OSHKOSH — Gabe Witt, a 2019 graduate of Monroe, led the Golden Eagle Flight team to its third straight title in the National Intercollegiate Flight Evaluation Conference National Championship (NIFA SAFECON) in Oshkosh May 8-13. He then brought the hardware home to Monroe, Wisconsin for a Meet and Greet at the Monroe Municipal Airport on Sunday, May 14.
“It’s not easy to go out there and win. It takes a lot of work,” Witt said. “The feeling we got when our team name got called first is indescribable. It’s absolutely incredible, and something that will stick with us for the rest of our lives.”
Witt participated in eight different events, with his highest placement in Unlimited Navigation. He finished tenth with a score of 9.13 points. In addition to competing in several events, Witt captained the team.
“Gabe has been tremendous in leadership,” head coach Shaun Shephard said. “Not only is he a great student as best in his class, but also as a pilot and teammate. He’s always got a smile and positive attitude. He’s always telling us not to stop, no matter how hard it is.”
As a program, the Golden Eagle Flight team has won 15 national championships and 36 consecutive regional titles. This year’s title marks the third consecutive title and the second three-peat in program history.
“The legacy is tremendous,” Shephard said. The amount of people that reach out to us on a continuous basis . . . I have former captains and members of the team reaching out to me in the last 24 hours saying, ‘Great job coach. Great job team. You are keeping the legacy alive.’ The legacy is huge. We have connections all across the world in pretty much every airplane than you can imagine, whether its military or civilian.”
Witt went out with a bang, as he graduated from Embry Riddle Aeronautics University in Prescott, Arizona with a degree in Aerospace Engineering with a concentration in Astronautics and a minor in Flight on Saturday, May 6. His next steps include becoming an officer in the United States Air Force, with the end goal of becoming an astronaut.
“My ultimate goal is to become an astronaut and become the first to walk on Mars someday,” Witt said. “After graduating, I’m hoping to receive a pilot slot for the United States Air Force. If that eventually leads to becoming a test pilot — whatever it takes to become an astronaut — I’ll jump on it. Right now I’m just enjoying the journey and seeing what happens.”
