A fifty year aviation career was honored Saturday, January 10, 2026 when John Koehler was presented with the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award. The honor is named after aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright.
Koehler was recognized for his extensive career as a pilot and an instructor during a program that included family and friends at the Afton Civic Center.
Koehler reflected on his years of aviation in a subsequent conversation with SVI Media.
“It’s not about something so much that I earned, but that my students put up with me,” he said with a smile. “They keep coming back to me.”
Koehler thrives on flying and teaching the skill. “I love to fly and I love to help others enjoy that too. And there are many people that want to learn to fly as just a hobby. And I love teaching them that.”
He continued, “There are some that want to fly as a business and become airline pilots. Well, that’s great. I love to teach them that too.”
The 50-year pilot never wearies of the view that comes with his skills. “There’s so much beauty of the earth that you see from flying and so much freedom. And you get an idea of how incredibly beautiful this world is,” he said. “I just love to fly. I like the bird’s eye view.”
Koehler has seen that view while flying and instructing in Idaho, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Alabama, Florida, the Marshall Islands and Afghanistan.
His instruction tied in with schools and programs in Nebraska, Kansas, Utah, Rocky Mountain College and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
In addition, he flew for SkyWest Airlines.
After all of those locations, why Star Valley?
“How we got here was only by an act of God,” Koehler acknowledged without hesitation.
He explained, “I was working in Pueblo, Colorado as a contractor, teaching Air Force pilots to fly. And with my wife, we were looking ahead to retirement.
He said someone was interested in their house, “so we sold it.”
That led to the next step, “And, then where were we going to live to retire?”
The answer brought them to western Wyoming’s scenic mountain country. “We’ve lived in many different places and we love the mountains.”
The Koehlers had previously bought property in Cokeville but had not started any construction.
Then came a visit to Star Valley. “We were up here one day and loved the valley, and really felt this is where we needed to be,” he said. “So, we bought a house up here.”
Retirement has included continued aviation instruction. “I am just a flight instructor,” he said. “I still love to teach people how to fly their own airplanes. I’ve been here for 13 years now and I’ve taught a few people.”
He added, “And every two years a pilot needs to have what’s called a flight review. And so they come back to me every two years if they’ve already had their license for a while. So, I’m teaching new pilots along with teaching other pilots that I’ve trained before.”
Koehler also assists with flight regulations and training when pilots change planes and additional certification is required.
At the Civic Center dinner, Koehler was presented the award from his friend, Tristan Smith. The two were involved in an aviation accident in 2018. Having Smith make the presentation was a moving experience for Koehler.
“Tristan Smith is my hero. He is a guy that I tremendously admire. We were in an accident and we both got a lot of facial damage but he lost his eyesight,” Koehler recalled. “And I am so incredibly impressed with how he has handled that challenge to his life with a great positive attitude, hard work, and of course his wife has supported him greatly in this. He is just an incredible human being!”
He added, “And I just love him and respect him and he’s my hero.”
Helping to instruct both new and experienced pilots in Star Valley is a good fit for the seasoned aviator. He includes youth as part of that instruction through a scholarship program coordinated through the Lincoln County School District No. 2 Education Foundation.
“I love how things are going right now. I am retired but I get to instruct any time the weather is halfway decent,” he concluded, again with a smile Koehler is well known for in Star Valley. “I don’t have to, flying is not a job for me, it’s a passion.”
