There's more traffic in the sky over Mankato. The Regional University Flight Team Competition is preparing to get underway, and students are out "spreading their wings."
Fox Mankato's Carly Aplin has more from the air strip:
Over the next two days students from four universities will be challenging each other from the sky.
Katrina Avery says "It's just a unique competition. I mean you go to a sporting event, but this is like our academics in the works."
Aviation students from Minnesota State University, the University of North Dakota, the University of Dubuque and St. Cloud State will be competing in ground and flight events.
Pat McKinzie says: "They do all the same skills that they would do to fly airplanes.
"Dr. Nihad Daidzic says: "I'm sure some of them are always nervous because you want to do the best you can."
MSU's team advisor says this year is a rebuilding year for the Department of Aviation, but with new airplanes and plenty of eager freshmen, they're off to a good start.
Pat McKinzie says: "We have a pretty good group and they're really enthusiastic about good things to come."
And MSU pilots are hoping those good things come as soon as tomorrow, when they face some of the toughest aviation schools in the region.
Ken Kessler says: "The competition we're facing against is very strong, we're facing some really, really good flight schools."
While students from the four universities spent the day brushing up their skills, MSU student Ken Kessler prepared for his fourth and final competition. Ken Kessler says: "You treat it just like any other test you have, you study, but don't get nervous about it. Tomorrow is going to happen whether you want it to or not, so you might as well have a positive attitude.
"In Mankato, Carly Aplin, the Fox Mankato News at Nine.
The flight competition officially starts tomorrow afternoon at 2, and will finish up Saturday evening with an awards banquet at 6.
For the video of this KEYC-TV broadcast, go to http://www.keyc.com/node/11861. For an earlier KEYC report on the competition, go to http://www.keyc.com/node/11850
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