RMC Flight Team
Rocky Mountain College is a member of the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA). The Flying Bears participate each fall in the NIFA Region I flight competition which includes colleges in Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. 
Winners from the regional competitions then participate in the national competition held each spring. Rocky has earned a spot at the national competition twice recently, in 2004 and 2007.
Rocky hosted the regional flight meet for seven schools in October 2006. The team performed very well and participated in the national competition at Ohio State University in May 2007. There is only one level of Intercollegiate Flight Team competition, unlike football, for example. The whole campus is very proud of the showing our Flight Team has made at the national level.
The focus of the NIFA competition is on flight safety, and the flight meets are appropriately named Safety Conferences (SAFECONs). The events emphasize skills and areas of knowledge that are important to safe flight operations. Like athletic teams, students build camaraderie, teamwork and leadership skills both during practices and in flight meets. Graduates often comment that the Flight Team was their favorite part of attending Rocky.
There are a total of nine flight and ground events. Flight events include power off and short field accuracy landings, navigation, and message drop competition. Ground events include instrument ground trainer, aircraft preflight inspection, manual flight computer accuracy, aircraft recognition, and simulated comprehensive air navigation (SCAN).
Aviation students participating in the flight team may register for the one-credit AVS 200 Intercollegiate Flight Team course. Enrollment is open to students from all classes. Participation in individual events is competitive. Our program is large enough to have a competitive flight team, but small enough so that making the team isn't for just a select few students.
We believe students on our flight team have an added competitive advantage in their careers. They’ve learned even more about excellence, teamwork, and commitment. We’re very proud of their hard work and success.
