Kansas State University

SALINA -- A Kansas State University Salina Flight Team comprised mostly of first-time competitors brought home six Top 20 finishes at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association's National Safety And Flight Evaluation Conference, or SAFECON, and competition, May 6-11 at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.

The K-State Salina team won an invitation to the national competition by placing second in the association's Region VI competition in October 2012. Teams from 29 collegiate aviation programs across the country participated.

"We had a very young team for nationals this year," said Tom Karcz, associate professor of aviation and team adviser. "Most of the team that competed at the regional competition graduated in December, so we took 10 first-time competitors. This was a great learning experience for them and they already are planning their training for regionals in the fall."

The competition consists of 13 events, with members of the K-State Salina team placing in the Top 20 in five events: Ground Trainer, IFR Simulated Flight, Message Drop, Preflight and Power-off Landing.

Here's a look at what the events required:

* During the Aircraft Preflight Inspection, an airplane is "bugged" with at least 30 discrepancies and contestants are given 15 minutes to perform a preflight inspection to locate them all.

* In the Ground Trainer event, contestants fly a complex pattern of climbs, descents and turns on a flight simulator. Scores are determined by the pilot's accuracy.

* The IFR Simulated Flight tests contestants on their ability to perform in a simulated instrument flight rules flight environment while adhering to the standard procedures required by the Aeronautical Information Manual and Air Traffic Control.

*In the Message Drop event, the pilot and drop master must work as a team to maneuver an airplane flying at 200 feet to hit a target on the ground with a message container dropped from an aircraft flying at 200 feet.

* The Power-off Landing event tests a pilot's skill at maneuvering and manipulating the aircraft. After taking off and flying a normal traffic pattern, the objective is to glide to touchdown as close to, if not on, the target line as possible.

The following K-State Salina Flight Team members participated in the competition; included are any Top 20 placements, if earned:

Martin Harvey, freshman in professional pilot, Andover; Tosh Taylor, sophomore in professional pilot, Riley, 18th in ground trainer; Ryan Cady, freshman in professional pilot, St. George; Cameron Calvert, sophomore in professional pilot, sixth in message drop, serving as drop master; and Herbert Hutchison, junior in professional pilot and team captain, 15th in IFR simulated flight, both from Wichita.

From out of state:

Tyler Thull, freshman in professional pilot, Fort Collins, Colo.; Joshua Solomon, freshman in professional pilot, Pensacola, Fla.;Trevor Henson, junior in professional pilot, Dunlap, Ill., 13th in aircraft preflight inspection and 20th in power-off landing; Samantha Hoff, freshman in professional pilot, Galloway, N.J.; Shane Richardson, junior in professional pilot, Albuquerque, N.M., sixth in message drop, serving as pilot; Ian Barnhart, freshman in professional pilot, Columbia, Pa.; and Scott Bell, freshman in professional pilot, Ashburn, Va.