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.