Aviation View April 2023

7 AVIATION VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1 TAKING FLIGHT WITH FLORIDA’S UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION Together, the University of Florida athletic association’s two Embraer Phenoms average nearly 500 flight hours annually – and about 30% of that flying happens during just four weeks in December and January. That timing, when football coaches are allowed to meet in- person with prospective student athletes, is set by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The NCAA’s football contact period traditionally starts the Sunday after Thanksgiving, setting off a two-week sprint. Coaches from hundreds of colleges travel to meet the most promising high school football players across the country. After the holidays, the travel window opens again in the last part of January. “We want to maximize those opportunities, those certain times a year when we go on the road to recruit,” said Mike Spiegler, senior associate athletics director at the University of Florida. “The coaches are out for two solid weeks, to be in as many places as they can.” Based at Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV), the flight operation for the University Athletic Association (UAA) also sees activity peak during the fall and spring basketball recruiting periods. The rest of the year, the aircraft regularly fly university officials to satellite campuses across Florida, academic conferences, the state capital in Tallahassee and other important meetings. “We used to have slow periods the rest of the year, but we don’t anymore,” said Kim Adams, administrative associate for the flight team. With reduced airline schedules since the COVID-19 pandemic, flying on the Phenoms is up 20% year-round since 2019. “During recruiting, OPENING L INES