Aviation Soldiers Place First and Second in The Competition at VERTICON 2026
At The Competition at VERTICON 2026, a team of soldiers from the 128th Aviation Brigade, Aviation Center of Excellence, out of Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA, received first place in the military category and second place overall.
“Team Blackhawk,” the Army’s team, included:
- Apache Attack Helicopter Repairer Staff Sgt Ty Christensen
- Aircraft Powerplant Repairer Staff Sgt. Hayden Libhart
- Aircraft Electrician Staff Sgt. Corey Lanclos
- Aircraft Components Repair Supervisor
- Team Blackhawk Coach Sgt. 1st Class Curtis Parker
To prepare for The Competition, the soldiers:
- Researched systems
- Developed new skills
- Built training aids
The team members had six weeks to learn the systems included in the competition events, which involved reviewing manuals and videos by OEMs and other maintenance professionals.
“A lot of these tasks are outside of our wheelhouse,” said Christensen, “I normally just work on the AH-64 (Apache helicopter), but we were working on a thrust reverser, or the landing gear on a Boeing (airliner.)”
“When AMC dropped the event, we had to go out and do research on our own and learn how to perform those tasks,” Christensen said.
Additionally, the soldiers had to practice teamwork and train each other to ensure they could compete as a unit.
Christensen commented, “We crossed trained among the team…so when I had to compete in a task that was avionics heavy, I could compete and complete it.”
Team Blackhawk is now preparing to take part in The Competition at MRO Americas in April, 2026, which will have closer to 90 teams than VERTICON’s 26.
“We’ve sent two teams and have always taken 1st or 2nd place, so we need to defend our standing,” Parker said.
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