Sky Broncos head to regional competition in Ohio
by Deanne Puca
Oct. 20, 2011 | WMU News
College of Aviation
KALAMAZOO--Western Michigan University's precision flight team, the Sky Broncos, heads to Ohio for the National Intercollegiate Flying Association's Region III competition.
The 13-member team will compete in NIFA's Safety and Evaluation Conference, scheduled for this region at Ohio University Monday through Thursday, Oct. 24-28. Last year's team finished second at regionals to advance to the national competition where WMU aviators placed fourth, competing against teams from 30 colleges and universities around the country.
The Sky Broncos are led this year by Head Coach Kyle Johnson, a June 2009 graduate from Arnold, Mo.; Assistant Coach Thomas Grossman, the college's chief flight instructor; and faculty advisor Ryan Seiler, Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative program coordinator.
2011-12 Sky Broncos
- Joseph Batchelder, a freshman from Grand Haven, Mich., studying aviation flight science
- Alexander Bych, a freshman from Somers, Conn., studying aviation flight science
- Zoltan Chien-Szegedy, a freshman from San Mateo, Calif., studying aviation flight science
- Justin Guth, a senior from Palatine, Ill., studying aviation flight science
- Benjamin Hastings, the team captain and a senior from Hillsdale, Mich., studying aviation science and administration
- Kaitlin Klingler, a junior from Hillsdale, Mich., studying aviation flight science and aviation maintenance technology
- Kyle Mallory, a senior from Rochester, N.Y., studying aviation science and administration
- Nathaniel McCune, a senior from Hanover, Mass., studying accountancy
- Ramon Ramirez, a junior from Buckley, Mich., studying aviation administration
- John Robbins Jr., a junior from Auburn, Mich., studying aviation flight science
- Andrew Seguin, a senior from Alpena, Mich., studying aviation flight science
- Reto Smith Jr., a junior from Lithonia, Ga., studying aviation flight science
- Randall Walliser, a freshman from San Mateo, Calif., studying aviation flight science.