Congressman Begich Announces Alaska Winner of Congressional App Challenge

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Feb. 3, 2026 - Congressman Nick Begich (R-AK) is proud to announce Dalton Donley, a high school student from Palmer, Alaska, as the winner of Alaska's Congressional App Challenge.

Dalton's winning app, AK Bush Weather,is designed to help pilots make safer, more informed flight decisions in Alaska's challenging aviation environment. The app conducts a risk assessment of weather conditions surrounding an airport and combines that data with pilot flight hours to generate a clear, easy-to-understand rating.

"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."

BACKGROUND:

Dalton was inspired to create the app after the tragic loss of a family friend in a plane crash. Recognizing the immense responsibility bush pilots carry, he sought to develop a tool that could help reduce risk, improve situational awareness, and ease the mental load pilots face when evaluating weather conditions.

In developing the app, Dalton tackled complex technical challenges, including decoding aviation weather data from the Aviation Weather Center, which delivers information in condensed aviation string formats. He also worked to design a meaningful rating system despite having little prior experience in aviation.

The Congressional App Challenge is a nationwide competition that encourages middle and high school students to explore coding, computer science, and problem-solving by creating original applications. Winners from each congressional district are recognized by their Members of Congress and select apps may be showcased in the U.S. Capitol.

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