College aviation championship set to take off in Columbus

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From May 9 through May 14, the nation's top collegiate aviation students will demonstrate their skills during NIFA SAFECON 2017, a flight competition held at The Ohio State University Airport on West Case Rd. The competition includes flight and ground events that encourage aviation safety, as well as superior knowledge, skill, and professionalism. NIFA stands for National Intercollegiate Flying Association and SAFECON stands for Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference.

SAFECON precision landing event
This is the 11th time Ohio State has hosted SAFECON. Throughout the week, 26 teams comprised of almost 400 students will compete in 12 different events, including aircraft recognition, navigation, precision landing, and message drop. The results will be announced on Sunday, May 14, during the SAFECON 2017 Awards Banquet.

“We are looking forward to once again hosting this outstanding event that showcases the best students that collegiate aviation has to offer,” said Airport Director Doug Hammon.

Event Schedule (tentative based on weather. 08:00 – 18:00 each day)

  • Friday, 5/5: Teams arriving, practices begin
  • Tuesday, 5/9: Aircraft Recognition
  • Wednesday, 5/10: Navigation Event
  • Thursday, 5/11: Power-off Landing Event*
  • Friday, 5/12: Short-field Precision Landing Event*
  • Saturday, 5/13: Message Drop Event and Republic Airline ERJ-175 landing
Category: Students