ERAU Team Triumphs at Regional Competition

For the 16th consecutive year, the Eagles Flight Team from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University took first place at the Region IX NIFA SAFECON (National Intercollegiate Flying Association Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference) competition. The annual event was held Nov. 12-15 at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne.

This year, 75 students on five university teams from the Southeastern United States took part in landing and navigation events in the categories of Aircraft Recognition, Computer Accuracy, Instrument Flight, Message Drop, Navigation, Power Off and Short Field Landings, Preflight, and Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation.

The Eagles Flight Team, made up of 24 students ranging from freshman to senior, used a Cessna 150 for the landing events and Cessna 172s for the navigation events.

A member of the Eagles who did particularly well in the competition was Matt Johnson, an Aeronautical Science senior, who was awarded the Top Pilot Award for an outstanding performance in Navigation, Power Off and Short Field Landings, Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation, and the Ground Trainer Event.

Placing first in the regional competition allows the Eagles to advance to the national tournament in Tennessee, to be held April 25 to May 1, where they will compete for their second national championship. The Eagles were national NIFA SAFECON champions in 1992.

“This is the best flight team the Daytona Beach campus has had in the past 10 years -- the results loudly proclaim their abilities,” said Dr. Richard Theokas, chairman of Embry-Riddle’s Flight Training Dept. “The team’s performance at the regional competition creates great expectations for the nationals.”

FMI: www.eaglesflightteam.org