Who Knew that Bobcats Could Fly?

Hey EAA Chapter 1252! I have written to you before about my involvement in Women in Aviation, International (WAI) down here at OU, but I’m involved in many more aviation groups through the university. Each gives me a different set of experiences and opportunities that I could never find anywhere else. I love the sense of aviation camaraderie that I really missed when I left the chapter to go to college. This summer while I was working on my instrument rating I joined the OU Flight Team. The Ohio University Flying Bobcats flight team was founded in 1939, and currently it consists of a handful of OU Aviation and Engineering majors who dedicate their time to honing their piloting skills in competitions with other flight schools—with great results. Last year at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON) the Bobcats had the honor of being named the National Champions for Safety. This national competition, held last year at Ohio State University, is attended by the top flight schools in the country, who qualify by achieving the highest scores in the regional competitions.

This fall, October 24-28, the NIFA Midwest Regional Competition is being hosted by none other than Ohio University, an honor for which we are very excited. We have been preparing for the event all summer, with practices five days a week for the numerous events in the competition. The ground events include computer accuracy, simulated comprehensive aircraft navigation, aircraft recognition, preflight inspection, ground trainer, IFR simulator, and crew resource management-line orientated flight training; while the flight events are message drop, navigation, short field landing, and power-off landing. I will hopefully be competing in E6B and preflight this fall if I make the try-outs!

We do many things to fundraise, including monthly washes of the training fleet and weekly grill-outs at the airport for the staff and students to purchase lunch. The funds raised by our efforts go toward the cost of practicing the flight events and attending the competitions. This year we have the added responsibility and expense of hosting the regional competition in the beginning of the school year. The Flying Bobcats have the support of the OU Flight Department. The OU chapter of WAI has agreed to be in charge of food sales throughout the competition, and the other organizations have agreed to help with the planning and logistics aspects so that the flight team can concentrate on practicing.

The Flying Bobcats will be responsible for funding the purchase of trophies for the top placers (hopefully OU will be among them!) and the prizes for the banquet held during the competition. We have reached out to the local businesses in Athens, but support from any source is very welcome. If anyone is interested in making a monetary donation or a gift of an item to be included in the banquet prizes, please contact me at km221509@ohio.edu, or the team coach, George Armann at armann@ohio.edu. We are not asking for a handout- rather, we are asking for sponsorship for a hand-up. Your help will be greatly appreciated, and will help OU place in the top rankings this year at Regionals! We will thank you by sending you a picture of the Flying Bobcats and by putting your name in the event program. We’re very excited about competing on our home turf, and I will update the Chapter with an article for the newsletter with the results.

Thanks fellow 1252-ers! Safe Flying!

Kelly McCoy