AVIATION STUDENTS CONTINUE TO SOAR
By Pete Rosenbery
The College of Applied Sciences and Arts aviation program added two national titles to its tradition of success over the last few months.
In May, the Flying Salukis parlayed a strong team effort to win a second straight National Intercollegiate Flying Association championship. The title, earned at The Ohio State University, is the team’s third in five years and ninth overall. The Flying Salukis have won titles in 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1984, 2011, 2014 and 2015.
The Flying Salukis finished with 430 points and beat the University of North Dakota by 35. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott, last year’s runner-up, was third with 366 points. Twenty-nine teams featuring 343 students and team members competed.
Prescott R. Dean and Sean S. Gipe tied for third in the nation in individual scoring. Dean earned an individual title in simulated comprehensive area navigation (SCAN) and scored in seven of the 11 ground and flight events. Gipe, meanwhile, scored in six events, including teaming with Davin L. Miles to win the message drop title.
On June 25, the nationally recognized aviation program achieved another milestone when an SIU team won the All Women’s Cross Country 2015 Air Race Classic.
Jessica Reed and Stephanie Armstrong won both the collegiate and overall title in the 39th annual event, June 22-25. The title is the first in program history; SIU also entered teams in 2010 and 2011. A second SIU team made up of Sarah Demkovich and Emily Frasca was 24th overall and seventh in the collegiate division.
The event covered nearly 2,200 nautical miles with nine legs. Scores are based on a plane’s projected versus actual timed performance. The event continues a tradition started with the 1929 Women’s Air Derby, where famed aviator Amelia Earhart and 19 other female pilots flew from Santa Monica, Calif., to Cleveland, Ohio.
Fifty-four teams competed for the overall title, including 17 collegiate teams. The event began in Fredericksburg, Va., and ended in Fairhope, Ala.