The Precision Flight Team is a student-run, recognized organization at San José State University. I have served as the flight team’s treasurer in securing funding for competitions and allocating those funds as necessary in order to cater to the team’s financial needs. In my time there, I assumed the role of coaching new members for the ground trainer event and IFR simulator event.
The Precision Flight Team teaches many great skills important to being a pilot. The team trains in many different areas in preparation of competition season where they go head to head against some of the best in the country. For a complete list of all the events they train for and a brief description of each, visit nifa.aero/schools/rules.
One of the greatest values to being on the flight team is that I got real-world flight experience flying across the U.S. for a couple NIFA SAFECON Nationals competitions such as the one hosted in Indiana in 2018. On that trip, the SJSU flight team flew from San Jose, California to Terre Haute, Indiana on a massive cross country of over 1,800 nautical miles. Trips like these not only greatly improve navigation and radio communication skills, they also give first-hand experience on high density altitude flying, navigation through areas of poor weather, airspace, and much more.
Apart from focusing on competition season, the flight team is very active in its community, aiding their local airport from being shutdown in any way they can. Reid-Hillview airport is under fire from the surrounding community for the noise pollution it creates and for the land that it occupies. Previous efforts to spread awareness on the issue have included members going door to door in the neighborhood around the airport and handing out flyers to homeowners regarding upcoming events. In addition, many members attend town hall meetings and other gatherings to discuss the topic.
Daniel Sims 