UND to host regional flying competition Oct. 12-14 The John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences will host the Region V National Intercollegiate Flying Association’s (NIFA’s) Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON) Oct. 12-14. Three other flying teams (University of Minnesota Mankato, St. Cloud State University and the University of Dubuque) are expected to challenge UND for the title throughout the competition which consists of 11 events, four flying events and seven ground events which test a variety of piloting skills. UND has hosted competitions in the past. Regionals were held here in the fall of 2003 and 1999, and national competitions took place in Grand Forks in the spring of 2001 and 2003. “I am pleased with the way the team is coming together this fall,” said Mark (Monty) Johnson, faculty advisor of the Flying Team. “With the early regional date we didn't have as much time to prepare as we would have liked, but the team has a good mix of returning competitors and talented new people. It is always run well with good competition from the other schools in our region. The competition team is starting to gel and is ready to take the first step in defending the national championship won in May.” UND’s Flying Team consists of volunteering aviation student body members who have made a commitment of time and effort to be a part of the team. The team participates in two competitions annually -- a regional qualifying competition and the national competition to determine the national championship. The team is a member of the National Intercollegiate Flying Association, the sanctioning body for the regional and national SAFECON competitions. SAFECON places a special emphasis on safety of flight operations. UND’s Flying Team has won 14 of the last 22 national competitions.