St. Louis University Flying Billikens Advance to 2026 National Competition

By Carmelo Turdo

The St. Louis University Flying Billikens have qualified for the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Competition to be held May 18-23, 2026, at Quad Cities International Airport in Moline, IL. The team earned their overall fourth place along with several first and second individual scores during the recent NIFA Region VI and Region VIII competition hosted by St. Louis University on October 13-17 at St. Louis Downtown Airport. This marks the third consecutive year that the Flying Billikens have competed on the national level. 

The results of the regional competition: 

Region VI Overall

1 University of North Dakota

2 University of Nebraska (Omaha)

3 Kansas State University (Salina)

4 Saint Louis University 

5 Minnesota State University (Mankato)

6 University of Central Missouri

7 University of Dubuque

Region VIII Overall

1 Southern Illinois University (Carbondale)

2 Purdue University

3 Lewis University 

Placements by St. Louis University Flyng Billikens Team Members

Aircraft Preflight

8 Jack Ingebretsen

13 Sydney Nimerick

Aircraft Recognition

9 Daniel McGill

Computer Accuracy (E6B)

15 Sehwan Park

Ground Trainer

1 Sam Kean

5 Sehwan Park

8 Peter Belmonte

Message Drop

8 Evan August and Brendan Stoll

Power Off Landings

15 Peter Belmonte

Short Field Landings

10 Christian Brickman

Simulated Comprehensive Aircraft Navigation

10 Peter Belmonte

12 Sydney Nimerick

Traditional Navigation

1 Brendan Stoll and Jack Ingebretsen

2 Finn Ceyssens and Peter Belmonte

3 Sydney Nimerick and Sam Kean

Top scoring contestant out of 81 contestants

11 Sydney Nimerick

12 Brendan Stoll   

13 Finn Ceyssens

The Aero Experience was on site for the regional competition flying events October 16-17, and we will have additional coverage of the action in future posts. Here is a preview of several teams competing in the power off landing and message drop events at St. Louis Downtown Airport.

 

St. Louis University Flying Billikens Prepare for National Competition

(NIFA graphic)

By Carmelo Turdo

The St. Louis University Flying Billikens are heading to the National Intercollegiate Flying Association national competition next week in Janesville, WI. The team placed third overall in last fall's Region 6 contest held at the team's home field, St. Louis Downtown Airport, and now they are ready to take on the best teams in the country. 

The Aero Experience visited with the Flying Billikens during a recent early morning training session. Five competitors launched to practice their spot landing skills before the regular flight operations began for the day. The clean aerodynamics of the Diamond DA20 fleet aircraft require highly-developed skills to land within feet of the runway markers. 

(St. Louis University graphic)

During our visit, we interviewed three of the team leaders, Sebastian Valenzuela, Hudson Pettit and Troy Ettenson, for some insight into the events making up the SAFECON national competition. Hear their responses in the video below.

The St. Louis University Flying Billikens can still make the claim, "We are Number One," regardless of the results from next week's SAFECON national competition. The university's flight program is an outgrowth of the original Parks Air College, founded by Oliver L. Parks, in 1927. Parks Air College became the first federally certificated flight training school in 1929, and thereafter added a student-run airline, trained cadets at four airfields during World War II and later was gifted to St. Louis University. Parks College operated on its own campus in Cahokia, IL until being absorbed into St. Louis University in 1997. Currently, Parks College is known as the Oliver L. Parks Department of Aviation Science, and flight operations continue at St. Louis Downtown Airport. 

The Aero Experience thanks The Flying Billikens for hosting our visit, and we wish them great success in the SAFECON national competition!

Flying Billikens from Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology to Host Region 6 SAFECON Event Next Week

By Carmelo Turdo

There is a flurry of activity at the St. Louis University's Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology flight operations facility at St. Louis Downtown Airport these days:  The Flying Billikens are in the air preparing to score well in the Region VI SAFECON competition to be held next week in St. Louis.  The week-long event is sponsored by the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) to encourage college student aviators to interact with fellow students at other institutions while sharpening their flying skills and aviation knowledge.   Teams from other colleges begin to arrive on Friday, with the majority of the events held in the middle of next week.

The Aero Experience is privileged to provide coverage of the Region VI SAFECON 2015 activities at St. Louis Downtown Airport and the nearby St. Louis University campus.    Members of the Flying Billikens honed their skills during some recent evening landing practice sorties, touching down within feet of the target marked on the runway. 

The team flies the Diamond DA20C-1 Eclipse, an economical training aircraft that is as beautiful to watch as it is to fly.  

 

Following team arrivals and practice sessions this weekend, the Competition will begin in earnest on Monday, with tabletop exercises evaluating aircraft recognition, navigation and simulation skills.  Much of the flying competition will occur on Wednesday and Thursday, with makeup day and awards banquet on Friday.  A special public event is planned for Wednesday evening: The Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum will host a fly-in and static display of team aircraft and others from around the local area.  The museum is located next to Ideal Aviation, not far from the Parks College facility, in historic 1929 Curtiss-Wright Hangar 2 that was one of the original structures of what was then called Curtiss-Steinberg Airport.  Later owned by Oliver Parks and used for training aviation cadets for the U.S. military during World War II, the airport has since grown to be the third busiest in Illinois and is still home to Parks College flight operations.

 

The Aero Experience will continue our coverage of Region VI SAFECON in the coming days.  Special thanks to Parks College flight operations, the St. Louis University Flying Billikens, the Greater St. Louis Air & Space Museum and St. Louis Downtown Airport for their assistance.