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Aviation Education Excellence News Release Society of Aviation & Flight Educators

January 2025

Master Instructors is pleased to announce that Michael Lents of Fargo, North Dakota has received his Sixth Accreditation as a Master Instructor-Aerobatic. Mike is an Associate Professor and Flight Instructor at the University of North Dakota (UND) specializing in Aerodynamics, Aircraft Systems, Human Factors and Aerobatics. He learned to fly at UND in 2001 eventually earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He coaches the 11-time National Collegiate Champion, UND Aerobatic Team and was the 2021 US National Champion in the Intermediate category flying an American Champion Super Decathlon. In 2018, he represented Team USA flying a Panzl S-330 at the World Advanced Aerobatic Championships in Strejnic, Romania. Mike placed 5th in the World, leading the Team in points to a second place finish. He flew for Team USA again in 2023 at the World Advanced Aerobatic Championships, and is on the 2025 US Advanced Aerobatic Team. Known for his involvement with the UND Aerocast and specializing in the Super Decathlon, he continues to teach students the art of all-attitude flight.

Master Instructors is pleased to announce that William E. Dubois, Newtown, PA has received his third accreditation as a Master Ground Instructor

William is the Ground School Program Manager for Infinity Flight Group, where he creates and delivers curricula from Private Pilot through CFI, and oversees all ground-teaching by other staff. He is a rare “double” Master Ground Instructor, accredited by both MICEP and NAFI, and was recognized as a Distinguished Flight Instructor in the 2021-22 AOPA Flight Training Experience Awards. A widely published aviation training SME, he pens two monthly columns for General Aviation News: Questions from the Cockpit, which answers reader’s aviation questions; and Human Factors, that looks to improve safety by analyzing incidents and accidents for lessons learned that can benefit all pilots. He additionally crafts many of the Air Safety Institute’s Training and Safety tips. Dubois started flying at age 17, has a degree in aviation technology, holds a Commercial Pilot certificate with Instrument rating, in addition to all three FAA ground instructor certificates, and is the holder of a world speed record from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. He has been a member of AOPA for more than forty years. Involved in education most of his life, Dubois believes that humor and analogy are key teaching techniques, along with a relaxed and inclusive style that makes learning fun.

Master Instructors is pleased to welcome Joseph Pierre Thibodeau of Commerce City, Colorado, to our community as a Master Instructor-Aerobatic for the first time. JP is a corporate Chief Pilot with over 15,000 hours of flight time. Under the watchful eye of his father, he began “aviating” before he was tall enough to see over the instrument panel of their Beechcraft Baron. He soloed at age 16, earned a B.S. in Aerospace Sciences from the University of North Dakota and has continued flying and learning ever since while fulfilling a life-long dream of flying globally as the Chief Pilot of one of Denver’s most elite corporate flight departments.  He is an experienced and dedicated flight instructor who has built a reputation for an unwavering commitment to safety, skill development, and fostering a positive learning environment. He is also active in the local aviation community through events, seminars and other activities. For recreation, JP flies among his two favorites his father’s P-51D Mustang, “Crusader” (in which he distinguished himself in 2018 at the National Championship Air Races in Reno, as the “Rookie of the Year” in the Unlimited Class) and the Game Composites GameBird GB-1.

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