help the next generation of aviation and aerospace professionals understand how 9/11 transformed their fields.

For next year’s 20th anniversary, we are planning a formal research symposium, a service of commemoration, an interactive website, and an archive of interviews, writings, and recordings of/by our community.

We are looking to tell the story of 9/11, ERAU, and the last twenty years of aviation. Did you know that Riddle was falsely suspected of training the terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks and was investigated by the FBI? Or that the pilot

of Air Force One on 9/11 was a Riddle graduate? Or that one of our faculty members was the FAA Air Traffic Manager in New York City on the day of the attacks? These stories and many more are just a sample of how intertwined Embry-Riddle and 9/11 were.

This is a big project, and we need your help. We are looking for students to help us prepare for the anniversary. Our focus will be on how the aviation and aerospace sectors have changed because of the attacks. Students of all majors and backgrounds are welcome.

We need students who can do interviews, conduct research, or be

involved in web design. If you’re curious about how airplanes, airports, security, etc. changed after 9/11, we could use your help. Do you have computer skills or want to design an interactive website? Do you have design skills, and could you create the logo for this project?

Maybe you want to improve your journalism and interviewing skills.

We’re asking for your help, and, just like after 9/11, we will succeed by working together.

For more information, contact Victoria Gustafsson, GUSTAFSV@ my.erau.edu.

CAMPUS LIFE AND EVENTS

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A Welcome Week Tradition Watch the full show:

Abbey Otero Correspondent Welcome Week, the first week of school, started with a bang as the Student Engagement and Student Union (SESU) department and Housing and Residence Life (HRL) hosted the first-ever virtual talent show Embry-Riddle's ever seen. The Squawk Virtual Talent show was a spin-off of the annual Blue & Gold Week event called The Squawk, which usually takes place in-person at the Student Union Event Center with the help of Touch-N-Go Productions.

Due to this year's circumstances, SESU and HRL's student-led Digital Engagement Board reimagined the event. The board started working on it in April and were thrilled to bring some excitement to the student body in the form of an event people were already familiar with.

The Digital Engagement Board set together a plan for running the event and started asking for interest submissions in early August. The Virtual

Squawk was advertised throughout August using teaser videos recorded by the show's host, famous TikToker and ERAU Daytona alumni Lonnie Marts III. The competition was open to all Daytona Beach campus students, faculty, staff, and alumni. By mid-August, interested participants were asked to submit pre-recorded videos of their talents. The Squawk received a total of five talent videos, three of which were from students and two from faculty/staff members.

The show was held on Aug. 23 via YouTube premiere, and despite a few technical difficulties, it was still a great time. After the performances were showcased, Lonnie encouraged everyone in the Daytona Beach campus community to vote for who they believed to be the top performances. Our winning spots were split into first, second, and third for students and first and second for faculty and staff. For student winners, first place won a $100 gift card, second place won a $50 gift card, and third place won a $25 gift card. Faculty and staff winners in first and second place won preselected prizes.

The performance that ended up winning the first-place prize for the student bracket was Ahmed Qureshi's guitar cover of “Absolomb”

by Periphery. His performance was a unique take on the song as he edited his video to include multiple

shots of him playing various parts of the song. He describes his experience in the show as "a fun opportunity for me to do something during the lockdown.” He “had to force myself out of my comfort zone and learn about recording and mixing songs for my entry.” The faculty/staff winner of the night was Reverend David Keck and his meditative harp music. His performance did not upset as it was a nice relaxing moment near the show's end. When asked to comment on his experience in the show, Reverend Keck stated that "in a time when we are compelled to be so far apart, it was wonderful to

participate in an event in which art brought us back together.” He also noted that “it was so moving to experience so much talent – we are in tough times, and there is something renewing about seeing students and fellow staff members share beauty.”

The full show is still available for anyone to watch and is linked at the top of the Squawk Virtual Talent Show website. Near the bottom of the homepage, there is also a section that links to the Meet the Talent page so that everyone can meet all of the performers and watch their individual talents.

Jake Homer/The Avion Newspaper

Meshari Al Shahin/The Avion Newspaper

Student Ahmed Quershi is pictured left and faculty member David Keck is pictured right.

Both won first place in their respective brackets.

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CAMPUS LIFE AND EVENTS

Astrophotography is an exciting branch of photography that ranges from professionals to amateurs who get excited by a clear night. There are several organizations on campus that do astophotography, such as the Astronomy Club.

