Competitors
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Kelly Abplanalp (Co-Captain) - Kelly recently graduated from UW-Madison with majors in Cartography and Chinese. She is from Portland, OR. She started flying since high school and has 200+hrs of flying experience. Kelly just passed her Commercial Certificate written exam and is working to pass her Commercial check ride.
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Chongjian Wen (Co-Captain) - Wen is a junior majoring in Economics. He is from Chengdu, China and had lived in Seattle when he was younger. Wen holds a private pilot certificate with 100+hrs of flying experience. He is working towards an IFR rating.
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Tyler Stank (Safety Officer) - Tyler is a junior majoring in Computer Science. He is from Sheboygan, WI. Tyler holds a private pilot certificate with 100+hrs of flying experience. Tyler is working towards an IFR rating as well as a tail-wheel endorsement.
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Zuf Wang - Zuf is a sophomore majoring in Industrial and Systems Engineering. Born and raised in Xi'an, China, he likes to call Warren, MI (suburb of Detroit) his home. He is a student pilot working towards his private pilot certificate.
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Aaron Cochrane - Aaron is a first year graduate student in Research Psychology. Aaron completed his undergraduate studies in Psychology and Anthropology at Pacific University in Oregon. He is a native of Kahlotus, WA, about a four-hour drive from Seattle. Aaron has 290+hrs of flying experience and he already holds his commercial pilot certificate.
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Kendra Dahl - Kendra is a senior majoring in Civil Engineering. She is from Shoreville, MN. Kendra is a student pilot working towards her private pilot certificate.
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Nakul Narayan - Nakul is a junior double majoring in Statistics and Economics. He is from the Bay area. Nakul's father started taking him for flights ever since he was a baby. He holds a private pilot certificate. Nakul is also the VP of Cheese Club here on campus.
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Qi Xi (Far right) - Qi is a junior majoring in Computer Science. He is from Beijing, China. Qi is a student pilot working towards his private pilot certificate.
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Coaching & Advising Staff
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Chris Johnson (adviser, second from right) - Chris is an Air Force veteran. He earned his PhD from UW in 2012 as well as a Master's of Science in Human Factors from the University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign where he received flight training and became a Certified Flight Instructor-Instrument (CFII) and a Multi-Engine Instructor (MEI).
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Paul Valenstein (coach) - Paul is a graduate of University of North Dakota with a degree in Air Traffic Control who is also a NIFA alumni. He was originally from Sheboygan Falls, WI. Paul is a private pilot with IFR rating. Paul helped with our team's founding and volunteers his time helping the flying team succeed in NIFA competitions.
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