To commemorate a full five decades since starting off their remote learning aviation empire, John and Martha King were commemorated with some special events by the King Schools family.
To commemorate a full five decades since starting off their remote learning aviation empire, John and Martha King were commemorated with some special events by the King Schools family.
A “year of celebration” will be the order of the day throughout 2024, with events, appearances, and speeches accompanied by special deals and updates. CEO Barry Knutilla assures followers and friends that the Kings aren’t retiring any time soon, with plenty more to do.
“2024 marks 50 years since John and Martha began what has turned into a lifelong passion and an exceedingly successful business. Not only have they helped millions of pilots achieve their training goals, but they also guided the company and the curriculum through countless regulatory changes and technology transformations.”
The couple got their start as traveling ground school specialists, bouncing from town to town to hold courses for would-be private pilots. After a time, they began to transition from hotel conference rooms to good old VHS cassettes, finding that they could kickstart a business using self-paced, affordable ground school. For students, it was a win/win, allowing them a much cheaper alternative to paying their CFI money that could be spent on flight time just to walk them through the basics. Today, it seems quite obvious to all, but in the early years it was pretty forward thinking.
“It’s humbling to see that our little idea has turned into something so successful and enduring,” Martha King said. “We love to hear from pilots across the country and around the world who have used our courses to learn something new and pursue fulfilling aviation careers. That’s what keeps us going.”
“When we paired up, we decided to be equal partners in everything we would do,” John King added. “In 1974, that was probably a little unconventional or even revolutionary. But ever since then I have been struggling to be an equal partner to Martha. When it was apparent that Martha and I were serious about each other, Martha’s father told me that Martha was the most stubborn person he had ever known. I said, “I already know that.” I didn’t take it as stubbornness, but determination. I wanted to take full advantage of that, and as a result, the business has thrived. Fifty years later our partnership is still pretty unique, and that has been the key to our success.”
