NATIONAL FLIGHT COMPETITION COMING TO K-STATE AT SALINA April 1, 2004 SALINA – The National Intercollegiate Flying Association has selected Kansas State University at Salina as the site for the Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference – SAFECON – in May 2005. The conference brings together 700-800 participants and more than 100 aircraft for the six-day event each spring. “ We are thrilled to be able to have SAFECON nationals at K-State Salina,” said Troy Brockway, assistant professor and flight team coach at K-State. “We last hosted nationals in 1999, but our college has grown so much since then.” To qualify for nationals, teams first compete each fall in one of 11 regional competitions. Some 30 schools from among approximately 70 association members will go on to compete at the national competition. The national competition requires a multitude of competitors, coaches, professionals and volunteers to make the event happen: • 350-450 competitors
and 80-100 coaches “ K-State is definitely on the rise as a top school for pilots,” Brockway said. “In the past few years, we have performed more and more consistently and show improvement each year. Hosting nationals will be another great opportunity for the flight team and the aviation department – plus, having this many people in town will bring a lot of business to the Salina Airport Authority and the community of Salina.” Three K-State students have assumed leadership for planning and implementing the conference: Nancy Milleret, junior in professional pilot from Linwood; Evie Ross, junior in professional pilot from Winfield; and Heath Larson, junior in professional pilot from Marquette. SAFECON is devoted to the skill, safety, sport and education in college flying. A series of ground and flight events are conducted during the competition. Ground events include pre-flight inspection, aircraft recognition, instrument proficiency in a ground-based simulator and computer accuracy. Flight events include short-field precision landing, power-off precision landing, cross-country navigation and message drop. |