Cyndi Ice, a Kingfisher resident and pilot, has built her aviation career around service, education, and community involvement. She is a member of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Ninety-Nines, the international organization of women pilots, and has served as secretary of the Oklahoma Chapter for the past three and a half years. In that role, she regularly supports and participates in aviation events across the state. Ice also serves as an Advanced Ground Instructor.
Ice is a STEM instructor with the Commemorative Air Force’s Lady Liberty Squadron, based at Woodring Airport in Enid. She has flown aboard the A-26 Invader to deliver aviation and STEM programs to students across Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas. Schools from across the state regularly visit the squadron’s hangar for hands-on learning, with the next event scheduled for March 10 with Norman Public Schools.
Beyond education-focused flying, Ice volunteers with Pilots N Paws, transporting animals to rescue organizations and forever homes. She has also flown in the Oklahoma Ninety-Nines Okie Derby for the past two years, earning the Fuel Efficiency Award in 2025 and recognition from the Oklahoma Pilots Association as Best Overall Member.
Ice is currently flying the international organization Amelia Bearheart Bear to airports across Oklahoma and Texas as part of an outreach effort supporting women in aviation. One of those flights took her to Temple, Texas, where she also visited her son and granddaughter.
Although she previously worked as a classroom teacher, Ice began flying in the late 1990s and returned with renewed focus in 2021. She is currently working toward her instrument and commercial ratings and continues to enjoy flying whenever possible.
Ice recently joined the Freedom Aviation Network, an organization that provides safe, efficient, and rapid air transportation for survivors of human trafficking and their advocates. She learned about the program through a friend who flies for FAN and felt called to support its mission. While she does not currently have an active mission, she remains on standby. Her most recent FAN mission took place on November 6.
Pilots in FAN complete a structured onboarding process including training videos, orientation, testing, and documentation to ensure safety and readiness. Ice describes the preparation as meaningful and essential to understanding the responsibility involved in transporting survivors.
Ice chose to volunteer her time and resources because she genuinely loves to fly, and building hours for her instrument and commercial ratings fits naturally. More than that, it felt like the right thing to do. Using her passion for aviation to help someone take a step toward safety and freedom aligns with her sense of calling.
One memorable experience from her November 2025 mission occurred while preparing to transport two women to safety. The Kingfisher Church of the Nazarene had assembled thoughtful care bags, but the added weight created a challenge. Ice explained aircraft weight and balance considerations to the pastor, and together they found a solution that allowed the bags to travel safely. Seeing the women receive the bags with gratitude underscored how many people, both on the ground and in the air, contribute to making each mission possible.
Balancing volunteer flying with her professional and personal life comes naturally. She works remotely for the state, which allows flexibility, and she trusts that each opportunity unfolds as it should.
Through her work with Freedom Aviation Network, Ice hopes every flight gives survivors a genuine chance to move forward with dignity, safety, and hope.