These photos were taken over the summer by Avion photographers.

The photos below are of two different full moons.

The second picture is from a supermoon, where the moon is significantly closer to the Earth, making it appear much larger. The first photo was taken with a 1/125 second exposure, 100 ISO, and f/5.6.

The second photo was taken at 1/500 second, 400 ISO, and f/5.6 aperture.

Alani Seaman/The Avion Newspaper

This photo was taken outside Las Cruces, New Mexico in mid-August. It depicts the Milky Way, and the streak in the top right is a moving satellite. It was taken using a 30-second exposure, 2500 ISO, and a f/5 aperture.

Gianna Castano/The Avion Newspaper

Rajan Khanna/The Avion Newspaper

Gianna Castano/The Avion Newspaper

The Milky Way rises over the Sneffels mountain range in southwest Colorado on Aug. 12, 2020. The metadata for this picture includes a 30-second exposure, 1600 ISO, and an aperture of f/3.5.

INDUSTRY &

TECHNOLOGY

Rajan Khanna/The Avion Newspaper

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INDUSTRY & TECHNOLOGY

A Sign of the Times

Jessyca Derby and Jessica James Graduate Researchers Alexandria Gombas Undergraduate Researcher Jessyca, Jessica, and Alexandria are students in the Research in User eXperience (RUX) Lab in the Department of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology.

RUX investigates the usability and user experience of technology in our everyday world.

This is a regular column that explores different technologies typically used by Embry-Riddle students.

Intro What did you think when stepping onto campus for the first time this semester? Were you excited? Nervous? Unsure? Did you have some understanding of what you needed to do, but looked for signs around campus to give you more information?

Getting used to the new norm is not always easy, but good signage can help remind us what we need to do. Good signage follows Human Factors design principles regarding placement, font size, and content.

We took a look at some of the new signage on campus and found what works best, and what could work better.

Six-Feet Social Distancing Much of the signage you see on campus is targeted at reminding students to social distance. Signage provides visual cues to judge where to stand and which staircase to use.

Many different places on campus

use floor signage to address social distancing, though it’s not always successful; the floor near Chik-Fil-A demonstrates effective and ineffective signs. You first encounter signage on the floor marking where to stand when waiting to order. These signs are good examples of effective distancing signage due to the bright yellow color telling you where to stand, so you’re six feet from the next person. Bad examples can be seen in front of the pickup area, where large red circles on the floor tell you where NOT to stand. This inconsistent use of the floor circle markings can be confusing and can compromise adherence to the six-foot guideline.

Image Courtesy/Alexandria Gombas

Social distancing floor signage can be confusing when used to convey different messages.

Inside the COAS, one-way staircases have been enforced. Because this designation is new, many struggle to remember, despite the large signs. These signs state where the “up” staircase is in bold letters, and inconspicuously indicate below that “down” staircases are on the East and West sides of the COAS. Due to the reduced size of the text, we can easily miss the information and the East/West directions inside of buildings are not always easily identifiable. We suggest that signs use nearby room numbers instead of cardinal directions to provide more context. Addition-

al signs within the staircases, like on handrails, may help grab students’ attention.

Image Courtesy/Alexandria Gombas

By adding larger fonts and specific content, you can learn more from signage.

Masks In campus buildings and at student gatherings on campus, we see almost all students abiding by the facial covering rule, but we don’t see many signs reinforcing that rule.

Lots of signs have small icons down at the bottom, reiterating the simple things of wearing a mask, washing your hands, and maintaining social distance. But we don’t have many examples of mask-specific signage.

Out of the mask signage we see, some are much more effective than the others. One student discussed mask signage’s effectiveness as, “Ineffective [because] I didn’t see any sign about a mask. Another student said, “I saw a sign … reminding me to wear a mask. It was effective because I initially forgot my mask in my car.” Although we want to assume that everyone knows these things by now, we can’t. Signage should be placed in areas where we could forget to grab our masks - when we leave our cars or dorm rooms, or after we finish eating in the Student Union.

Wellness Checks There is no lack of signage telling visitors that they need a wellness check. They catch our attention with their striking yellow and remind us to get our daily check. But the signs on campus only tell you that you need a wellness check, not where one is, or their available hours. You can only find all of this information on the ERAU Coronavirus Updates website. A better design would be for the signs to give the hours of some popular wellness check stations (the Student Union and Welcome Center) or add a QR code to find out more. Signage is most effective when it is noticeable, informative and includes actionable steps.

