Press Release – July 27, 2017 AirVenture – Oshkosh, WI
After over 30 years of producing video courses teaching pilots, King Schools has added a new resource that will help continue their video legacy. Gary Buzel has joined King Schools’ executive team as Vice President of Video Production. Barry Knuttila, CEO of King Schools, commented, “Gary’s unique and eclectic experience in fields including aviation, broadcasting and law enforcement have prepared him for his role imagining and managing the creation of King Schools aviation training videos.”
Martha King, Co-Founder of King Schools, explained, “Gary has been a TV reporter, jet captain, flight instructor, flight school chief pilot, police officer and commercial drone pilot. Gary is a subject matter expert in just about every area of aviation that King Schools covers. His comfort and experience in front of the camera, behind the camera and in the edit bay make him uniquely qualified for his role in making our aviation video training smart, safe and fun.”
Co-Founder John King added, “Many King Schools videos are shot outdoors, in cockpits, and air-to-air. Being able handle this dynamic video production environment is a necessity for the King Schools video department. Gary, as a television reporter, would often single-handedly create a news segment. He would set up the camera, get in front of it to do a report, bring the footage back to the studio and edit the material for broadcast. That kind of versatility is a tremendous asset for us.”
Gary earned his Private Pilot certificate in his late teens. He became a CFI in the early 2000’s, teaching primary students in C172’s and PA28’s when not on duty in his full-time job as a police officer. Gary said, “It is a bit surreal filming and directing John and Martha King. All throughout my career I have been using King Schools videos for my certificates and ratings. To be on the team that produces their videos is similar to the feeling an athlete must have when they join a team that includes their heroes and role models.”
In 2014, Gary was the first TV journalist in southern California to obtain from the FAA a certificate of authorization (COA) to fly a sUAS/drone for live TV news broadcasts. His TV career netted two Emmy awards, and two San Diego Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. Prior to his career in TV, Gary was a police officer in Connecticut, working in law enforcement for over 11 years.
Gary has also captained Citation jets under Part 135, flying for a charter company and air ambulance service. Gary has nearly 3400 hours total time, and holds an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate with airplane single/multi-engine land and single engine seaplane ratings, and CFI, CFII, and MEI. “In addition to being close to a renaissance man for King Schools, Gary is a lot of fun. We are confident he will strongly support our core value of keeping our courses fun,” said John King.
