Aeronautics professionals and student teams from the Southwest region recently competed at the Top Gun Aero Skills Tournament in Dallas, Texas. Hallmark University’s student team (Xavier Ojeda, Benjamin Vlahos, and Cameron Ayala) traveled with aeronautics instructor Robert Olivares to compete under industry best practices against students from other aeronautics maintenance programs. Hallmark University’s team performed exceptionally, with student Xavier Ojeda taking first place in the overall competition. Mr. Ojeda will travel to Tucson, Arizona with Mr. Olivares this December to compete in the Aero Skills National Finals.
The Top Gun Competition was host to many different events with participants completing a series of tasks. One of these tasks included the rebuilding of an aeronautical asset in the shortest time possible. Xavier Ojeda managed to complete the rebuild in eight minutes, leaving many competitors and participants impressed by the skills he developed in his studies. Hallmark’s student team placed in all of the events that took place, with Xavier Ojeda and Benjamin Vlahos taking the first and second place for the competition respectively. Instructor Robert Olivares took part in the competition as well, placing third in a Senior Level Structure competition.
“This is just another example of the quality of students that attend Hallmark University,” Said Kurt Leslie, Dean for Hallmark University’s College of Aeronautics. “We are very proud of their accomplishments and are excited to see our team compete this next month.”
This event not only allows participants to work with likeminded people but enables them to demonstrate their skills to potential employers attending the competition. Alumni of Hallmark University’s College of Aeronautics traveled with the student team to give support and encouragement while watching their team compete. The Top Gun Aero Skills competition is conducted in an audience environment, providing the community an opportunity to see technicians demonstrate their skills and expertise in this thriving field. A team from Hallmark attended the competition last year and placed 2nd overall, showing that Hallmark’s nationally ranked program continues to advance more every year.