Sky Broncos tie for fifth in 2024 national flight competition
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The Sky Broncos, Western Michigan University’s precision flight team, soared to the top five of the leaderboard in a national contest in Janesville, Wisconsin.
The 15-member team tied for fifth at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) National Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON) May 13-18 at the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport.
Overall performances helped the team earn fourth place for the judges trophy, fourth in ground events and 10th in flight events. The judges trophy scores team depth by assigning points to every competitor’s placing in all events, while points earned for top 20 placings in each event go toward the championship title.
“I am very proud of the team and what they were able to accomplish this season. We finished tied for fifth with the United States Air Force Academy out of 31 schools in the competition,” says coach Nick Olnhausen, Western graduate and flight instructor at the College of Aviation.
“This was a great showing for the level of experience we have on the team. We had seven team members competing in their first national competition and five flying at nationals for the first time," says Ryan Seiler, aviation master faculty specialist and the team’s faculty advisor.
The team qualified for the national competition after achieving first place in both flight and ground events at its regional competition Oct. 16-21 at Western’s College of Aviation in Battle Creek. While the season ended on a high note, Olnhausen says the path to the top five had some turbulence.
“We were faced with several challenges during the practice season, including our main runway we use for practice being closed for the duration of our season. Everyone on the team showed up every day with a good attitude and ready to work hard and the results showed that,” he says. “The improvements made in every event over the last several months were great to see and I believe this team has what it takes to be a contender at the national level for years to come.”
2023-24 Sky Broncos
Below is information on the 2023-24 Sky Broncos team members and their first- through 20th-place finishes at the 2024 NIFA National SAFECON. All members are aviation flight science majors unless noted.
Chris Balo of Kinnelon, New Jersey, is a first-year student.
Lucas Foster of Cornelius, North Carolina, is a sophomore.
Nathan Gute, a senior from Owosso, Michigan, placed fifth in aircraft recognition, fifth as a safety observer in unlimited navigation and 18th in aircraft preflight inspection.
Nancy Hohlbein, of Petoskey, Michigan, is a first-year student.
Evan Hoyle, a senior from Rockford, Michigan, was the regional top pilot and placed eighth in aircraft recognition, 12th for pilot flying in Crew Resource Management/Line Oriented Flight Training, 13th as a pilot in unlimited navigation and 18th in ground trainer.
Nicole Jaskowski, of Hamburg, New York, is a senior.
Karsten Kotchenruther, a junior from Grand Rapids, Michigan who is majoring in an aviation flight science and aviation management and operations, placed third as a safety observer in unlimited navigation, ninth in ground trainer, 12th for pilot monitoring in Crew Resource Management/Line Oriented Flight Training, 16th in computer accuracy and 16th as a pilot in short field landing.
Gerald Lucas of Lake Villa, Illinois, is a sophomore.
Andrew Maciejewski, a first-year student from Hudsonville, Michigan, placed 13th in computer accuracy.
Nathan Merrill, of Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, is a sophomore.
Shaun Mirr of Hobart, Indiana, is a junior.
Naman Mody, a sophomore from Bensalem, Pennsylvania, is majoring in aviation flight science and aviation management and operations and placed 10th in simulated comprehensive aircraft navigation and 13th as a safety observer in unlimited navigation.
Angelo Molina, a senior from Davidson, Michigan, placed third as a pilot in unlimited navigation.
Daniel Souppa, a sophomore from Jacksonville, Florida, was in a three-way tie for 14th top-scoring contestant and placed fifth as a pilot in unlimited navigation and fourth in simulated comprehensive aircraft navigation.
Dylan Van Holton, a first-year student from Lancaster, California, placed 13th in simulated comprehensive aircraft navigation.
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