Kalamazoo Times

The Sky Broncos, Western Michigan University's precision flight team, achieved a fifth-place finish at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) National Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON). The event took place from May 12-17 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, featuring 28 teams from nine regional competitions.

Western Michigan's team performed well across various categories. They secured fourth place for the judges' trophy, which evaluates team depth by assigning points based on each competitor's placement. Additionally, they placed fourth in ground events and sixth in flight events.

Coach Nick Olnhausen expressed pride in the team's performance despite challenges such as severe weather conditions. "I am proud of the hard work and dedication that the team showed this year," he stated. He noted that they had to relocate planes due to storms but was pleased with their perseverance to remain among the top five teams.

Senior Karsten Kotchenruther described his time with the Sky Broncos as "one of the most rewarding experiences of my life." He emphasized gaining valuable flying skills and building lasting relationships through his involvement with the team.

Another senior member, Daniel Souppa, highlighted networking opportunities provided by participating in competitions. "The connections through flight team alumni and exposure to other collegiate flight teams at competition offer great networking opportunities within the industry," he said.

Evan Hoyle also acknowledged personal growth during his tenure with the Sky Broncos. "Throughout my time at WMU I was able to work with flight instructors from the team who understood me on a personal level," he shared.

The team's journey to nationals began after securing first place in both flight and ground events at their regional competition held at Ohio State University from October 6-11.

The article also listed individual achievements of some Sky Broncos members at SAFECON 2025:

- Lucas Foster placed 13th in computer accuracy.

- Nathan Gute achieved multiple placements including fourth as dropmaster in message drop.

- Evan Hoyle secured eighth place in aircraft recognition.

- Andrew Maciejewski earned first as pilot monitoring in crew resource management/line-oriented flight training (CRM/LOFT).

- Dylan Van Holton was recognized for several high placements including first as pilot in CMR/LOFT.

For more updates about Western Michigan University’s news and events, visit WMU News online.