Lewis University Flight Team placed 10th at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference competition held May 16-21. The competition was hosted by Ohio State University at OSU Airport in Columbus, Ohio.

SAFECON brings together 30 colleges and universities from across the country, with more than 300 students participating. The conference fosters competition and promotes teamwork between aviation students, educators and the aviation industry.

“The students and coaches have worked hard all year to earn an invitation to nationals. To be recognized as one of the Top Ten flight teams in the nation is outstanding,” said Keith McGill, chief of pilot training.

The Lewis Flight Team demonstrated excellence in this year’s conference, earning ninth place in flight events and 10th place in ground events. The team also received the Red Baron Team Sportsmanship Award and the Collegiate Aviation Progress Award.

Senior Thomas Fogarty of Ancona was named a Top Male Scoring Contestant earning the Outstanding Team Member Award and the Regional Top Pilot Award. He earned first place in Crew Management, second place in Certified Flight Instruction and fourth place in Power Off Landings.

Senior Jared Hunt of Morton earned first place honors in Crew Resource Management and also finished in the top 20 in the Place Message Drop and the Navigation event.

Also placing among the Top Ten in various events were Nicholas Terleckyj, who earned second place in the IFR Simulator event and finished well in Computer Accuracy and Jake Luedtke, who took eighth place in Preflight.

“Our team spent many hours practicing and mastering the various skills required for this competition. Our success in the competition is a great reward,” commented Flight Team Advisor Al Szoldatits.

Team members include:

• Jared Hunt of Morton (Morton High School) — Navigation, Power Off Landing, Short Field Landing, Message Drop, Aircraft Recognition, CRM/LOFT and SCAN;
• Thomas Fogarty of Ancona (Woodland High School) — Power Off Landing, Short Field Landing, Message Drop, Aircraft Recognition, CRM/LOFT, CFI and SCAN;
• Nicholas Terleckyj of Park Ridge (Maine South High School) — Navigation, Computer Accuracy, Ground Training and IFR Simulated Flight;
• Chris Nocchi of Algonquin (Dundee-Crown High School) — Power Off Landing, Short Field Landing, Computer Accuracy and Aircraft Recognition;
• Aaron Brown of Plainfield (Plainfield Central High School) — Message Drop, Computer Accuracy, Ground Trainer and SCAN;
• Jake Luedtke of Hampshire (Hampshire High School) — Short Field Landing, Preflight and Computer Accuracy;
• James VanDeVenter of Naperville (Naperville North High School) — Message Drop, Preflight and Short Field Landing;
• Ian Downey of Frankfort — Power Off Landing;
• Brian McHugh of Las Vegas — Computer Accuracy and SCAN;
• Jeff Meyer of Metamora — Aircraft Recognition;
• Jeff Leo of Norridge — Aircraft Recognition;
• Anthony Lalor of Woodstock — SCAN.

Megan Montgomery of La Grange is head coach of the team. Other coaches include Tiffany Bilski of Burbank, Robert Delaney of Minooka and James Binder of River Grove.

Lewis University is a Catholic university offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 6,000 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares ethically grounded, globally aware, and socially responsible graduates. The ninth largest not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report.