Image Courtesy/Jessica James

Adding actionable steps to wellness check signage can make it more effective.

Conclusion As we’ve stepped into the school year with COVID-19, we’ve noticed many changes on campus, including the abundance of signs. We have signs notifying which doors are for entry or exit, showing where we can refill our hand sanitizer, and many more. To emphasize, signs that are salient, informative, and placed in the best locations is critical to maximizing compliance.

COVID-19 may not disappear anytime soon, but neither are we.

As long as everyone does their part and adheres to the rules, we can all remain safe and stay on campus.

INDUSTRY & TECHNOLOGY

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Aviation’s Unlikely Specialist Interviewing Reddit’s Unofficial Air Crash Analyst Vipul Telang Managing Editor Kylan Dempsey is a 22-year-old graduate student at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Originally from California, he is currently studying Russian Language and Culture. Dempsey, who goes by u/ admiral_cloudberg on Reddit, is the Writer-in-Chief and moderator of his own subreddit, r/admiralcloudberg, where he posts a detailed analysis of a historical air crash every Saturday. Surprisingly enough, Dempsey does not have any background in aviation safety, but this does not hamper his ability to write captivating articles on different aviation accidents, where he highlights everything from pilot error to counterfeit parts. The Avion Newspaper interviewed Kylan via Zoom to ask questions and to inquire about his upcoming books.

The Avion Newspaper: How did you start writing about aviation?

Kylan Dempsey: From a young age, I’ve always had an interest in disasters. There’s something to me that is captivating about things suddenly going wrong. At a certain point, the interest began to narrow into transportation disasters. I was inspired about other posts on Reddit that included images and captions explaining a disaster. I thought that I could do that for a plane crash, and so I did! … Enough people liked the post that I did it again and again, and I just didn’t stop…

It was only after I started writing about plane crashes that I became

more interested in aviation as a whole and began to understand the industry… I got to a point where I could analyze the reports and put different elements into context as well as adding my opinions of the accident.

AN: You have a very unique writing style of making technical jargon easy to understand. What is your writing background?

KD: Apart from what you would expect in a regular school and university curriculum, I have no formal training… Practice really does make perfect! I have a very analytical and straightforward style of writing, which translates well to describing complex events in an understandable manner. I’ve done the [plane crash] series every week for nearly three years now, and so I think anyone who’s been consistently writing would become quite skilled at it!

AN: Some of the articles that you’ve covered include technical drawings or even your own sketches of what might have happened. How long does it take to write an article?

KD: It really just depends on the accident. To a significant extent, it also depends on the length of the accident report. The most tedious part of the analysis is reading the accident report itself. If it’s just fifty pages, I can get through it in about a day, but if it’s two hundred, I might not finish it until Thursday morning! … I typically create all the visuals on Friday, which includes sketching my own drawings if I have to. They look

complicated, but I can get them done in about two hours! If there’s an animation instead of a drawing, it only takes me about half an hour to extract the animation from Mayday or a similar source… I usually spend from Sunday to Friday, working on it to be published on Saturday.

AN: How do you balance the series with school?

KD: I’m just now starting grad school, but I finished undergrad in May 2019. During that time, I was essentially taking a gap year, so I had a lot more free time to write…

Now that grad school is about to begin, I don’t really know if I can continue to produce an article every single week or if I have to switch to every other week. At the moment, I want to still produce an article every week at the same level of quality as previous articles. I hope it’s possible, and I’m not going to give up on that goal unless I know that I can’t reach it.

AN: Do you have a personal favorite accident that you’ve either already covered or would like to?

KD: A lot of my favorite accidents that I’ve covered have not been published as they were done a long time ago and have since been completely rewritten for my upcoming book. I’m still particularly fond of Vnukovo Airlines 2801, which crashed in Svalbard. That was such a unique case because of the location and how it ties into the place where it happened. I also really like the write-up of the 1970

Wichita State football team crash that I did as I actually visited the crash site in 2016. My favorite accidents are not necessarily the ones that are my favorite write-ups…

AN: Do you have any updates on your book?

