ECSU aviation team posts best-ever finish at regional competition

Elizabeth City State University’s aviation team placed second at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association’s Region X Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference, the best finish in the team’s history. The competition, known as SAFECON, was held Oct. 7-10 at Chesapeake Regional Airport in Chesapeake, Virginia. Along with the team finish, the Vikings won first place in two events, and the team’s coach, Raine Caverly-Horn, was named Region X Coach of the Year. Hosted by Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 339, the regional competition tests students’ knowledge and skills in ground, simulator and flight events against other collegiate aviation programs from across the region. In Preflight Inspection, Jaydin Hobbs took first place, and Benjamin England finished fifth. Mateo Lannaman placed second in Aircraft Recognition, Colbyn Underwood was fourth in the E6B Test and Garrett Erickson was fifth in Ground Trainer. Cameron Putman and England won first place in Message Drop, and Noah Swinney and Nicholas Louloudes finished fourth in the same event. In flight events, Atreyu Cooper placed third in Short Field Landings and fourth in Power-off Landings. Swinney was fifth in Power-off Landings. James Littlefair finished fourth in the Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation Test. In Unlimited Navigation, Hobbs and Shekinah Otieno placed