Guarantees The Team A Spot In The National Event In Oshkosh In May

Thirty-three years in a row. That’s how many times Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Golden Eagles Flight Team have won the National Intercollegiate Flying Association’s Safety and Flight Elevation Conference (NIFA SAFECON) regional competition. This year’s event took place Oct. 28 – Nov. 2 at the Prescott Regional Airport.

The Golden Eagles participated in the Region II competition that included seven teams from Arizona and California. The team finished first overall with 396 total points. San Jose State University finished a distant second with 88 points.

"I am very proud of the way that the team came together and put their best foot forward to win,” said team captain Colin Ho-Tseung. “Every member worked tirelessly to prepare for competition and constantly pushed each other to do better.”

The regional championship grants the team a spot to compete in May at the national NIFA SAFECON event in Oshkosh, WI. The Golden Eagles are 12-time national champions, and placed third at last year’s national competition. “The team's preparation and focus for this competition was intense and highly successful,” said head coach Bob Moser. “We are a young team, having only one returning Senior, but the younger members have stepped up to a level beyond their years. This year's slate of team officers and event coordinators are very solid. They have led the team to a level of performance making another run at a national championship a possibility."

NIFA exists today as a forum for collegiate aviators to expand their studies and further their careers by participating in competitive and non-competitive events, networking with industry and contemporaries, and applying themselves to go above-and-beyond their ordinary curriculum. “We could not succeed without the support of the University and Airport staff, and we cannot thank them enough,” added Ho-Tseung. “We are very excited about the results of this past week, and cannot wait to put in the effort to excel in our performance at Nationals this May in Oshkosh."

The 2019-2020 Golden Eagles Flight Team are: Captain Colin Ho-Tseung, Co-Captain Kevin Peace, Chief Pilot Benjamin Lamer, Matthew Arnovick, Joseph Bryant, Jamie Gallagher, Brian La Fetra, Karen Lau, Carol Martin, Karl Neserke, Douglas Niemela, Hayden Owen, John Ritter, Richard Santi, Emalie Snyder, Erin Teal, Jonathan Van Schooten, Trevor White, Josh Wiese, Head Coach Robert “Bob” Moser, Assistant Coach Shaun Shephard and Coach/Team Mechanic Farrell Harris.

(Image provided with ERAU news release)

FMI: www.erau.edu