KD: The series will be at least three parts, based on my outline of all the accidents I want to include… I managed to combine all the mechanical failures into a single book around 340 pages, and it’s essentially complete! The only thing that I want to do is to put in a note about current regulations between chapters. I want to also address how investigations are carried out and answer questions such as, “What is ICAO Annex 13?” I haven’t gotten around to adding those parts in just yet. I’m procrastinating that as well as sending it to a publisher. I haven’t actually published anything before, and I don’t really know how to do it. At some point, I have to, though! (laughs) The larger my audience becomes and the more connections I make, such as this interview, will really make the pitch to publishers easier. The drafts are essentially ready for publication, which publishers will be happy to hear, but it’s a mental roadblock that I have to overcome…

The Avion Newspaper would like to thank Kylan Dempsey for accepting the interview and taking the time to talk with us. To view the full interview, as well as his plane crash archive of more than 150 different historical aviation accidents, please visit theavion.com.

Private Pilot

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Instrument Rating

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Summer Flight Certificates Congrats to our Embry-Riddle Flight Students!

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Commercial Pilot

JOHN FRANCIS HOGAN MATTHEW LAWRENCE LEMIRE CARSON LEE GILLESPIE

TYLER JOSEPH PRENESTI RAYMOND JOSEPH GIUFFRE MARCIN MAKOWSKI JAYDEN EVAN JOZEF BARRE YEN-TING CHEN JIMMY BRANDON FINLEY KYEONG MOOK CHUNG SHADDI ABDALA ZAPATA RUBEN ANTONIO ROSA POLONIA WEIHAO ZENG AUSTIN TYLER CURTIS NEL NATASCHA AZANCOT JISEOP KIM JOHN DUKE ARRAN DEVINE STEVEN JOHN VLAHAKIS BOWEN WALTER BREWER SATTAM ABDULAZIZ A BAKOLKA TARIK ARMANI DUANE NEWMAN JOHN ANDREW ENGELBACH JUSTIN TYLER PARKS EUNGJUN KIM SUSAN MICHELLE SCHMIDT HAO-CHIH- HU XEN DOUGLAS GILLIAM RYAN PHILIP TARDONA MESHAL FAHAD I ALMOKHEM JONATHAN DAVID ELLIS CONNOR JAMES MCKNIGHT CHEN-YANG ONG JOSHUA STEVEN CLAWSON BRYAN SCOTT CALHOUN JAESHIN HWANG ANDRES JULIAN PARRA CAMERON ROBERT WOODALL TING-YUN SU NIKHIL KHALE ANTONIO JAMES VIOLANTE LUKE AARON WEISBERG ROBERT FLYNN ERWIN LISA KOLLEN LARSEN BRENDAN MICHAEL KIRKPATRICK JOSEPH ALAN ANTAYA NICKOLAS RYAN FORDHAM ANN MARIE PETRONE ALEJANDRO RODRIGUEZ Commercial Multiengine Add-On STEVEN BRAY ROE TIAGO DIKERTS DE TELLA ADLYNN ELWOOD LAY LINDSAY MICHELLE COSBY JOHN PAUL OLIVEIRA ZACHARY ISAIAH COOKE MAXWELL THOMAS MINERVINI MATTHEW JAMES ANDRINI MOHAMMED SAMEER A GHAITH CHIEN-TING WU ALEXANDER MICHAEL DONNELL GLEASON EZEKIEL THOMPSON JR HILLMAN WILLIAM JORDAN WU MILES JC MCDONALD JARED DANIEL SMITH JOSH J-CHENG JACOB MICHAEL SCANLON RYAN HENRY AUSTIN DARIO LUIS ALMONTE PAUL YVES ANDRE BONDET ALEC KOHLER BRADEN ROBERT PORTER SAMUEL JAMES KRAH KYLE ALLAN TARBOX EMMA KIRSTEN GRIMES LIAM PATRICK MCKENNA DAVID GABRIEL CHRISTMON JASON RAYMOND NEMEROFF YOUSEF ABDULGHANI O HALAWANI CALVIN SCOTT NEWCOMER NICHOLAS CASTRO WRIGHT CHANHYEOK KIM CONNOR ARMAND DAIGLE ETHAN JAMES ARRIGO ANDRE DANIEL FRANCO GUZMAN CONOR MATTHEW MCCOY ALYSSA SHARON CRYSTAL TAO-SHANG JOEL SIM THALIA ISABELLE MARCHETTA ALEC KOHLER BRETT ARMSTRONG KRZYNSKI JOHN MICHAEL DAPKUS ABBEY NICOLES BALTZEGAR NICHOLAS ALEXANDER SHORT NICHOLAS ADAM CLUCK TREVOR ALAN O’NEIL IPPU SHIBUYA JOAO LUCAS DE CASTRO ALVES JACKSON ROBERT WIELAND JALEN MATTHEW PETERSON CECILIA MIRELLE OEHL KYU DONG KIM MATTHEW M’CAULEY FRYLING ANDREW MICHAEL HANSINGER COURTNEY NICOLE KING JOSHUA MAX KANOFF JASON YAZUARDI SUNUK HWANG MARIANO ABEL QUINTERO BAHER ESMAT NASAN ISTFANOUS RYAN NICHOLAS DIMATTEO NOAH MATTHEW KERSEY SUMIN SHIN DAEHYUN KWON TAYLOR OLIN FOX ERIN MARIE OTT RONALD TODD WILLIAMS JR NATHAN MACLEOD REEDER JONATHAN MICHAEL NEDA ROBERT WAYNE SAVAGE III ANDRIY BONDAR KINGSLEY JARRARD SIMONS JONATHAN MICAH OCHIENG SIAYA KYLE VINCENT USIAK DYLAN LEE DEBRAKELEER GARRETT COLE YOUNKER NICHOLAS IAN ALEXANDER GIANETTI JAE HUN LEE CAMP ALEXANDER CLIFFORD MARK ROBERT DAPKUS GAVIN CHARLES SCHNEIBLE AHMED MOHAMED A MOKHTAR HAE BOM LEE LUKE JAMES MORIARTY JAY KALPESHKUMAR PATEL JOSEPH ANDREW STAHL DANIEL CLARK KIRCHER ADAM JEAN LETARTE AMRAT LACHMANDAS CHUGANI DEXTER RYAN ROBINETTE BRANDON EDWARD STARKWEATHER JARED MARSHALL LINDSAY FIPPS STEVEN BRAY ROE JOO WON KIM KARLO JONATHAN PICCINNI

