40 Years of Regional Victory: The Eagles Flight Team

ARTICLE BY WENSHUO WU, Staff Reporter PHOTOS BY THE EAGLES FLIGHT TEAM

At the end of the Fall 2022 semester, the Eagles Flight Team won the championship of the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Regional SAFECON competition, as well as the Ground Event Champion, Flight Event Champion, and Competition Safety Award.

Representing the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach campus, this is the 40th time that the team has won this championship competition against fellow collegiate aviators from the southeastern United States. While winning became routine and trophies stacked to the roof of the Flight Operations Building, a question was raised: what’s so special about this specific victory? With our history of success, earning another regional championship should be a walk in the park, shouldn’t it?

“Maintaining team readiness can be difficult in this environment,” said Nicholas Kellogg, the safety officer of the team, who is a Spaceflight Operations sophomore. “Each year, our most experienced individuals leave for their careers, and we must recruit new members to take their place. Training is something we take very seriously. In order to maintain a sharp, competition-ready team, we must ensure that the members are diligently working not only on their ground events, but their flying practice as well. We are looking to improve year over year. This year we have some fantastic new recruits who are already working on being the best they can.”

Every Fall, the Eagles Flight Team invites new members into the team. Like the competitive sports teams, the team holds a three-week tryout where prospective members can get a taste of the practice. In contrast, senior members can observe the performances and potentially make selections among the tryouts.

The flight team is known for operating a fleet of three unique Cessna 150s optimized for precision landing competitions. However, not known by many people, the NIFA competition also requires teams to participate in ground events, which are, if not more, as important as flight events, while weighing the scores for the overall championship. During the tryout process, prospective members are exposed to the three core ground events: Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation (SCAN), Computer Accuracy, and Aircraft Recognition.

“Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation is an event based around cross-country planning and regulation knowledge. Computer accuracy utilizes the manual E6B flight computer to solve complex maths problems. Aircraft recognition tests you on your ability to identify aircraft’s make, model, and common name in only a few seconds.”

Connor Cvetan, the first officer of the team, explains the ground events: “We spend at least three nights every week dedicated to practicing those core ground events, independent of our flying and practices. Many times, new members need to be introduced to these events from scratch.”

“Practice is pretty intense,” said new member Charles Brouwer, an Aeronautical Science freshman, who has just been introduced to the flight team practice routines. “I was studying as hard as I could, and I am now focusing a considerable amount of time on the flight team practices.”

It usually takes a new team member about a year to master one ground event. In that process, the team member transitions from a safe pilot to a safe but precise competitive aviator. If they demonstrate mastery of their ground event and good aviation and safety skills, they will be invited to join the practice for flight events.

“NIFA dictates the rules to which we fly, making certain flight events far stricter than the commercial ACS,” said Dominic Barbagallo, Chief Pilot of the team. “Training a new member to fly in accordance with these rules is difficult, because many are not used to the added restrictions! We don’t teach landings, we perfect them!”

“It might be challenging for the junior members to quickly get to a competition level for the ground and flight events, but we have our secret,” team Captain Aidan Murray, an Aeronautical Science senior, shared his insight. “Through not only rigorous practices, but also mentorship programs, senior members can efficiently pass down their skills and experience to junior members, promoting more effective learning.”

“I was taught almost everything I needed to know,” said new team member Garrett Linney, also an Aeronautical Science freshman, elaborating on his tryout experience in October. “We also quickly created tight bonds and strong friendships.”

“Practicing is hard but also fun!” This was Connor Cvetan’s response; he also won the Top Ranking Contestant award in the regionals when asked to reflect on his practice experiences. “There is a sense of achievement when you solve a question. And, of course, the excitement of being called during the award banquet is unforgettable.”

“Another part of the recipe is that we understand we represent not only ourselves, but also our university in front of other fellow collegiate aviators and even the industry,” Aidan added. “There is an internal driving force for us to hold each other accountable for achieving our best.”

The hard work does not stop with the regional victory, as the 2023 SAFECON National Competition is just around the corner. In May, the Eagles Flight Team will be traveling to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to compete against other collegiate aviators from across the nation. Let’s wish them all the best!

When most people applied to college, their parents probably bugged them for hours to enroll in their alma mater. However, that was not my case, as unlike a good chunk of my peers, I was the rst person in my family to enter college. As a rstgeneration student, my unique rst-generation student journey consisted of good and bad experiences. With this article, I want to share with you, my dear reader, what it is like to be the rst person in my family to enter college.

First, I would like to start with the bad aspects of being a rst-generation student. I want to get the worst parts out of the way before transitioning to a much more hopeful aspect. One big issue with being a rst-generation student is the constant back-and-forth arguments you need to have with your parents, who may not understand the more taxing parts of college. is one isn’t meant to be a jab at one’s parents, but, due to rst-generation students’ parents not understanding a lot about college, it can create a lot of unnecessary stress. Most of the time, you tend to feel that you are entering an unknown world with no one to explain it to you.

Another horrible part of being a rst-generation is that you tend to be le out of all of the nancial bonuses associated with being the child of an alumni. Because of this, you tend to feel that you have to deal with the bur- den of college by yourself, especially when you compare yourself to your peers, receiving alumni bonuses.

Now that I’ve shared the bad aspects, I would like to say there is hope for rst-generation students at the end of the tunnel. One big advantage that rst-generation students have, that can counteract one of the previously stated disadvantages, is that we can apply for scholarships, fellowships, and internships that might be unavailable for non- rst-generation students. Another signi cant aspect of being a rst-generation student is that you feel like someone who could break the mold. Your family treats you like a star child, and college isn’t just a regular four-year academic plan like everyone else. It’s a pilgrimage you go on to prove that you, and by extension, aren’t just tied to yours but go beyond them and achieve greatness. is feeling is something I feel deep within my heart every day now that I’m a senior.

To all the rst-generation students reading this, remember that, although you will have challenges that the rest of your peers may never experience when you earn that diploma, you will become more than just another member with a college degree. You will become someone who, despite everything, made a di erence for themselves and their family.