On Thursday December 5th, 2024 At Greenville Technical Charter High School Flight Simulation Lab,
Several schools came to the Flight Simulation Lab at Greenville Technical Charter High School to participate in a mock AviCom, South Carolina's aviation competition for high schools. The event aimed to bring awareness to AviCom, especially to schools in the Upstate that have not attended AviCom before. And, students in the GTCHS after-after-school Aerospace Club received valuable training for hosting and officiating the state-wide aviation competition scheduled in March 2025.
AviCom is modeled after SafeCon, the aviation competition for college students organized by the National Intercollegiate Flying Association, where students are assessed on their aviation knowledge and skills.
At this mock AviCom, students completed an airman knowledge test, and an aircraft recognition test, and operated flight simulators on an intercept mission. Neil from Langson Middle earned a high score on the Aircraft Recognition test, and Wills, a homeschooler, earned the high score on the Airman Knowledge test. Wills was also a (EAA Chapter 249) crew member who successfully took off from Molokai in a Cirrus Vision Jet and intercepted a Cirrus SR22 inbound for Pearl Harbor. Thank you to all schools that participated, including Byrnes HS Spartanburg and Anderson County Career and Technical Center.
Another aspect of AviCom that gives value to participants is the opportunity to network with representatives from post-secondary institutions and industry professionals. Skylar Stramoski from the Air Force Academy and John Blanton from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics dropped in to engage with students and make mock AviCom even more authentic.
Special thanks to Triple Tree Aerodrome for the SWAG bags. Wes McAllister was on hand to ensure all participants had some goodies to take home. AviCom is a collaboration that would not be possible without the participation of the aviation community. Stay tuned for details about AviCom 2025.