SOSU Flight Instructor Earns “Master” Accreditation

Press Release Date: 03-23-2006

Kyle Thomas, Assistant Professor/Chief Flight Instructor in Southeastern Oklahoma State University’s Aviation Sciences Institute, has earned his Master Instructor accreditation.

The National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) has announced the designation of Thomas as Master CFI (Certified Flight Instructor). NAFI is Thomas’ professional aviation education association.

Thomas, the Chief Flight Instructor at Southeastern, is one of approximately 87,000 CFIs in the United States. Fewer than 500 of them have achieved the “Master” distinction. The last 11 national Flight Instructors of the Year were Master CFIs.

Thomas is one of just six Oklahoma aviation educators who have earned this prestigious “Master” title.

The Master Instructor designation is a national accreditation recognized by the FAA that is earned by candidates through a rigorous process of continuing education and peer review. Like a flight instructor’s certificate, it must be renewed biennially.

Simply put, the Master Instructor designation is a means to identify those outstanding aviation educators, those ‘Teachers of Flight,’ who have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to excellence, professional growth and service to the aviation community.

Thomas and wife Traci live in Durant with their two daughters, Allyson (9) and Chloe (2). Thomas grew up in McLoud, Okla., but calls Durant his hometown after living here for almost 20 years. He graduated from McLoud High School in 1986 and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Aviation from Southeastern in 1991. He received his Master of Administrative Studies (MAS) from SOSU in 1995.

Thomas said, “I did most of my flight training at Southeastern. I earned my Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate in 2002. I have been a flight instructor for 13 years and a pilot for 19. I have approximately 3,000 hours of flight time.”

Traci earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from SOSU in 2000 and her Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) from SOSU in 2004. She is now an accountant for the Choctaw Nation.

Southeastern’s Aviation Science Institute is the only university in Oklahoma with a Master CFI on the faculty.