Wings Like Eagles: How Embry‑Riddle Students Soar and Thrive on Competition

From aviation to engineering, Embry‑Riddle students are taking their skills and academics and bringing them to life. Competing against other students, universities and countries, these Eagles have proven their ability to thrive under pressure, adapt to adversity and come out on top.

Golden Eagles

In the 2025 NIFA SAFECON competition, the Golden Eagles came away victorious, winning their 16th national collegiate aviation championship — more than any other collegiate team has ever won. The week-long competition tested students in a variety of events, including navigation, approach and landing, simulated flights, preflight inspection and maintenance.

The students exhibited all-around excellence, with Ethan Michon (’25) tying for second place as the top-scoring contestant. In the simulated comprehensive aircraft navigation (SCAN) event, Michon placed first — and did well in many other events. Other students also excelled in their events, including team captain Davin Blunt (’25), who placed second in the short-field landing and SCAN events and third in the top pilot competition.

Overall, the team showed grit and dedication following their third-place finish in 2024. Flight instructor and Golden Eagles head coach Shaun Shephard explained the team’s mindset, “As many know, we didn’t win last year, and at the end of that season, we said, ‘Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.’ We kept that at the forefront all year — stay humble, keep pushing and make sure we learn.”

Design/Build/Fly

Eagles showed true merit at the 2024 AIAA Design/Build/Fly Competition. Out of the 93 universities represented, the Daytona Beach team earned a first-place win — and a $3,000 prize — while the Prescott team wasn’t far behind, coming in at number eight. The competition tasked students with building a radio-operated drone that would be tested on both its flight ability and conversion speed.

Some members of the team were also successful in landing full-time positions after graduation — Ashley Brown (’24) at Piper Aircraft and Zachary Herman (’24) at Northrop Grumman. “They are learning critical skills that will serve them well throughout their careers. Their first-place win is evidence of their excellence,” said Dr. Jim Gregory, dean of the College of Engineering at the Daytona Beach Campus.

Capture the Flag

Embry‑Riddle students made up two of the top three teams at the Capture the Flag (CTF) competition at the 2025 ERAU-NASA-NSF Aviation Cybersecurity Workshop, placing first and third. The competition tests students’ cybersecurity skills, and the 2025 competition encompassed all things airport security — from baggage handling and security screening to flight simulators and air traffic control.

Developed by students, for students, CTF allows Eagles to understand cybersecurity from both sides, creating a more dynamic skill set and a wealth of knowledge. It also brings universities from across the country to participate. Major airlines have also engaged with the CTF competition, including Southwest Airlines.

Ray Howard, a senior systems engineer for Southwest Airlines, commented, “Everyone learned something new related to aviation from this CTF. The CTF was a great educational and team-building experience for cybersecurity aviation beginners and professionals.” 

2024 Maritime RobotX Challenge

Competing against teams from the United States, Australia, South Korea, Singapore and Chile, Embry‑Riddle placed third overall in the 2024 Maritime RobotX Challenge and second in the Design Documentation Awards, Best Technical Design Report and the Technical Innovation Award, winning a total of $17,000 in prizes.

Dr. Eric Coyle, professor of Mechanical Engineering, expressed that the competition was even tougher this year than the team had seen before — “On the whole, the other teams’ systems were more capable than any prior RobotX competition.” However, this did not stop Embry‑Riddle's team from succeeding and learning.

“Since I started participating in RobotX very early in my academic career, I've been surrounded by students from all sorts of backgrounds and education levels (from undergraduates to Ph.D. candidates),” said Adam Lachguar (’25). "Being in this environment that fosters hard work, creativity and innovation has had a major impact on my academics and my career prospects — allowing me to use the skills I learn in class and being able to apply them to a real-life project.”

Other Eagle Successes

PBExpo

Embry‑Riddle's Aviation Maintenance Science team placed second as a team at the PBExpo 2025. This trade show connects industry experts, suppliers, higher education and more and gives students a platform to compete against one another and showcase their practical skills. The team had several students place second and third in multiple events.

Tracer FIRE 12

Students from universities in the Southwest region gathered at the Prescott Campus for the Tracer FIRE 12 conference and competition, a day centered around cybersecurity. The competition included challenges involving commercial airlines, aircraft development and cryptocurrency. Embry‑Riddle teams placed in all three top spots, the first-place team setting the record for challenges solved at any Tracer FIRE 12 event in 2024.

Lockheed Martin Ethics in Engineering Competition

In the 8th Annual Lockheed Martin Ethics in Engineering Competition, Embry‑Riddle's team placed in the top four out of 67 teams. During the competition, teams presented solutions to a scenario that involved company mergers and the ethics of artificial intelligence.

“Engineers need a sense of ethics — theoretical and practical — because their work is inherently involved in public safety and well-being. Knowing when and how to use their technical skills to help others is inherent to their jobs as engineers,” said Dr. Caroline Koons, associate professor of Communication, emphasizing the importance of an ethics-centered competition.

NASA’s Blue Skies Competition

The Embry‑Riddle team’s Autonomous Aerial Cattle Monitoring System design was one of eight finalists in NASA’s 2025 Blue Skies Competition. “It feels incredibly rewarding to be the first Embry‑Riddle team to make it into the finals of the Blue Skies AgAir competition. It’s a testament to the hard work, dedication and creativity of the students,” said Claudia Ehringer Lucas, the faculty advisor for the project.