Embry-Riddle Opens New Aviation Building to Public

From 10 a.m. to noon, Dave Laing and Kelly McCarthy, hosts of the WNDB-radio "AM Daytona" show, will broadcast live from the campus.

At noon, from the Weather Center observation station on the roof of the new building, students will launch a weather balloon used to measure upper-air temperature, wind, and barometric pressure.

Other events during the Saturday open house: ROTC units will perform tactical demonstrations, including bridge building; the student skydiving team will parachute onto campus; a scavenger hunt will be held for kids; and a student alternative rock group, Side Project, will perform.

The open house is part of a weekend-long celebration that will showcase not only the new Aviation Building but other campus facilities, as well.

Visitors also are invited to a financial aid workshop on how to apply to colleges and obtain financial aid for college and to attend an activity fair organized by students. More than 100 campus clubs are expected to participate. Picnic lunches will be available for sale.

For more information, contact Carol Hogan, director of donor relations, at (386) 226-7201 or hoganc@db.erau.edu for details about the open house and other events of the day.

Embry-Riddle's new Aviation Building uniquely combines expertise and technology that are designed to address the most pressing challenges facing aviation today: unprecedented passenger growth, frequent flight delays, security concerns, congested airport runways, aging aircraft, and outdated computer systems.

Highlights of the 75,000-square-foot building are:

First floor
Computer-Based Training Laboratory includes personal computers with interactive programs that simulate basic flight maneuvers, allowing students to repeat specific procedures safely until they gain mastery.
Flight Tutoring Laboratory features personal computers and aviation flight training devices that help train future pilots more safely, efficiently, and economically.
Propulsion and Systems Laboratory gives future professional pilots a high level of understanding of the engines and instruments of the jets they will fly.
Safe Skies Laboratory includes the computerized drafting stations, cameras, hazardous materials suits, hoists for lifting and examining aircraft parts, special chemicals, and electron microscopes used by aircraft accident investigators.

Second floor
Aircraft Performance Laboratory contains 30 computerized replicas of the automated glass instrument panel and manual controls of a major transport aircraft that allow students to "fly" the aircraft's performance profile and interact with the instructor.
Electronic Navigation Laboratory features special PCs equipped with flight controls and Embry-Riddle-developed software that allows students to compute performance criteria and explore different flight scenarios.
Flight Techniques Laboratory is equipped for seminars supporting collaborative learning.

Third floor
Air Traffic Control Simulation Laboratories house a showcase radar and air traffic control facility, control tower simulator, and air traffic management laboratory created by industry leader Adacel Systems and built to Federal Aviation Administration standards. Embry-Riddle was the first university in the nation to acquire this advanced system.
Air Traffic Management Research Laboratory allows researchers and students using sophisticated software to simulate airspace and airport systems and solve problems such as runway incursions, reduce in-flight fuel costs, and streamline ground operations.
Weather Center, linked to a remote weather observation station on the roof of the building and to basic and advanced Meteorology Laboratories, enables faculty and students to display integrated weather data in real time.

The new building is home to the Aeronautical Science, Applied Aviation Sciences, and Flight departments. These departments offer degree programs in Aeronautical Science (for professional pilots), Aeronautical Systems Maintenance, Air Traffic Management, Applied Meteorology, Professional Aeronautics, and Safety Science.

Embry-Riddle, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, meets the needs of students and industry through its educational, training, research, and consulting activities. Embry-Riddle educates 24,000 students annually through the master's level at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., at more than 150 teaching centers in the United States and Europe, and through distance learning.