Metro State’s Department of Aviation and Aerospace Science has been awarded the Loening Trophy, which recognizes the most outstanding all-around collegiate aviation program in the country. It is the oldest and most prestigious collegiate aviation award in the nation.
The College’s Precision Flight Team won the trophy at the 2011 SAFECON (Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference) competition hosted by Ohio State University, May 16-21, 2011. The award is presented annually by the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) foundation. A special trophy presentation is planned in Denver later this year.
The award represents excellence in aeronautical skills and sets the current benchmark for an overall outstanding collegiate aviation program. Key grading elements of the award include academics, community involvement, aviation skills, safety and an ability to advance the profession.
The perpetual trophy is made of pure silver, designed by Tiffany & Co. and dates back to 1929. It was named after aviation pioneer and inventor Grover Loening. As the first aeronautical engineer hired by the Wright Brothers to manage the Wright Aircraft Company in 1913, Loening judged the first award competition with Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart.
“Our students have consistently been raising the bar at competitions in recent years, both regionally and nationally,” says Jeff Forrest, Metro State professor and chair of aviation and aerospace science. “I’m so proud of our students and our faculty who inspire them to perform at such a high level of professionalism in our field.”
The Metro State Flight Team placed 14th overall in the national competition, after securing second place in the NIFA regionals at Metro State in October 2010.
Metro State's other notable national SAFECON 2011 newsmakers include Emily Applegate, who won the women’s achievement award, and Tommy Staudt, who placed second in the ground trainer (flight simulator) event and third in the message-drop competitions with Shaun Lee as his pilot.
Other team members who competed and contributed to the award submission include: Joshua Falgoust, Nicholas Marchese, Anthony DeFranco, Vincent Martis, Mitchell Ambrosich, Thomas Staudt and Zack Floto.
Aviation and aerospace science alumni and affiliate faculty Zach Pegg ('09) and Audrey Scully ('06) helped prepare students for the competition. Both participated in the Flight Team competition as students. Aviation and Aerospace Science Professor Bruce Christian supervised this year’s students.
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