The NCAA of aviation

By JAMAIL LARKINS

Let’s be honest, you don’t often hear the terms competitors, aviation, and college mixed together. Especially with the school spirit that most collegiate teams invoke.

But there is one option that combines collegiate competition and aviation in a perfect blend: The National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) annual competitions.

Think of NIFA’s SAFECON as the NCAA of aviation competitions.

How It Started

NIFA has a rich history, tracing it roots to right after World War I.

According to NIFA officials, young aviators, returning from the war to their collegiate studies, sought to use their training and experience in civil aviation.

In 1919, 12 students at Columbia University formed an Aero Club, which was soon followed by clubs at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and other universities and colleges across the United States.

On May 7, 1920, nine schools competed in the first contest held by the Intercollegiate Flying Association. Yale took first place, assisted by naval aviator and future founder of Pan American Airways Juan Trippe in a war-surplus Curtiss Jenny.

In 1928, the National Intercollegiate Flying Club (NIFC) was formed by representatives from 10 colleges.

In December 1934, 23 colleges and universities met in Washington, D.C., to broaden the competition beyond what had been mainly Ivy League schools. Purdue hosted the first National Air Meet, taking top honors. Competitive events included spot landings, navigation, and “bomb” dropping.

Over the years, the mission has evolved into a forum for collegiate aviators to participate in both competitive and non-competitive events to further develop their skills and professional network in aviation.

During competition season, there are between 70 and 80 schools that compete each year in a variety of ground and flying competitions. Regional competitions are held throughout the fall, culminating with a national competition among the regional winners in the spring.

And just like any collegiate level team, NIFA flight team members take this competition seriously.

Each team is usually an officially sanctioned team from their school, and the sponsoring schools devote real resources to their respective flight teams, just like a sports team.

Each team has members that train for specific events. Most top competitors spend between 20 and 30 hours a week training for a dedicated event.

Ground events are mostly academic in nature, with students competing by demonstrating skills that any pilot should possess.

For example, the pre-flight event puts an airplane in a hangar that has a minimum of 30 squawks that any pilot should be able to identify. For each squawk identified, the team is awarded a point. The team with the most points wins.

However, the squawks can easily be overlooked if you don’t know your regulations or aircraft. For instance, red lights are replaced with green lights or pins in flight control surfaces are missing up to more serious life-threatening squawks pilots should catch on their pre-flights.

Another ground competition is the Instrument Proficiency Event, where students get judged based on their accuracy of flying a predetermined pattern in a sim that grades their ability to precisely fly.

Flying High

There’s no doubt the flying events test a flight team member’s piloting skills.

To begin with, pilots can compete in a cross-country event. Competitors submit a flight plan before takeoff that includes estimated flight time to each leg, total elapsed time, and fuel consumption. The competitor with the lowest penalty points — the highest accuracy — wins.

A crowd favorite is the message drop event. The objective is to hit a target on the ground with a message container dropped from an aircraft at 200 feet above the ground. This one is a team effort, as it requires two pilots, one flying the plane and the other serving as the “drop master.”

The team has two targets they are expected to hit. Points are added for every foot the message container is away from the target. The team with the fewest points wins.

The message drop is one of the events that incorporate a little bit of personality. Flight uniforms and head accessories are usually in full force for this event.

However, my favorite flying event is the short-field landing competition.

A flight team member flies a normal traffic pattern and the goal is to land as close to the designated line (if not on it).

Each foot away from the line is the pilot’s score on two different landing attempts. The pilot with the lowest score wins.

It sounds simple, but it’s not. Unlike a short-field landing on your private pilot check ride, once you reduce power, you cannot add power, nor can you land before the line.

There’s also a power off landing competition, which requires the power to be reduced (and stay) at idle abeam the landing line on the downwind leg.

Many of the teams competing in this event will apply their version of “eye black” to their tires (technically white paint). This allows the judges to easily see the spin-up of the wheels upon landing for better accuracy.

Competing in the national competition is a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity, according to Ethan Michon, who was co-captain of the 2024 Golden Eagles Flight Team from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott, Arizona, campus.

Ethan competed in multiple events at the 2024 competition, held at Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport (KJVL) in Janesville, Wisconsin.

“A few events are paper and pencil tests, some are carried out in a flight simulator, and others are performed in a small single-engine aircraft,” he recalls. “The tests highlight tiny details that might have been glossed over in private training, the simulator scenarios put instrument skills to the test, and the flying events necessitate more accuracy than a commercial check ride.”

“This was, hands down, one of the most fun, yet insightful, aviation experiences of my life,” he continues. “Not only has it immensely sharpened my skills as a pilot, but has also taught me the criticality of precision and safety in aviation.”

University officials note that Ethan was the individual national champion in simulated comprehensive aircraft navigation (SCAN) and, together with his flight partner Zachary Meyer, tied for first place in the unlimited navigation category.

Although each flight team member competes individually, it’s definitely a team sport.

No matter how much a pilot may think they are the next “Maverick,” no individual can successfully make it to nationals without the full team being exceptional. Each winning team has to do well in both the ground and flight events to stand a chance.

Out of the approximately 80 schools that compete in the regional competitions, less than 30 will be invited to compete at nationals.

And unlike most collegiate sports, flight team members don’t have any advanced notice on a competing team’s skills and weaknesses.

But one team has developed a reputation for being the team to beat. Embry-Riddle Prescott’s Golden Eagles have won 15 titles.

But, in 2024, they were dethroned by the University of North Dakota’s Flying Team.

It will be interesting to see who will be the 2025 NIFA champs when the competition is held May 12-17 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

For more information: NIFA.aero

Jamail Larkins is an avid pilot and the FAA’s first ambassador for aviation and space education. He flies around the country promoting aviation and can be found on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.