K-State's Flight Team Headed to Nationals
K-State at Salina’s Flight Team is headed to the National Intercollegiate Flying Association’s SAFECON Competition after placing third overall at the Region VI competition in Norman, Okla., October 18-24.
Other hardware that made its way back to Salina includes the Safety Award, given to only one of the eight teams competing.
Kate Fraser, senior in professional pilot, McPherson, Kan., was the Top Scoring Female Contestant. Fraser, the team captain, also was named Top Female Pilot. Placing fourth in the points race was K-State Aviation alum Robin Laws, who flew for Oklahoma State University where she is now a graduate student.
Christopher Carr, senior in professional pilot, Wichita, Kan., was the fourth Top Scoring Male Contestant. Danny Sheehy, senior in professional pilot, Topeka, Kan., came in a close sixth.
The team also three pilots make the Top Pilot Award list. Carr placed third, Sheehy, fourth, and Austin Fick, junior in professional pilot, Topeka, Kan., eleventh for the Top Pilot Award. The event had a total of 78 pilots competing.
SAFECON competitions are comprised of five ground events and four flight events to test the team’s abilities in all aspects of flight. The results of each contribute to the team’s score.
The ground events are Computer Accuracy, Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation, Aircraft Recognition, Preflight Inspection and Ground Trainer. Flight events are Message Drop (not held during this competition due to weather), Navigation, Short-Field Landing and Power-Off Landing.
Fick placed fourth in the SCAN event with Fraser coming in a close fifth.
Carr took sixth in the Aircraft Preflight Inspection event and Fick took seventh.
Sheehy placed fifth in the Ground Trainer event.
Fick took fourth and Sheehy took tenth in Short-Field.
Sheehy took second, Carr took fourth, and Zach Powell, junior in professional pilot, Colorado Springs, Colo., placed sixth in the Power-Off Landing event.
Also contributing to the team’s total points were Ryan Enebo, freshman in professional pilot, Sanger, Texas, and Gabriel Lenz, junior in professional pilot, N Liberty, Iowa.
“The team was very consistent this year,” said Tom Karcz, assistant professor of aviation and the team’s sponsor. “Several top ten finishes gave us the points we needed to qualify for nationals. Their hard work, practice and effort paid off.”
“Mitch really pushed the students to do well,” Karcz said, referring to Mitchell Wagner, senior in professional pilot, Keller, Texas, the team coach.
Karcz isn’t the only one on campus singing the team’s praises.
"This flight team has really buckled down and stepped up to the task; they had great leadership under their faculty advisor Tom Karcz and they made us all proud," said Kurt Barnhart, head of K-State’s aviation department.
The eight students who competed know that they had lots of help from the K-State family.
"The team had lots of support both on and off campus,” said Barnhart. “Everyone came together to help; our donors, the Flight Maintenance team, the Aviation Maintenance Training program, the Fiscal Affairs office, Dean Dennis Kuhlman, and many more; we couldn't have done it without their support."
K-State’s Flight Team competed against teams from University of Nebraska – Omaha, University of Central Missouri, Parks College Of St. Louis University, Spartan College of Aeronautics, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma State University, and University of Oklahoma.
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