Earlier this month, Envoy Pilot Recruiters visited the 2023 National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) SAFECON competition at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisc. Throughout the weeklong event, approximately 500 student aviators from over forty schools gathered to compete in various skill areas ranging from preflight, navigation, crew-based simulations, landing, safety and sportsmanship.
As part of our airline’s dedication to safety, the Envoy Cadet Program sponsored the preflight event where participants performed preflight inspections to find thirty unairworthy discrepancies intentionally manipulated on the aircraft. Congratulations to first place winner Jebadiah Sussenbach from the University of North Dakota – one of Envoy’s partner schools!
“We proudly attended alongside fifteen of Envoy’s Cadet Program partner schools to cheer them on and educate prospective candidates,” said Envoy Pilot Recruiter Maria Jodoin. “As a licensed pilot, I really enjoyed meeting fellow aviation enthusiasts and witnessing their palpable enthusiasm for the industry.”
Oh, the places you’ll go
Envoy Cadet Tatiana Beach poses next to SOSU’s Cessna 150.
During the competition, recruiters connected with some of the competition’s extraordinary attendees, including Tatiana Beach, Envoy Cadet and Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU) Aviation student. Tatiana is currently working toward becoming a professional airline pilot and will be a senior this upcoming fall. She is the first pilot in her family, and dreams of flying international routes one day and learning about other cultures.
As a seasoned NIFA competitor, Tatiana held many roles on her flight team including Co-Captain, Navigation Safety Pilot, Message Drop Pilot, Dropmaster, Computer Accuracy (E6B) participant, and Aircraft Recognition participant. She and her team worked tenaciously to prepare for each regional competition by practicing on weekends and eventually earning their way to nationals.
Tatiana and the SOSU flight team’s passion for aviation shone through their hard work and dedication throughout the week as they competed in each event.
“I always love meeting other schools and getting to see friends that I made the previous year,” said Tatiana. “It’s always fun to see how other flight programs work and hear about flying in a different part of the country. The actual competition is always a blast, too.”
Congratulations to each team that completed NIFA’s 2023 competition! We look forward to next year!
Click here to view the gallery of photos from 2023 NIFA SAFECON.
Interested in the Envoy Cadet Program? Click here to learn more.