Golden Eagles Prevail at NIFA SAFECON

Embry–Riddle, the private university focused on aviation and aerospace programs, has announced that the Golden Eagles Flight Team of its Prescott, AZ campus was victorious at 2022’s NIFA [National Intercollegiate Flying Association] SAFECON [Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference] national championship.

The achievement marks the Golden Eagles’s second consecutive win of the prestigious competition—and the fourteenth in campus history. 

Shaun Shephard, who coached the team during its last two national title bids, states, “Coaching the Golden Eagles Flight Team is my dream job … I get to coach and teach the best of the best.” 

The 34-member Golden Eagle team beat out 27 other university teams comprising nearly 500 students from across the U.S. In total, Embry-Riddle placed in 18 events, including eight top finishes. 

Earlier this year, the team also competed in the NIFA SAFECON regional flight competition, which it won for the 37th time. The event was part of what Shepard called a sprint, during which the team was away from campus, competing for six of the twenty weeks leading up to national championships.

The team excelled despite the rigorous schedule, turning in standout performances in events such as aircraft recognition, computer accuracy, aircraft preflight, and both high-performance and emergency landings. 

Embry-Riddle Flight Department Chair Parker Northrup said of the Golden Eagles, “We have an incredibly dedicated bunch of young aviators who understand that consistent dedication throughout the year is necessary to compete at this high level.” Northrup cited the team’s dedication and preparation, calling it “ … among the keenest I’ve ever seen in my three decades in military and civilian flight education programs.”

Founded at Cincinnati’s Lunken Field in 1926, Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University is the largest accredited university system specializing in aviation and aerospace. The institution, which began as a regional school for pilots and aircraft mechanics, currently enrolls more than 33,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

FMI: https://erau.edu