Commanding Officer

Commanding Officer
Cmdr. Kyle C. "Yummy" Mason

Cmdr. Kyle C. Mason is a native Orlando, Florida, and graduated from Virginia Tech in 2007 with a degree in English.  In 2022, he was awarded a Master of Arts in Defense and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

Earning his naval aviator wings in 2010, he completed his initial F/A-18E/F Super Hornet training at Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In 2011, he reported to the VFA-102 “Diamondbacks” stationed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Atsugi, Japan, where he completed several U.S. 7th Fleet patrols aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73) in the western Pacific.  During his time with the “Diamondbacks”, he served as the Line Division Officer, Mission Planning Officer, Weapons Training Officer, and Forward Air Controller (Airborne).

In 2014, he reported to the west coast Fleet Replacement Squadron, VFA-122 “Flying Eagles,” at NAS Lemoore, California, where he was awarded the 2015 Instructor Pilot of the Year. In 2017, he embarked aboard USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) with the VFA-31 “Tomcatters” during combat operations in support of Operation Inherent Resolve over Iraq and Syria. He would stay on with “Felix” at NAS Oceana, Virginia, for a department head tour where he served as Aviation Safety Officer, Administration Department Head, Maintenance Officer, and Operations Officer, with a subsequent deployment to U.S. 7th Fleet aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71).

He reported in 2020 to the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, as a student of the College of Naval Command and Staff. There he served as “blue” team lead and naval strike fighter subject matter expert in the Russian Maritime Studies Institute’s Holloway Group. The war-games conducted by the Holloway Group yielded research focused on operational level planning and potential conflicts in the USEUCOM and NAVEUR/6th Fleet areas of responsibility.  In 2023, he returned to Virginia Beach as the Executive Officer of the VFA-37 “Ragin’ Bulls.”  The Bulls deployed in 2023 to the High North and Eastern Mediterranean on USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) maiden operational deployment, where the squadron earned the 2023 CAPT Michael J. Estocin and CNAL Battle Efficiency awards.

As of May 2024, he has assumed the duties of Commanding Officer of VFA-37.

Mason has over 2,800 flight hours and over 600 carrier landings.  He has been awarded the Strike Flight Air Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (three), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three), and various unit and campaign awards.