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UNO Flying Mavs Place Seventh In National Contest

The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Flying Mavs finished in 7th place at the 2023 National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON) which was held the week of May 8, 2023, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

"I was very excited to see what this team could do," said Scott Vlasek, director of UNO’s Aviation Institute. "They are one of the tightest-knit teams we have had at UNO." Twelve students qualified for the national competition throughout the spring semester. Internally the Flying Mavs conducted evaluations in computer accuracy, ground trainer, aircraft recognition, and simulated comprehensive aircraft navigation events to determine the best team to take and represent UNO and the city of Omaha. The Flying Mavs earned their bid to SAFECON 2023 by coming in second place in the Region 6 SAFECON held in October 2022.

Placing seventh overall was a significant achievement for the Flying Mavs.

We are competing against some great talent from schools with tremendous flight teams,"

 Scott Vlasek, Director of the UNO Aviation Institute

"While winning a national championship is always the top goal for the team, a top-ten finish continues to showcase the talent and culture that the Flying Mavs have established," said Vlasek Omaha edged out teams from the United States Air Force Academy, Auburn University, and Oklahoma State University.

"Our students outperformed some of the most well-known aviation schools in the country. Beyond the awards and honors, it was a great learning experience for everyone," said Alison Adams, advisor for the Flying Mavs. This was Adams first competition with the team. "As someone who has been around aviation for most of my life," she continued, "it was thrilling to see the enthusiasm of all the student competitors and the demonstrated talent. With the current job market, we all know that this is the best time to be entering the aviation field, and SAFECON 2023 certainly illuminated the fact that for these young pilots and aviation professionals, the sky is not the limit, it's only the beginning."

Since 1992 the Flying Mavs have qualified 20 times for the National SAFECON, including the last 14 straight, and earning top 10 finishes since 2018. In 2020 the team qualified, but the competition did not happen because of COVID.

Led by their three captains, Owen Brennan, Hunter Pehrson, and Garrett Ferguson, the Flying Mavs had strong showings in the Aircraft Preflight Inspection, Instrument Simulated Flight, and Unlimited Navigation Events. The Unlimited Navigation event has become one of the top events for the team. The Flying Mavs are not conducting this event in new aircraft with state-of-the-art technology, like some universities. "We still use Cessna 150s in this event with no GPS/autopilot or fuel management technology like the Cirrus or new Piper aircraft," Vlasek continued. "The team uses ForeFlight and precision timers to post better scores than many teams."

"It's been an amazing year watching this team come together, learning their strengths and weaknesses, and continuing to improve every day in practice," said Skip Bailey, flight training instructor for the Flying Mavs. SAFECON 23 was the last competition for five seniors, Brennan, Pehrson, Ferguson, Tomas Kathol, and Mitch Scott, who have had to navigate years of uncertainty with COVID. Jonathan Corey’s sixth place finish in Short Field Landings helped the team in overall scoring. The seventh place finish at the national competition is a culmination of all of their hard work and dedication. I couldn't be prouder of this group of students," said Bailey.

A list of full results can be found on the SAFECON official results page.

About the UNO Aviation Institute:

The Institute now offers a Bachelor of Science in Aviation with concentrations in:

  • Air Transport Administration
  • Professional Flight
  • Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations

A minor in Aviation is also available for students at the University who are not in the Aviation program but want a portion of the aviation curriculum to support their major.