(WACO, Texas) – Texas State Technical College’s Lonestars flight team recently participated in the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Region 4 SAFECON (Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference) 2025 hosted by Louisiana Tech University at the Ruston Regional Airport.
The TSTC student team placed sixth out of eight competing institutions. Students placed in the top 15 in the ground trainer, unlimited navigation and simulated comprehensive aircraft navigation contests.
“This year has been one the most dedicated groups I have had the pleasure of working with,” said Elaine Porterfield, an instructor in TSTC’s Aircraft Pilot Training program and flight team advisor. “They required little supervision, consistently showing initiative in their studies and preparation.”
Payton Holman, of Hallsville, is in his sixth semester of the TSTC’s Aircraft Pilot Training program. He served as the flight team’s captain.
He said one of the more challenging contests he took part in was the message drop, which involves tossing a cylinder out of a flying plane into a barrel on a tarp.
“The pilot does not have as good a view as you do,” Holman said. “The drop master drops right, while the pilot is on the left side of the plane.”
John Bush, a fourth-semester Aircraft Pilot Training student from Groesbeck, said the flight team were underdogs in the aerial contests.
“We are good pilots,” he said. “Some of it is not understanding the wind. In the message drop contest, it is hard to practice.”
Extensive debriefings ended each competition day.
“Some of us tried out some things that ended up working and tried some things that did not work,” Holman said.
Also competing in this year’s contest were LeTourneau University, Louisiana Tech, Southeast Oklahoma State University, Stephen F. Austin State University, Tarrant County College, the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University.
Porterfield said current students are already developing improved lesson plans on what they learned from this year’s regional contest.
“By improving ourselves, we not only strengthen our own team, but also contribute to the growth and professionalism of every pilot our region produces,” she said.
For more information on TSTC, go to tstc.edu.