WHEREAS, the Liberty University School of Aeronautics won the prestigious Loening Trophy at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association's national competition in May 2017, becoming the first Virginia institution to receive the award since 1933; and

WHEREAS, the National Intercollegiate Flying Association's Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON) is a competition staged each year between flight teams and aviation students from institutions of higher learning across the nation; teams are tested on aviation skills such as pre-flight inspections, simulator flights, navigation, flight planning, and precision landing; and

WHEREAS, at the 2017 SAFECON in Columbus, Ohio, the Liberty University School of Aeronautics' team claimed the Loening Trophy, an award that recognizes the best all-around college aviation program in the nation on the basis of flight skills, community involvement, academics, safety, professionalism, and other factors; and

WHEREAS, first introduced in 1929, the Loening Trophy was originally conceived by Grover Loening, an aeronautical engineer for the Wright brothers; past judges for the award have included aviation legends such as Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart; and

WHEREAS, in addition to the Loening Trophy, the Liberty University School of Aeronautics Flight Team finished 12th overall in the SAFECON points competition and won the American Airlines Safety Award for the second year in a row; in qualifying for the national competition, it won the Region X Championship for its 12th year running; and

WHEREAS, founded in 2002, the Liberty University School of Aeronautics has 1,200 students engaged in degree programs centered on pilot training, unmanned aerial systems, aircraft maintenance, flight attendant, and aviation administration; in its short history, it has quickly become one of the top aeronautical schools in the region; and

WHEREAS, in winning the Loening Trophy and its other honors, the flight team members from the Liberty University School of Aeronautics demonstrated the skill, dedication, and teamwork necessary for future success in the aviation industry; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Liberty University School of Aeronautics on winning the 2017 Loening Trophy at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association's Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Liberty University School of Aeronautics as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for its impressive accomplishments.