Yeah, But It's The 23rd Consecutive Title That's Hardest...

Aero-News has learned the Golden Eagles Flight Team of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has won its 22nd consecutive regional championship title at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) SAFECON Region II Competition.

Embry-Riddle -- along with the City of Prescott, AZ -- hosted the 2008 NIFA Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON) Regional Competition February 14-17 at Prescott’s Ernest A. Love Field. Besides Embry-Riddle, flight teams were fielded by Cypress College, Mt. San Antonio College, San Diego Christian College, and San Jose State University.

There's no other way to say it... the Golden Eagles dominated the event, earning a total of 355 points. San Jose State University came in second with 155 points, and Mt. San Antonio College with 97 points. The three teams will advance to the national competition to be held May 5-10 in Smyrna, TN.

"All of the team members contributed to making this regional competition a success," said Jared Testa, Golden Eagles head coach. "It’s a great tribute to the team alumni to keep the streak of regional championships alive. Our next goal is to start a streak of national championships."

The Golden Eagles won the national championship in 1993, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007.

At the NIFA SAFECON Regional Competition, Embry-Riddle’s team won several honors. Peter Grey was named the competition’s Top Pilot, Kisa Wiley was named Top Female Pilot, and Kathleen O’Conner was voted the Outstanding Team Member by her teammates. For the 12th consecutive year, Embry-Riddle swept first through fifth place in the Computer Accuracy Event.

Following are the rankings of the Embry-Riddle contestants in the regional competition:

Navigation Event

1. Austin Richey (Pilot) / Brandon Anderson (Observer)

2. Peter Grey (Pilot) / Nate Visser (Observer)

3. Kisa Wiley (Pilot) / Christopher Shupe (Observer)

Power-Off Landing Event

1. Grant Culver

3. Andrew Garrett

4. Peter Grey

7. Brandon Anderson

10. Austin Richey

Short-Field Landing Event

2. Andrew Garrett

3. William Bayliss

6. David Moore

7. Peter Grey

13. Ian Burton

Message Drop Event

1. Josh Deweese (Drop Master) / Cassandra Nagle (Pilot)

7. Kisa Wiley (Drop Master) / William Bayliss (Pilot)

10. Brendan Vinchesi (Drop Master) / Robert Hughes (Pilot)

14. William Jacobson (Drop Master) / Christopher Purcell (Pilot)

17. Chris Thelan (Drop Master) / Jahvan Dechape (Pilot)

Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) Precision Flight Event

1. Cassandra Nagle

Computer Accuracy Event

1. Peter Grey

2. Grant Culver

3. Andrew Garrett

4. Ian Burton

5. Jahvan Dechape

Aircraft Recognition Event

1. David Moore

2. Christopher Purcell

3. Chris Thelan

4. William Jacobson

5. Robert Hughes

Ground Trainer Event

1. Christopher Shupe

2. Peter Grey

3. Austin Richey

Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation Event

1. Peter Grey

2. Grant Culver

3. William Bayliss

7. Nate Visser

11. Ian Burton

Aircraft Preflight Inspection Event

1. William Bayliss

2. Peter Grey

5. Grant Culver

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace. ERAU offers more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering.

FMI: www.embryriddle.edu