K-STATE AT SALINA FLIGHT TEAM SOARS AT NATIONAL COMPETITION May 6, 2004 SALINA – The Kansas State University flight team had a best-ever 11th-place showing at the National Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference – SAFECON – held April 27-May 1 at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. The flight team is in the College of Technology and Aviation, located on K-State’s Salina campus. 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. Nearly 300 students from 31 different schools around the country competed in the event. The K-State team finished 11th overall, with two top-10 individual event finishes, the team’s best placements ever at the national level. The highest prior team placement was 18th at the 2003 national competition. This year’s performance at nationals follows a strong second place finish in the regional SAFECON competition in October 2003. “ I was proud of the effort our team made to represent K-State and to compete on a very high level,” said Troy Brockway, assistant professor of aviation and one of the team’s coaches. “When you consider the flight programs we were up against – the University of North Dakota, the Air Force Academy, Embry-Riddle and others – we were really pleased with how the team did.” Brad Amstutz, a May 2003 graduate in professional pilot and the flight team’s other coach, said that this year’s top finishes were the result of especially hard work throughout the year. “This year the flight team members really raised the standard of preparation for nationals, and it definitely paid off.” Amstutz is a graduate of Beatrice Senior High in Beatrice, Neb. Top individual accomplishments
included: Eleven
flight team members competed in this year’s national SAFECON
events: Mandi Bellamy, junior in professional pilot from Sharon Springs, was third in the Women’s Achievement competition, placed 44th in simulator and 107th in short field landing. David Jones, senior in professional pilot from Wichita, placed 17th in navigation, 25th in computer accuracy, 28th in short field landing, 41st in message drop, 60th in power off landing and 148th in Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation exam. Jason Eichem, senior in professional pilot from Wamego, placed 26th in IFR simulator and 92nd in aircraft recognition. From out of state: Amanda Wagner, sophomore in professional pilot from Waterloo, Iowa, placed 115th in Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation exam. Dustin Graves, junior in professional pilot from Fairfax, Mo., placed third in the certified flight instructor event, 60th in Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation exam, 67th in aircraft recognition and 76th in message drop. Justin Poe, senior in professional pilot from Keller, Texas, placed 14th in Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation exam, 15th in short field landing, 50th in navigation, 52nd in aircraft recognition, 58th in power off landing and 81st in computer accuracy,. ABOUT SAFECON EVENTS: Landing events – In the power-off and short-field landings, a line is chalked on the runway. Points are given based on how close the plane gets to the line under given conditions, as well as overall technique. In the power-off landing, pilots reduce power and essentially glide into the landing. Preflight – This event involves a preflight inspection of a plane that has been “bugged” with a variety of discrepancies. The student is graded on the number of discrepancies discovered in 15 minutes. Navigation – Students have 30 minutes to plot a three- to five-point cross-country flight, estimating time between checkpoints, total time en route and expected fuel usage. A check pilot then rides with the student to verify the accuracy of the estimates and ground judges record time over checkpoints. Message drop – A pilot and drop master work together to drop messages from 200 feet in the air into two different barrels on the ground. The drop master earns points based on how close the messages are to the barrels. Computer accuracy – Using an E6B, a circular slide rule made specifically for aviation, students work a variety of problems. Problems include time, speed, distance, wind correction and fuel requirements. Simulator – Students are required to demonstrate instrument flight rules, proficiency and precision in a simulator. Scores are given based on how close students come to the target values in a pre-set flight. Aircraft recognition – Slides of parts of a variety of aircraft are flashed on a screen for three to five seconds. The student must identify the aircraft by manufacturer, model number and common name. Worldwide aircraft are used, including Russian airliners and World War II planes. IFR simulator – Competitors demonstrate instrument flight rules (IFR) proficiency and precision by flying a given route in a simulator. Pilots encounter a variety of situations, including holding patterns and instrument approach procedures. Crew resource management – Two-person crews are assigned a cross-country flight in a simulator. Contestants are judged on their ability to work together in a cockpit environment, as well as their ability to handle in-flight situations. Certified
flight instructor – Certified flight
instructors compete by preparing
and teaching an assigned subject. If weather and time permits,
the CFI then teaches the lesson
in-flight. |