(WACO) – Texas State Technical College’s flight team finished a challenging week at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association’s Region 4 SAFECON held Oct. 31 to Nov. 4 at the TSTC Waco Airport.
“When a college has a flight team, it is made of their best students,” said Carson Pearce, TSTC’s statewide director of the Transportation Division.
Bobby Musacchio, 19, a TSTC Aircraft Pilot Technology major from Ponder scheduled to graduate with an associate degree in summer 2018, competed in his first SAFECON. He placed in the top 10 in Aircraft Recognition.
“It’s been a good experience,” Musacchio said. “I’ve been learning new things. I’ve been able to connect with students from other schools. It’s made me want to improve my skills and get me focused on what I need to do.”
He said his favorite event was Aircraft Recognition, which involved looking at photographs of parts of all kinds of airplanes. Musacchio said he and his teammates prepared for the contest by taking practice tests and in-depth studying of the shapes and features of aircrafts.
After graduating from TSTC, Musacchio said he wants to become a flight instructor and hopes to fly for commercial airlines.
TSTC students placing in the top five of individual events and receiving medals were:
Aircraft Preflight Inspection: Mallory Frister, fifth place.
Navigation: Caleb Gober and J.C. Horne, fifth place.
Short Field Landing: Stephanie Hughes, fifth place.
Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation: Richard Rensing, fifth place.
TSTC finished third in the Ground Events Championship.
Other schools that competed were Central Texas College, Delta State University, LeTourneau University and Louisiana Tech University.
Delta State University won the Competition Safety Award and Red Baron Team Sportsmanship Award.
LeTourneau University won the competition, with Delta State University placing second and Central Texas College finishing third. These teams will go to the 2018 SAFECON in the spring in Indiana.
For more information on Texas State Technical College, go to tstc.edu.
