COACH'S LOG - WEDNESDAY, MAY 10 2023 - 3 DAYS IN SAFECON

National SAFECON 2023 is well under-way in Oshkosh and our Buckeyes are working harder than ever. 

Monday kicked off the competition with all three ground tests: E6B, SCAN, and Aircraft Recognition. Our squads prepared diligently up until the last minute, then executed very well. Great feedback from all the competitors, but we will see the results on Saturday. The day closed with a fun social, including food trucks and activities, sponsored by NetJets.

Tuesday was a test of stamina and rest management as we started off late due to weather and ran a long duty day. All three Navigation teams were able to complete their courses in the traditional category. Our plane was the very last one back (as scheduled) and fueled as the sun was setting. To bookend the day, that crew nailed their planned fuel.

Today is Power-Off Landings and we have five incredible pilots who will go and represent on the runway. Both C150’s are ready to go tear up the skies.

We are almost 60% of our fundraising goal and we are so appreciative of your support. The students are living the experience as we speak. If you have contributed, thank you. If you are able, please consider supporting the team. 

Also be sure to follow along on Facebook (@FlyOhioState) and Instagram (@osuflightteam)

More updates later on—for now, it’s off to the runway.

Go Bucks,

John Ginley, Head Coach

The Ohio State University Flight Team

COACH'S LOG - SATURDAY, MAY 6 2023 - 2 DAYS UNTIL SAFECON

On Thursday, our team started the journey to Oshkosh, Wisconsin and in typical fashion it was quite the adventure. Both Cessna 150’s, two coach airplanes, two mini-vans, and the OSU Airport crew car, ventured north on a beautiful morning. Later in the afternoon, four of our seniors, who finished their Aircraft Dispatcher practical tests in the morning, brought an OSU Flight School Cessna 172.

If you have traveled on Flight Team in the past, you remember that the flight and travel to competition is sometimes the highlight of the entire trip. This proved to be no different. Shocking enough, the vans actually beat the airplanes to Oshkosh. Before the sun set, all 15 team members and 4 coaches were safely in Oshkosh.

Friday proved to be an unexpectedly productive day. Forecasts predicted a full day of rain and gusty winds. Our day ended up much better as all of our landers and nav pilots had an opportunity to get in the air and practice. 

Prior to leaving Columbus, I expressed to the team four simple thoughts to be successful at SAFECON.

1. Represent
2. Respect
3. Communicate
4. Adapt

This team has proven at each and every turn of our journey how to live these very simple concepts. As a result, they have prepared and represented themselves and their university in extraordinary fashion.

We are over 50% of our fundraising goal, and again, I cannot express the gratitude on behalf of our team for your support.

Competition starts on Monday, and we can’t wait to get started.

Go Bucks,

John Ginley, Head Coach

The Ohio State University Flight Team

COACH'S LOG - Monday, May 1 2023 - 7 Days Until SAFECON

I would like to take the opportunity and thank all of our alumni, friends, families and supporters for your generosity in supporting the Flight Team. Your donations are truly impacting the next generation of pilots as they go above and beyond to craft their talents.

In this last week, we have raised over $6,000 (40%) of our fundraising goal. This speaks volumes of the support our team has near and far from Columbus. As coaches, we set a culture of humbleness with what we do. We are fortunate enough to practice, fly, compete and travel in thanks to our generous donors. So thank you for your continued support.

I also would like to share a little sneak peak into what is happening with our team as SAFECON quickly approaches. It is a cold and rainy Monday in Columbus, and most students are wrapping up finals week. The flight line is quiet. As I sit at the flight school, making last minute travel preparations, I lean back and notice a few of our competitors in the simulator room. In the picture above, you'll see Chris Du and Matt Foote, two of our three simulator competitors. They took it upon themselves to get just a little extra practice in before we leave for Oshkosh. They took turns going back and forth; one flying and one giving drills. The inter-squad competitiveness they have is incredible and it makes them better competitors overall. They are approaching near-peak performance and I am extremely excited to see these two, along with Noah Pattan, compete in that event next week. In the background of that picture, you'll see Mike Sterling, co-captain, taking time out of a busy finals week to take an E6B test, completely unprovoked. Mike took 1st Place in the Region at E6B and I can't wait to see him perform at Nationals.

It is small things like this that make it so motivating to coach. The students truly want to succeed and it is such a privilege that we get to help them achieve that goal. It is a cold, rainy, unflyable day in Columbus in the middle of final exams; our team is working hard. And that is motivation enough for my Monday!

Go Bucks,

John Ginley, Head Coach

The Ohio State University Flight Team