JALEN MATTHEW PETERSON DEVON JET MARQUIS ETHAN JAMES ARRIGO ANTHONY GARY GALLEGOS II PETER ANDREW VANE CHANHYEOK KIM ZARI MEHTAB SEUNGGYUN JIN CHRISTINA MARILYN AUFLEGER JOHN PAUL OLIVEIRA ALEXANDER MICHAEL DONNELL HILLMAN

Commercial Single Engine Add-On JOSHUA ERIC RANUM JASON THOMAS CAGLE JUAN CARLOS PENA JR ADAM MARTIN SITZMANN ALEXANDER WILLIAM HARVEY PETER WHENRICK CODRINGTON JOHN SCOTT LEMAJEUR

Flight Instructor Airplane

JIHO KWAG CHETAN RAJIV GOORDEEN DAVID EDWARD ROMANOWSKI MORIAH OPHELIA GRAHAM MARIO ZINK TORRESAN COLTON AARON HERGOTT BRENDA JULISSA GARCIA SCOTT LOUIS MASSE TREVOR RAY MARTINEZ IPPU SHIBUYA TIAGO DIKERTS DE TELLA DANIEL AYRTON SENNA BUCHANAN JOSHUA MAX KANOFF DANIEL KIM TAEYOUNG LEE PRESTON LOUIS HADDEN DANIEL GUAN LIANG YAP JOSE ERIC BASTIAN WAN PARK JINWOOK SONG SEULKI CHOI MICHAEL DAVID LAWSON STEVEN ANTHONY GILL ALINA GIOVANNA GAGLIOLA EUNJI AN SUNG SOO CHO YI-FAN WU JUWON KIM RAYMOND COLE HICKS DOUGLAS ANTHONY DENNY KYONGSEOK HAN GARRISON CLARK REYNOLDS

Flight Instructor Instrument

ETHAN ANDREW BAILER JARED DANIEL COHEN YUN TAE KIM ROBERT JER-YEU WANG DYLAN ALEXANDER SAILE JENNA LEE HAWKINS ANDRES GRUNWALDT ANGENSCHEIDT DANIEL ANDRES BARBER FRANCES JAE HUN LEE JACOB RYAN PAPRCKA ZACHARY ALEXANDER MORTON ALVIN TIONG XIN NG DYLAN THOMAS PRENDERGAST JUNGWOO HONG HYECHAN KIM SCOTT LOUIS MASSE TIAGO DIKERTS DE TELLA MATTHEW THOMAS WILLIAMS KEVIN PATRICK BATZ

