Category: Meet The Team

Meet Nick Schulcz, one of the most veteran and accomplished members of our team. Nick is in his third year on the squad and is a commercial pilot and certified flight instructor (CFI). He is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and will graduate in May with a degree in Professional Pilot Science.

He placed 10th in Preflight Inspection and 11th in Power-Off Landing at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Region IX competition, helping lead the team to our first ever nationals appearance.

Nick enjoys being outdoors and gaming. His experience, comprehensive knowledge and sense of humor makes him an invaluable member of our team. He aspires to become a cargo, passenger or corporate pilot.

Our Polk State Flight Team is accepting donations to help fund our nationals trip to Ohio State University in May. To donate, visit www.polkstateflightteam.com/donate.

Meet Adrian Quichocho, our team Secretary. He is involved in many administrative duties for our squad. Adrian is a commercial pilot, certified flight instructor (CFI) and member of the U.S. Air Force Reserves who is originally from Guam. A true leader & wealth of knowledge, Adrian is always helping others take the next steps in their aviation careers.

He placed 4th in Preflight Inspection & 8th in Power-Off Landing at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Region IX competition, helping our team qualify for nationals for the first time in school history.

Adrian is a loyal Seattle sports fan who enjoys staying active. His positive energy & caring nature always has a positive effect on everyone he comes across.

Our team is accepting donations to help fund our nationals trip to Ohio State University in May. To donate, visit www.polkstateflightteam.com/donate.

Meet Tyler Koonce, our First Officer – Ground. Tyler organizes our practices & study sessions for ground events. He previously served as team Secretary & was part of the Traditional Navigation duo which finished 2nd at the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Region IX competition, the top flight event finish in school history. He is also a member of the Polk State Aerospace Safety Team.

A career changer who always wanted to be an airline pilot, Tyler enrolled at Polk State in 2021. His interest in our program was inspired by listening to our Coach Carl Valeri’s Aviation Careers Podcast. Previously, Tyler worked in the front office of professional & college sports teams, a Fortune 500 company & leading national engineering firm.

Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, he is a huge Chiefs football fan. An instrument rated pilot currently pursuing his commercial pilot certificate, Tyler will graduate in May with a degree in Professional Pilot Science. He also earned a bachelor’s degree from Southeast Missouri State University.

Our team is accepting donations to help fund our trip to nationals at Ohio State University in May. To donate, visit www.polkstateflightteam.com/donate.

Meet Nik Schiaffo, our First Officer – Flight & the longest-tenured member of our team. Nik organizes all our flight practices & previously served as our First Officer – Ground for our first team in school history to qualify for National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) nationals.

Nik is a commercial pilot & placed 2nd in team Traditional Navigation at the 2021 NIFA Regionals, the best flight event finish in team history. He also finished 10th individually in computer accuracy at the 2020 NIFA regional competition.

Originally from Georgetown, Texas, Nik is an avid golfer and enjoys staying active. His outgoing personality, sense of humor and aviation knowledge make him an excellent teammate, friend and leader.

Our team is accepting donations to help fund our trip to nationals at Ohio State University in May. To donate, visit www.polkstateflightteam.com/donate.

Meet Captain Michael Pavlik. He has been a team member and officer since 2020. Mike has played a crucial role in our squad’s growth and first time qualifying for National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) nationals in school history.

In addition to being an excellent pilot, Mike can fix or build just about anything and is always willing to help others achieve their goals.

Our team is accepting donations to help fund our trip to nationals at Ohio State University in May. To donate, visit www.polkstateflightteam.com/donate.

Meet Team Captain Michael ‘Mac’ MacAleese Michael is the Spring 2021 Polk State College Team Captain.

To learn more about the flight team and how you can help us compete this year please visit:

http://www.polkstateflightteam.com/donate/

Meet Justin Gentle 2020 Captain Polk State Flight Team Today we meet the 2020 Captain of the Polk State Flight Team Justin Gentle. Justin was Captain during our first season the regional competition was held at our home airport, Lakeland Linder International Airport. This year Justin is competing again and we are excited to have him join us for a meet the team video.

Visit http://www.polkstateflightteam.com to find more information about the team and videos just like this one. Please consider helping us to compete in the next competition by visiting http://www.polkstateflightteam.com/donate/ .

Talking points:

Tell us what your career aspirations are and how you became interested in aviation.

What brought you to Polk State College?

What degree are you working towards?

What certificates/ratings did you earn at Polk State?

What are some unique opportunities that you’ve had from Polk State?

How long have you been on the team?

Why The Flight Team?

What are the benefits to students participating on the flight team?

What is next for Justin?

Links Mentioned in the show:

http://justingentle.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pilot-justin-gentle/

https://www.twitch.tv/cptjentle

https://www.instagram.com/cpt.jentle/

http://www.polkstateflightteam.com