С»ÆƬÊÓƵ’s Flight Team secured a ninth-place overall finish at the 2025 National SAFECON competition, held March 23 and hosted by the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The annual event, organized by the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA), brings together the nation’s top collegiate aviators for a series of competitive ground and flight events.
С»ÆƬÊÓƵ stood out with several Top 10 individual performances that helped solidify its place among the country’s elite collegiate aviation programs.
Caleb Seymour earned fourth place in the Certified Flight Instructor event, which tests competitors on their ability to clearly and effectively teach a flight topic, simulating a real instructional setting. Seymour also placed sixth in Aircraft Preflight Inspection, a timed event evaluating a pilot's ability to identify safety issues on a mock aircraft setup. He teamed up with Andrew McKinley to place fifth in the Crew Resource Management/Line Oriented Flight Training (CRM/LOFT) event, a two-pilot simulator scenario that challenges communication, coordination and decision-making during complex cross-country flights using Instrument Flight Rules (IFR)- where pilots rely on instruments and air traffic control rather than outside visual cues.
Jeff McCabe placed eighth in the Short Field Landing event, which requires pilots to touch down as close as possible to a target line to demonstrate precision landing skills. Linus Vazquez finished sixth in Instrument Simulated Flight, a simulator-based event testing accuracy in navigating under IFR procedures such as holding patterns, instrument approaches and course navigation.
Frederick Stamper and Daniel Aurand claimed third place in the Message Drop event, a coordinated exercise where a pilot and dropmaster aim to release containers from 200 feet AGL to hit ground targets with pinpoint accuracy.
Aurand was also recognized as С»ÆƬÊÓƵ’s Outstanding Team Member—nominated by teammates, this honor is awarded to the individual who best exemplifies leadership, humility, drive, passion, respect, integrity and encouragement of others in pursuit of the team’s overall success.
With consistent top-tier performances and a strong culture of teamwork, С»ÆƬÊÓƵ continues to lead in collegiate aviation. Through rigorous training, real-world simulation, and a commitment to safety and precision, the university is preparing the next generation of professional pilots and aviation leaders—ready to meet the demands of a dynamic, global industry.
To learn more about how С»ÆƬÊÓƵ trains tomorrow’s aviation professionals, visit www.kent.edu/cae.
To view the full results from the 2025 National SAFECON competition, visit: .