Congressman Nick Begich (R-AK) has announced Dalton Donley, a high school student from Eagle River, as the winner of Alaska’s Congressional App Challenge. Donley developed an application called AK Bush Weather, which aims to support pilots in making safer flight decisions within Alaska’s demanding aviation environment.
The app evaluates weather conditions around airports and factors in pilot flight hours to produce a user-friendly risk rating. Congressman Begich commented on the significance of the project: “Alaska depends on aviation like no other state, and safety is always paramount,” said Congressman Begich. “Dalton identified a real-world problem and applied creativity, technical skill, and compassion to help address it. AK Bush Weather reflects the kind of innovation and purpose we hope to see from Alaska’s next generation of leaders, and I’m incredibly proud to recognize his achievement.”
Donley was motivated by personal experience after losing a family friend in a plane crash. He aimed to develop a tool that could lower risks for bush pilots by improving situational awareness and simplifying the process of evaluating weather conditions. The development process involved overcoming technical hurdles such as interpreting complex data formats from the Aviation Weather Center and designing an effective rating system despite limited prior aviation experience.
The Congressional App Challenge is held nationwide each year to encourage middle and high school students to engage with coding, computer science, and problem-solving through original software projects. Winners are recognized by their respective Members of Congress, with select applications potentially displayed at the U.S. Capitol.