UND Flying Team wins top honors at Regional Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference

The University of North Dakota\u27s Flying Team recently won top honors in the Region V National Intercollegiate Flying Association\u27s (NIFA\u27s) Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON). UND\u27s winning score of 817 points gave the Flying Team first place in flight and ground events. We also received the safety award at SAFECON, which is a reflection on all of UND Aerospace, said Lewis Liang, assistant professor of aviation and the team\u27s faculty advisor. The team worked hard and was ready for this air-meet. Taking first place in every event and having every competitor score points for the team gives us a solid foundation to build on for Nationals, Liang said. The team participates in two competitions annually: a regional qualifying competition and the national competition to determine the national championship. We have met out first goal of the season and now it\u27s back to work, said Jamie Marshall, the team\u27s assistant coach and UND check pilot. The Flying Team has set an unprecedented record by placing in the top two 25 times in the past 29 national SAFECON air-meets, with 16 first-place finishes and nine second place finishes. Members of the team are volunteering aviation student body members who have made a commitment of time and effort to be a part of the team. Team members who competed were co-captain Tyler Van Heel, Elk River, Minn.; co-captain Lauren Peterson, Duluth, Minn.; Jacob Alvey, Louisville, Ky.; Jack Foley, Libertyville, Ill.; Paul Hering, Grafton, Wis.; Cameron Jaxheimer, Seattle, Wash.; Jacob Lange, Archbold, Ohio; Brian Lee, New York, N.Y.; Christian Mohan, West Fargo, N.D.; Scott Meyer, Lyons, Ohio; Jacob Smith, Henning, Minn.; Justin Therriault, North Pole, Alaska; and Paul Valenstein, Sheboygan Falls, Wis. The Flying Team will next compete at the National SAFECON competition held in Dublin, Ohio, on May 6, 2013, hosted by The Ohio State University. Thirty teams from the eleven regions around the country will compete in that National SAFECON event. SAFECON was hosted by Minnesota State University Mankato in Mankato, and consisted of teams from: the University of Dubuque, St. Cloud State University and UND. UND First place regional finishes: Ground Trainer – Scott Meyer Preflight Inspection – Tyler Van Heel Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation – Scott Meyer Manual Computer Accuracy – Scott Meyer Aircraft Recognition – Scott Meyer Navigation – Tyler Van Heel & Paul Hering Power off Landings – Lauren Peterson Short Field Landings – Lauren Peterson Message Drop - Justin Therriault & Jacob Lang