Aviation Maintenance Science Major Finds Embry-Riddle Offers Best of All Worlds

Although Nicolas Napoleoni isn’t 100% sure where his love of aviation will land him in the future, he is certain that Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the perfect place for him to be right now.

Nicolas is taking full advantage of everything the world’s leading aviation and aerospace educator has to offer and is on track to graduate in 2024 with his commercial pilot ticket in one hand and his Airframe & Powerplant license in the other.

Why Choose Embry-Riddle for an Aviation Degree?

“This was the obvious choice, because Embry-Riddle is the best,” said Nicolas, who is now majoring in Aviation Maintenance Science with a Flight Concentration. “The name alone means a lot and you can learn so much here, so I was able to knock out my flight ratings before I started concentrating on AMS full-time.”

Nicolas has lived in California and Missouri but grew up Sebastian, Florida, and graduated from Sebastian River High. Even before high school, he realized he had a passion and a knack for working with his hands.

“I always enjoyed taking things apart and fixing them and doing things like maintaining my own car,” Nicolas said. “I just loved anything with an engine.”

He also felt drawn to the sky. Thanks to the support and encouragement of his parents, he began flight training at a local FBO while he was in high school. By the time he was ready to move on to college, he had already earned his private pilot license and was certain that an aviation career was exactly what he wanted.

“I was going to go the military route at first,” Nicolas said. “But then I found Embry-Riddle.”

From the Flight Deck to the Hangar

For him, that was a game changer. Embry-Riddle’s renowned flight program was one strong selling point, but the leading-edge Aviation Maintenance Science facilities he visited during a tour of the Daytona Beach Campus also grabbed his full attention.

At that point, Nicolas knew he had found a school that could give him the best of all worlds: A respected degree, a full suite of flight ratings and an A&P license, any one of which would open doors at top employers around the globe.

“In addition to being a big name in aviation, Embry-Riddle was the only place where I could fly and also do aviation maintenance,” Nicolas said. “Since I've always been interested in flying airplanes and since I like knowing how things work, I thought it would be a great idea to get into maintenance as well.”

Nicolas Napoleoni is all smiles as he takes a break from work at one of Embry-Riddle’s aviation maintenance facilities. (Photo: Embry-Riddle / Bill Fredette-Huffman)Nicolas started his academic journey here in 2021 as an Aeronautical Science - Fixed Wing major and jumped right into flight training.

“I've now completed my instrument rating, commercial single-engine and commercial multi-engine,” he said. “But I still wanted to get more into aviation maintenance, so I decided to make the switch.”

The flexibility of Embry-Riddle’s degree programs made the change from one major to another easy for Nicolas, and he’s now applying the same dedication and focus in the hangar as he does on the flight deck.

“I am really enjoying it,” Nicolas said. “I feel like I made the right choice.” 

Hands On from Day One

Some of his top highlights in the AMS program so far have included learning the intricacies of electricity, composites, sheet metal work and aircraft engines. Embry-Riddle also is giving Nicolas hands on opportunities that aren’t always available to undergraduates.

“The first week of [powerplant] class, we actually disassembled a Lycoming O-320 and then we did an inspection on it and reassembled it as the semester went on,” he said. “That was a lot of fun because I knew a little bit about aircraft engines beforehand, but I've really learned a lot through the class. In this program, it’s almost like every day, little light bulbs are going off everywhere.”

Expert Faculty Leads the Way

Nicolas also said he is grateful for the experiences he shares with his fellow AMS students, and for the guidance provided by the program’s faculty members, who are all experts in their respective fields and still have tight connections to the aviation and aerospace industry.

“All the professors are great,” he said. “You can always have a conversation with them and there have been times where I've stayed after class for 20 or 30 minutes just asking questions. It’s great to have people with such a wealth of knowledge that you can reach out to.”

When he leaves Embry-Riddle, Nicolas believes he will be ready to pursue either of his aviation passions, or maybe even both if he can find the right situation. Whatever route he chooses to follow, he feels well prepared for it.

“I definitely know I made the right choice coming to Embry-Riddle,” he said. “I’ve attended a school that teaches me how to do things the right way from the start, so that I form good habits and have a solid baseline of knowledge that will help me when I eventually do go out into the industry.”

Get ready for your tomorrow. Apply at Embry-Riddle today.