Flying Mavericks Finish Second at NIFA Regional Competition, Earn Competition Safety Award

The University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Flying Mavericks earned second place overall and received the Competition Safety Award at the 2026 National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Region VI SAFECON competition in Salina, Kansas.

Hosted by Kansas State University–Salina, the competition brought together seven collegiate flight teams. Competitive events took place October 26–30, with final results announced at the awards banquet on October 31.

UNO finished with 570 points, placing second in both the flight and ground event championships. The Mavericks earned 309 points in flight events and 261 points in ground events, finishing behind the University of North Dakota in the overall standings. UNO also placed second in the Judges Trophy standings with 867.5 points.

The team’s Competition Safety Award added another significant recognition to its regional performance, highlighting safety alongside its competitive accomplishments.

Individual Highlights:

Alex Duman led UNO’s individual results, winning Aircraft Preflight Inspection and finishing second in the Top Scoring Contestant standings with 131 points. Duman also placed fourth in Top Pilot, fourth in Computer Accuracy, fifth in Ground Trainer, fifth in Power-Off Landing, and sixth in Short Field Landing.

Thomas Reid earned fifth place in both Top Scoring Contestant and Top Pilot. His individual results included second place in Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation (SCAN) and fourth place in Short Field Landing. Reid also contributed to top-10 finishes in navigation and message drop.

Zachary Nanfito finished seventh in Top Pilot and tied for ninth in Top Scoring Contestant. He placed sixth in Aircraft Preflight Inspection and, with safety observer Chloe Schrick, earned second place in Unlimited Navigation.

UNO’s depth was particularly evident in SCAN, where five Mavericks finished in the top 10. Reid placed second, followed by Hung Nguyen in sixth, Shoichi Yasui in seventh, Schrick in eighth, and Alex Hunt in ninth.

Ground Event Results:

The Mavericks recorded top-10 finishes across Aircraft Preflight Inspection, Aircraft Recognition, Computer Accuracy, Ground Trainer, and SCAN. These events challenged students to apply their aviation knowledge, complete calculations, identify aircraft, and demonstrate procedural accuracy.

UNO’s top-10 ground event results included:

• Aircraft Preflight Inspection: Alex Duman, first; Adeline Peetz, fifth; Zachary Nanfito, sixth.

• Aircraft Recognition: Connor Grell, fifth; Timothy Mallari, seventh.

• Computer Accuracy: Alex Duman, fourth; Jonah Majorins, seventh; Adeline Peetz, ninth.

• Ground Trainer: Chloe Schrick, fourth; Alex Duman, fifth.

• Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation: Thomas Reid, second; Hung Nguyen, sixth; Shoichi Yasui, seventh; Chloe Schrick, eighth; Alex Hunt, ninth.

Flight Event Results:

UNO’s flight event performance included top-10 finishes in Unlimited Navigation, Short Field Landing, Power-Off Landing, and Message Drop.

In Unlimited Navigation, Nanfito and Schrick led the Mavericks with a second-place finish. Reid and Duman placed fourth, while Yasui and Nguyen finished sixth.

The Mavericks also placed four entries in the top 10 in Message Drop, an event pairing a pilot and dropmaster. Duman and Reid earned fifth place with Duman serving as dropmaster, then finished eighth with their roles reversed. Grell and Nanfito placed ninth, followed by Peetz and Majorins in 10th.

UNO’s top-10 flight event results included:

• Unlimited Navigation: Zachary Nanfito, pilot, and Chloe Schrick, safety observer, second; Thomas Reid, pilot, and Alex Duman, safety observer, fourth; Shoichi Yasui, pilot, and Hung Nguyen, safety observer, sixth.

• Short Field Landing: Thomas Reid, fourth; Alex Duman, sixth.

• Power-Off Landing: Alex Duman, fifth; Hung Nguyen, eighth.

• Message Drop: Alex Duman, dropmaster, and Thomas Reid, pilot, fifth; Thomas Reid, dropmaster, and Alex Duman, pilot, eighth; Connor Grell, dropmaster, and Zachary Nanfito, pilot, ninth; Adeline Peetz, dropmaster, and Jonah Majorins, pilot, 10th.

Representing UNO:

The regional competition gave the Flying Mavericks an opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge and flight training in a setting that demands precision, preparation, and teamwork. Results across both ground and flight events contributed to UNO’s second-place overall finish.

Through intercollegiate competition, students gain experience evaluating their performance, working toward shared goals, and representing the Aviation Institute alongside peers from other collegiate aviation programs. This year’s results reflect contributions from Mavericks across a broad range of events, with the Competition Safety Award providing an additional distinction for the team.