Flight Instructor Multiengine Add-On MICHAEL ROBERT ROSARIO

Image Courtesy/IMDB

12 IN MEMORIAM

Remembering The King Photo Courtesy/The Birmingham Times

Photo Courtesy/Jordan Strauss

Photo Courtesy/NBC, NBCU

Honoring Chadwick Boseman

Ronnie Mack The Avion Advisor The recent death of Chadwick Boseman has sent shockwaves through the cinematic community, especially those within comic book culture. The actor’s dynamic career was cut short at the age of 43 by colon cancer. Chadwick hails from Anderson, South Carolina, and was a graduate of Howard University (HBCU). Chadwick Boseman starred in iconic films such as Da 5 Bloods, 21 Bridges, Marshall, 42, Get On Up, and is best known for Black Panther.

While Black Panther may just be a dope movie to some, it was a symbol of hope, affirmation, and visual victory for others. The image of a Black superhero sparked the inspiration of millions of Black and Brown kids to realize they, too, can

be heroes. The Black Panther movie was not just a marvel in cinematic entertainment but a marvel in the hearts of melanated youth and adults across the globe.

As a child, I grew up on Marvel cartoons and comics. It was a ritual on Saturday morning to grab an excessively large bowl, fill it will teeth rotting cereal, and enjoy hours of animated wonderment. Imagery is always important! You have to see something in your mind before you can manifest it in real life. Although I did not openly desire to be a news reporter with bug-like superpowers or a mutated human with knives for hands fighting for equality, I always wanted to be a hero. The issue with the characters I prefaced is that many of them did not look like me. When there was slight imagery representing me as a Black boy, it was met with negative stereotypes

Photo Courtesy/Jordan Strauss

Photo Courtesy/Victoria Will

or secluded minimal roles (i.e., random hot dog man #3).

Comics are not real life, but they open the psyche to grasp future social norms portrayed in other media areas. Art imitates life! In my childlike mind, some of those early cartoons/comics silently whispered to me that I may not be relevant, that I cannot be a hero. The Black Panther movie and the excellent performance of Chadwick Boseman shattered that false narrative. It shattered that narrative not just for me but for my kids. After the movie, my kids would yell “Wakanda Forever” throughout the house. They demanded to be the Black Panther for Halloween. They began to have an interest in the historical and contemporary relevance of Africa.

They could do something I could not at their age: see themselves as a hero.

Chadwick Boseman as the Black Panther, a.k.a. T’Challa, a.k.a. the Viceroy of Vibranium, a.k.a. Mr. I’m Richer Than Tony Stark, gave my kids something I didn’t have: an image of hope. Now I am not saying my kids will start a venture capital firm or start their own African nation in the next two weeks, but now they “feel” like they can.

This article was not meant to be a eulogy for a fallen actor, but a celebration of life for a cultural icon’s impact. I pray for peace for the family and fans of Chadwick Boseman.

Thank you, Mr. Boseman, for letting your light shine in many ways and sparking the passion of millions to see themselves as heroes. Rest well, King!

Photo Courtesy/Alberto Rodriguez

Photo Courtesy/Mark Seliger

Signed, A Citizen of Wakanda

ENTERTAINMENT

Eagles Gone Viral

13

An Interview With Ben Brainard Oliver Du Bois & Vipul Telang News Editor & Managing Editor Ben Brainard is a comedian originally from Daytona Beach, who now lives in Orlando. An Embry-Riddle alumnus, Brainard has taken the social media app TikTok by storm with his viral series, “The Table,” where he portrays the different states as they address events occurring across the United States. In a manner reminiscent of The Daily Show, Brainard presents the news in both a factual and entertaining way through The Table. When he is not on TikTok, Brainard can be found touring the country with his comedy shows, streaming on Twitch, or working for the U.S. Army Reserve.

His comedy tour will arrive in Daytona Beach at the Bonkerz Comedy Club on Oct. 16.

Avion Newspaper: What inspired you to create the Table Series?

Ben Brainard: Nothing in particular! I was in the middle of a tour for standup comedy when the quarantine started when I found out I had two full weeks of shows canceled… I had just started a TikTok earlier in the year, and I just tried to put out a video every single day of anything I could think of. I did about two weeks of videos before I stumbled across the first table video, and that just took off. I did a different video that had nothing to do with it that did okay, so I went back to try another table series video, and it took off again.

