Story and photos by Gavin Jackson

“Does anyone want to order pizza?” asks Scott Horning, captain of the Kent State Precision Flight Team. “What should we say, ‘Have it delivered to the end of runway one-nine?’ ” a teammate quickly retorts. Horning, a senior flight technology major, is spending his Saturday afternoon practicing with his teammates at the Kent State Airport off Route 59 in Stow.

Sept. 9 marked the beginning of the Precision Flight Team’s flight training exercises. The team has been around for more than 25 years at Kent State.
This year’s team, which consists of 20 students, is preparing for the annual Region III Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON). Of the 20 students on the team, only 12 will compete at SAFECON. The others help out with safety events.

Richard Mangrum, assistant professor of aeronautics, has been the Precision Flight Team adviser for two years. “I was excited to see about 30 people turn out at the first meeting,” he says. “(In) years past, it’s been four or five.”

Last year, Kent State hosted the Region III SAFECON, a competition comprised of seven ground events and four flying events. The team fell six points short of securing the second place spot required to move on to nationals. After last year’s competition, Mangrum and the team made a commitment to not let it happen again. “We intensified practices and recruited flight team alumni to help,” says Mangrum about the team’s improvements. “We made a plan, and there was no reason we should lose again.”

This year’s SAFECON took place at Western Michigan University’s Airport in Battle Creek. For the first time in 19 years, the team captured the second place spot, trailing Western Michigan University by 150 points. This win advanced them to the national level of the National Intercollegiate Flying Association competition. They accomplished Mangrum’s goal and had a photographer with them to document their journey.

Gavin Jackson is a sophomore photojournalism major and is the assistant photo editor of The Burr.

View the photostory by clicking here or on the above photo.