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�鶹��Ƶ flight instructor and Air Force veteran Diana “Nikki” Myers earned her Gold Seal Flight Instructor certification, the highest standard in flight instruction in the U.S.

The Gold Seal certification is awarded to flight instructors who have shown an elevated level of knowledge, skill, and professionalism in their teaching. Gold Seal Flight Instructors are highly regarded and sought after, which can lead to higher pay and more job opportunities.

Originally from Florida, Myers spent seven years in the Air Force before beginning her pilot training at �鶹��Ƶ in Fall 2019. She completed all her ratings at �鶹��Ƶ despite a six-month hiatus due to COVID-19. Myers graduated with an AAS degree in Professional Pilot in December 2021 and began teaching for �鶹��Ƶ’s Flight School, achieving new teaching level certificates and promotions.

“I always loved seeing aircraft, especially at each base where I served in the Air Force. The interest never waned, it was just on pause for a while,” says Myers. “While researching schools, �鶹��Ƶ just stood out as a great program. Not only did it have nice facilities, but they had nice aircraft.”

�鶹��Ƶ’s Flight School is located at the Riverside Community Campus and Aviation Center, and houses a fleet of technically advanced aircraft, a $1.4-million air traffic control simulator, and a simulation lab that includes a full-motion flight training simulator.

“There is a vast need for professional pilots and air traffic controllers in the country. The �鶹��Ƶ Aviation Center facilities are equipped with the technology to train the next class of aviation professionals so they can enter the workforce after they get their associate degree,” says �鶹��Ƶ Dean of the School of Science and Aeronautics Julie Porterfield. “Nikki has been an asset to our Flight School as a student first, and then a flight instructor, and we’re grateful she’s been able to pass on her knowledge to the next generation of pilots.”

Myers was recently hired by a regional commercial airline and begins later this Fall. She joins a small demographic of commercial pilots, in which only about 5% are women.