AN: How long does it take you to create a video?

BB: The whole process gets broken down into several different parts, and each takes its own amount of time. Usually, I'll post on my Facebook every Sunday and ask for headlines from stories that I hadn't seen from around the country that week… From there, I move on to writing a script. I make sure to do some background research about all the headlines I choose so that I can be more informed, and that process takes about another thirty minutes to an hour… Depending on the length of the video, it can take anywhere from an hour to two hours. Filming depends on how many characters are at the table.

Obviously, the more wardrobe changes mean that it takes longer. Filming can take up to an hour and a half, and the editing process, which is where I also write the subtitles, takes about four hours.

AN: Wow. BB: Yeah, what’s that all added up? Like seven, eight hours to put together a full video?

AN: How did you come up with the personalities of the different states?

All of them are so different in how you portray them!

BB: People give me insight as to what’s it’s like living in that state.

People will just randomly send me information about their state… I will sometimes Google stereotypes about states. Not about the people, but about the state and the words that are used or catchphrases… So it’s really a little bit of insight from others and a little bit of researching

stereotypes. Sometimes the personality of the state relates to different events, you know? Georgia is sleepy because Georgia’s governor is so incompetent! (laughs)… That's why I made Georgia this character that just woke up and is confused about what's happening, and of course, Florida is just naturally chaotic.

AN: So far, would you say that Florida is your favorite state to portray?

Or do you like a different state?

BB: I think Florida is my favorite, but not for any normal reasons (laughs).

Florida is my favorite because— okay, first, he's so easy to portray.

His outfit is so easy, compared to [Washington] D.C, which means I need to get dressed up in a suit for the video, and it takes a while. Florida is literally a tank top and a hat.

There's no accent on Florida either.

I'm Floridian, and so I just do my own accent… Acting Florida is fun because I’m sure that most actors would love the opportunity to play a clinically insane person! (laughs).

I’m just happy that I was able to give myself that opportunity.

AN: As the presidential election gets closer, are you planning to poke that subject or stay clear away from it?

BB: Are you kidding? I’m definitely going to make fun of it! (laughs)…

I have about fifty different characters that I can play to present the events in several different perspectives, so it won’t be another straight white man giving his opinion on the internet! I want to do it in a very factual way and keep my opinion out

of it. Except for Florida, because his opinion is straight chaos! I want to try and actually present the platforms, which will include both the good points and the bad points.

AN: We’ll end this interview with a fun question! You mentioned that you liked to wear fun socks. Do you have a favorite pair of fun socks?

BB: Ooh! Every time I buy a new pair, it becomes my favorite… My current favorites are air hockey pucks playing hockey with hockey pucks. I have a whole drawer full of them, but those are definitely my favorites!

Scan to read the full interview.

Follow Ben on Social Media: ben_brainard ben_brainard ben_brainard ben_brainard Ben Brainard - Comedian

14 ENTERTAINMENT Bill & Ted Face the Music Review the original?

The movie starts with a narration by the titular characters' daughters, Billie Logan and Thea Preston, where they explain that their fathers have been trying and failing to create a song that would unite the world for decades. Now a pair of has-beens, they are told by the Council of the Future that if they don't play the song by 7:17 p.m., then reality as they know it will cease to exist. This story brings the Bill and Ted series to a definite close, while bringing back characters and references from the past two films.

Now, if you never saw the first two films, you are in luck, as Face The Music has a B-plot centered around

Salim Roig Staff Reporter Twenty-nine years have passed since the day that the two great ones, Bill and Ted, have last graced us with Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991). Since then, both the world of music and the world at large has greatly changed. The two stars of the film franchise have taken different paths in life. Alex Winter decided to retire from his acting career shortly after the second Bill and Ted movie. Keanu Reeves, on the other

Image Courtesy/IMDb

hand, took a sharp turn from comedy and took on more serious roles like Neo from The Matrix, and John Wick from the John Wick series.

Despite this, when Orion Pictures reached out to them two years ago, they gleefully took the chance to return to their surfer dude origins.

With both on-board and the world in a state of disarray, the two dudes that traveled through time make their return via on-demand streaming. Is their new movie Bill and Ted Face The Music a most-triumphant return to form or a heinous insult to

Bill and Ted's daughters. In this plot, Billie and Thea travel across time to recruit historical figures to play in their dads' band. This serves as a parallel to the original film and shows how similar and different Billie and Thea are from their fathers.

