Florida Tech Club Spotlight: Flight Team

Florida Tech’s Flight Team is composed of competitive pilots, from all grades and various majors, who are dedicated to learning and growing their flight skills. The team competes as part of the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA), which is the governing body for all college aviation competitions.

“We enjoy being part of the Flight Team because it allows us to use the skill set that we have developed as pilots in a competitive environment,” says Matthew Berris, current team captain. “We also get the opportunity to learn and enhance our skills by being on this team, especially in areas of aviation that we often learn but do not use very often.”

The team competes as part of NIFA’s Region 9 and takes part in various ground and flight events against other teams from across Florida, Georgia and Alabama. When not competing, the team works to bring the aviation community together through guest speakers, tabling at events and planning their own competitions.

In May, the team will head to Wisconsin to compete in the 2024 NIFA Nationals—the team’s first invitation since before COVID.

“Training to be a pilot is such a large portion of most aeronautics colleges, and the team is an exciting form of extra learning and practice,” Berris says. “Our team forms bonds that continue past competition. Many alumni are still active with the team, thanks to the connections they made from joining. Many of these alumni have moved on to have successful careers in the aviation industry and offer valuable connections to our members. We encourage all students to be part of our team, experience the excitement of competition and strengthen their skills to further their success.”

This piece was featured in the spring 2024 edition of The Ascent, the biannual College of Aeronautics newsletter.