Golden Eagles Flight Team Wins Regional Competition
 Prescott,
Ariz., March 3, 2003 -- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's
Golden Eagles Flight Team took first place at the Region
II NIFA SAFECON (National Intercollegiate Flying Association
Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference) competition held
Feb. 14-16 in El Cajon, Calif.
The Golden Eagles, made up of 28 student members, took
first place in seven out of nine flight and ground events.
The students range from freshman to senior in class rank.
Participating in this year's event were 75 competitors
on six university teams from the Western United States.
Events in the competition included Aircraft Recognition,
Computer Accuracy, Instrument Flight, Message Drop, Navigation,
Power Off and Short Field Landings, Preflight, and Simulated
Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation.
"I'm very proud of our team," said team coach Jared Testa.
"We're well-rounded in skills, and we also have a healthy
balance of juniors/seniors and freshmen/sophomores. We
should be a contender for the national title in the next
couple of years as our younger members continue to learn
from their older teammates."
Members of the Golden Eagles who did particularly well
in the competition were Bill Beckelman, an Aeronautical
Science senior, who was awarded the Top Pilot Award for
the best performance in Navigation, Power Off and Short
Field Landings, Preflight, and Simulated Comprehensive
Aircraft Navigation.
Geraldine Fritsch, an Aerospace Engineering senior, earned
the Top Female Pilot Award for her performance in the
same events.
Placing first in the competition allows the Golden Eagles
to advance to the National Competition in North Dakota
May 17-21, where they will compete for their fourth national
championship. The Golden Eagles were national NIFA SAFECON
champions in 1999, 1997, and 1993.
The team uses Cessna 150s for the landing events and
Cessna 172s for the navigation events.
Embry-Riddle, the world's largest, fully accredited university
specializing in aviation and aerospace, meets the needs
of students and industry through its educational, training,
research, and consulting activities. Embry-Riddle educates
more than 25,000 students annually through the master's
level at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla.,
and Prescott, Ariz., at more than 150 teaching centers
in the United States and Europe, and through distance
learning.
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