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Embry-Riddle’s Golden Eagles Flight Team Wins National Championship

Prescott, Ariz., May 4, 2005 -- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Golden Eagles Flight Team took first place at the NIFA SAFECON (National Intercollegiate Flying Association Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference) National Competition held April 26-30 in Salina, Kan.

Previously, the Golden Eagles were NIFA SAFECON National Champions in 2003, 1999, 1997, and 1993.

In this year’s competition against 28 other university teams, the Golden Eagles earned a total of 466 points. Following the Golden Eagles in the rankings were the University of North Dakota in second place at 348 points, Western Michigan University in third place, Southern Illinois University in fourth, and Purdue University in fifth. The Eagles Flight Team from Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach, Fla., campus came in 10th.

Each team earned its way to the national NIFA competition by competing at the regional level, where some 130 schools competed across the country. Embry-Riddle’s Golden Eagles Flight Team has won every regional competition since 1986.

The 18 Golden Eagles who competed in Salina earned three first-place team trophies, including the Flying Events Team Championship Trophy, the Ground Events Team Championship Trophy, and the Judges Trophy.

“Winning the NIFA SAFECON is the aviation equivalent of winning the Super Bowl, and we are proud to say the best in the nation are from Embry-Riddle,” said Sean Jeralds, chair of the Flight Training Dept. at Embry-Riddle’s Prescott campus. “The young men and women of the team have shown all of us what can be accomplished by working hard and being passionate about aviation.”

The team used Cessna 150s for the landing events and Cessna 172s for the navigation events.

Members of the Golden Eagles who placed particularly well in the competition were Peter Grey, Brett Ross, and Dan Vaccariello.

Brett Ross, a senior Electrical Engineering major from Mojave, Calif., won the top place in the Aircraft Identification Competition, which had 145 competitors.

Dan Vaccariello, a junior Aeronautical Science major from San Dimas, Calif., placed first in the Ground Trainer Competition, which had 58 contestants. Vaccariello also placed third in the Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation Competition.

Grey, a freshman Aeronautical Science major from Las Vegas, Nev., earned first place in the Computer Accuracy Contest. There were 145 contestants in the competition. Grey placed 22nd in the Ground Trainer contest as well.

“I’m very proud of all our contestants,” said Jared Testa, head coach of the Golden Eagles. “Each of these students did an exceptional job all year. Possibly the most exciting news is that all but five of the students will return next year to lead the team in its quest for a first ‘back-to-back’ national championship.”

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs through its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering and meets the needs of students and industry through educational, training, research, and consulting activities. Embry-Riddle educates more than 30,000 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through its Extended Campus at more than 130 centers in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East, and worldwide through distance learning.