Southeastern's Chief Flight Instructor has Master CFI Accreditation Renewed

by SOUTHEASTERN PUBLIC INFORMATION
April 4, 2008

DURANT, Okla. ­ Kyle V. Thomas, chief flight instructor and aviation professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University's Aviation Sciences Institute, recently had his Master Certificated Flight Instructor accreditation renewed.

This accreditation was renewed by the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI), a professional aviation education association. Thomas first earned this professional accreditation in 2006.

To help put these achievements in their proper perspective, there are approximately 91,000 CFIs in the United States. Fewer than 600 of them have achieved the Master CFI distinction thus far. The last 12 national Flight Instructors of the Year were Master CFIs, and Thomas is one of only six Oklahoma aviation educators who has earned this prestigious "Master" title.

The Master Instructor designation is the only industry professional accreditation recognized by the FAA. It is earned by candidates through a rigorous process of continuing professional activity and peer review. Much like a flight instructor's certificate, it must be renewed biennially.

This process parallels the continuing education regimen used by other professionals to enhance their knowledge base while increasing their professionalism. Simply put, the Master Instructor designation is a means by which 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 earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at Southeastern and joined the faculty in 1996. In addition to his teaching duties, Thomas serves as a coach and faculty advisor for the university's NIFA flight team.

He and his wife Traci have two daughters, Allyson, 11, and Chloe, 4.