MSU Denver student Tien Luu was one of three Roadrunner pilots who placed in the individual collegiate standings. Photo by Josh Geurink
Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Aerobatics Team has won the 2024 Collegiate National Aerobatic Championship, the University’s fifth national title in eight years.
MSU Denver topped runner-up University of North Dakota and third-place Air Force Academy, cementing its status as one of the most dominant aerobatics squad in the nation. Three Roadrunner pilots — Tien Luu, Braeden Giltinan and Alex Trautmann — placed first through third in the individual collegiate standings. North Dakota’s Forrest Scholin tied Trautmann for third place.
Founded just nine years ago, the Aerobatics Team, part of MSU Denver’s nationally recognized Aviation Program, competes with other collegiate teams in a series of competitions throughout the year, compiling points for loops, spins, barrel rolls and other maneuvers completed in an “aerobatic box” — 1,000 meters cubed at 4,000 feet of altitude, marked only by ground indicators.
The pilots are graded by judges not only on the difficulty and performance of their maneuvers but on their ability to stay strictly within the confines of this invisible box.
“We are taught to ‘always stay ahead of the aircraft’ when executing aerobatic maneuvers — to think several steps ahead and plan meticulously before making any moves,” said Luu, the first-place individual award winner. “Everything we do as aerobatic pilots is a complex dance between preparation, execution and awareness. But when everything clicks, it really is one of the most satisfying experiences ever.”
