Published by Shelbi Tierney on Mon, Feb 02, 2015
Sky Broncos: On the Road to Nationals
Patrick Allen
Aviation Flight Science and Aviation Management and Operations
Following our win at regionals in the fall, the Sky Broncos Precision Flight Team is getting started for the push to nationals. Starting at the end of January, the team will be at the airport to hone their skills and prepare as much as possible for our next competition.
Why I Joined the Team
Coming to Western Michigan University I knew I wanted to get involved in the College of Aviation as much as possible. The Sky Broncos appealed to me for a lot of reasons. For one, I knew they offered free flight time. With how expensive it is to gain all the hours required to become a pilot, I knew this would help me tremendously. Secondly, I wanted my chance to compete against the highest level of collegiate aviators. The students who put their time and effort into the team want to be the best in the industry and I wanted to be a part of that. Thirdly, I knew by getting involved with the team I would be able to make a lot of connections with people throughout the aviation community. Competitors from any school, and anyone who has been involved in NIFA, are always willing to help someone else they know has put so much time into their passion.
I knew the transition to college would be tough and that the time commitment on the team was huge. A little scared, I went to the tryouts and found my place on the team. I was put into S.C.A.N. and was ready to start practicing for regionals. S.C.A.N. focuses on private pilot knowledge and cross country planning. Being on the team really helped me work on my time management skills which has helped throughout my college career so far. The knowledge I learned in S.C.A.N. has really given me the leg up in my classes because we know the information so well. The choice to join the team has been nothing but a positive one and I would highly recommend joining the team here at Western Michigan University.
The Events
Through NIFA, the National Intercollegiate Flying Association, competitors will do a multitude of events. The three core ground events are aircraft recognition, S.C.A.N., and E6B computer accuracy. Those involved in aircraft recognition can name any plane sitting on the ramp or in the air. S.C.A.N., or simulated comprehensive aircraft navigation, members are experts with the FAR/AIM and planning VFR cross country flights. E6B members can calculate just about everything with their manual flight computers from long division to wind correction angles. Other events include spot landings, ground trainer, and navigation events. During spot landings, competitors are put to the test trying to land as accurately as they can and get as close to the mark on the runway as possible. The judges also take into account your traffic pattern and will penalize for pattern mistakes. Ground trainer is an event in the flight simulators requiring a set pattern to be flown as precise as possible. Navigation requires time, fuel, and heading information to be exact as possible. Another event is preflight inspection. Mechanics will go through and purposely bug an airplane. Each competitor has 15 minutes to callout as many hazards as possible. All of the events will help improve your skill and knowledge as a pilot.
Regionals
At regionals in the fall, the team had a very strong showing. Coming back to school in the fall is always hard to get in the mindset of academics and practice, but through hard work and dedication, the team was diligently working. The members of the team gave up their weekends to sharpen their skills and bond together. When regionals rolled around, all of our hard work paid off. Taking first in the flight events and second in the ground events, it was a close competition but WMU came out victorious. The five competitors in aircraft recognition all placed and gained big points for the team. There was not a single event that WMU did not have at least one competitor in the top 5.
Moving Forward
Moving into the spring season, the team knows they will have to step up their game. Nationals will have closer to 30 teams, so the stakes are much higher. Last year, the team took 4th place overall and we are looking forward to improving our placing in 2015. I have high hopes for the team this year and we have a lot of potential moving forward.
If you are interested in finding out more about the team or joining, contact rso-skybroncos@wmich.edu. You can also follow the team on Facebook at WMU Skybroncos or on Twitter @WMU_SkyBroncos.