This all plays out at the end of the movie when all four main characters, alongside new and returning characters, play an amazing song that mixes musical genres from all across history into a singular track.

All in all, Bill and Ted Face The Music is a most excellent return of two legendary icons that is certain to attract not only the original fans that saw the first two films in theaters but also brand new fans of the series.

ENTERTAINMENT

John David Washington as the Protagonist

Elizabeth Debicki as Kat

Robert Pattinson as Neil

15

Kenneth Branagh as Andrei Sator

Another Christopher Nolan Magnum Opus?

Rajan Khanna Former Editor-in-Chief

Time Travel: Take whatever definition you know of confusion and throw it out. Tenet is a mind-bending conglomeration of insanity that confuses and entertains. The viewer’s perspective of time continually changes throughout the two hour and thirty-minute film. The idea of time travel, as seen in many other movies, is completely turned on its head with the introduction of “inversion.” Anything exposed to the weaponized inverse radiation of the future will have the perspective of traveling backward through a forward-moving world. The concept is best kept unexplained, as a

scientist who invented it in the film put it best: “Don’t try to understand it, feel it.”

The Characters John David Washington plays the film’s protagonist. Throughout the film, his character remains nameless, purely to remind the viewer that Nolan does not focus on personality. Officially, the character’s name is “The Protagonist,” through official channels. Typically, dialogue and character development are not strong points for Nolan’s filmmaking. Unfortunately, Washington takes this notion a bit far as his personality became quite flat towards the film’s middle. His character lacked the personality of other characters, such as Kat and

Neil, played by Elizabeth Debicki and Robert Pattinson respectively.

Their characters showed emotion throughout the entire film, even in dialogue where The Protagonist did not. This performance contrasts with Washington’s performance in BlacKKKlansmen, where his performance was nominated for multiple awards. Some may say that the lack of personality should be excused as no one remembers the film for small character details, but Nolan finds magic in the details. He missed out on plenty of magic with Washington’s performance.

The Big Picture The detail that it took to write, film, and edit Tenet truly shows the directing prowess that Christopher

Nolan holds. Film crews had to take a step back during filming and figure out exactly what was going on and how to make it happen. If Nolan can film a scene using practical effects over computer-generated imagery, he will. The film is visually and aurally stunning. The sound mixing is unorthodox, however, which has led to some controversy. Some dialogue is intentionally muffled under the soundtrack. Tenet was shot on IMAX 70mm film, thereby arguably producing a visually pleasing experience greater than that of Interstellar. This, combined with a confusing but intellectually stimulating time travel mechanic, makes up for Washington’s performance to create one of the best Nolan films of this decade. It will keep you confused for days, just as it should.

COMICS & GAMES 63. Cold War player (abbr.)

64. Pitching stat 65. Attempt

CLUES DOWN 1. Czech monetary unit 2. Arousing intense feeling 3. Elks 4. Muscular weaknesses 5. Before the present 6. Figures out 7. Infinite 8. A low wall 9. Silly 13. Political organization 14. Used of a number or amount not specified 17. Divisions of the psyche 18. Denial 20. Ancient Iranian person 22. Count on 27. Popular sports league 28. Water (French) 29. Partner to cheese 31. When you hope to get there 32. Angry 33. One point east of due south 37. Respects 38. Organize anew 39. French wine grape 40. Intrinsic nature of something 41. Neural structures 42. Brews CLUES ACROSS 21. Home of Disney World 46. Ancient Greek City 43. Where ships take on cargo 47. Newspaper bigwigs 1. Chop with an ax 23. Minerals 44. Holiday season singer 50. Discuss again 4. Where a bachelor lives 24. Most insightful 47. Shock treatment 7. Indicates near 25. Consult 54. Small group with shared 48. Popular average 10. Doctors’ group 26. In addition interests 49. Products 11. It’s just a number 27. Agents of downfall 55. Support 51. A type of bear 12. Type of bread 30. Organizations 56. Popular sportcoat fabric 52. Utilize 13. Lively ballroom dance 34. Supervises flying 57. Take hold of 53. Old world, new 59. Pre-Mayan civilization 15. Charles S. Dutton TV 35. Bar bill 58. Swiss river 36. Alfalfa 60. Woman (French) series 16. A way to use up 41. Dish soap 61. Wheeled vehicle 19. Singular event 45. Witnesses 62. Georgia rockers

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