King Schools Offers Flashcard App, Part 121 Prep Course

In a series of announcements on Thursday, July 29, at EAA AirVenture, King Schools debuted a new feature for both existing and new customers of its online training courses, as well as modified courseware aimed at colleges and universities, and a Part 121 preparation course. The Kings also celebrated their 2020 and 2021 flight instructor scholarship winners, in cooperation with NAFI and Women in Aviation International.

The King Schools Flashcard Companion App can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play’s app store, to help those preparing for pilot exams polish their knowledge during the final stretch of study. King Schools CEO Barry Knuttila said in a press release: “Student pilots today have very high expectations for their written test results. They want to score a 100 percent or close to it. The Flashcard App is just one part of the King Study Method designed to achieve that high score.” Knuttila outlined the study method, put into a pithy acronym that is also a hallmark of the training provider’s style. The VIP method stands for “Video instruction, Interactive questions, and Practice and recall.” After launching the app and logging in to a King iLearn account, customers will have access to flashcards for the courses they have already loaded on that account. The questions are downloaded to the user’s device for study off-line.

King Schools outlined the newest version of the Cessna Pilot Training System—the Classroom Edition—which has been optimized for use by universities and colleges. The courseware was initially developed for use by Cessna Pilot Centers for sport and private pilot training. The curriculum provides a solution for those facilities to deliver a Part 141-approvable syllabus, and they can use it to liaise with a partner flight school through an online tracking system. Pamela Olson, business leader for colleges and universities at King Schools, said, “The Aviation Education team at King Schools has developed a suite of classroom materials around the Cessna Pilot Training System’s Sport/Private Pilot course. The Classroom Edition integrates pre-built classroom sessions with a flight training syllabus, and includes PDF presentations, student workbooks, home study assignments, and flight preview videos. This set of tools is designed to reduce the average flight training time and produce more knowledgeable, confident pilots. The system also gives both classroom and flight instructors the ability to identify and surmount challenges students may have with flight training.”

King Schools has also identified a gap in pilot training at a more advanced level: preparing a newly hired pilot for Part 121 airline training. The company engaged veteran instructor and airline pilot Joe Muñoz to create the Part 121 Airline Operations course to fill that gap. Muñoz, the CEO and co-founder of 1StepPrep said, “This is a program I wish I would have had when I started my career. Like many pilots, my first flying job was for Part 135 charter. Many future airline pilots will also be coming up from a charter, corporate, military, or even general aviation background. This course will give those new airline pilots the terminology and operational knowledge essential for Part 121 flying.” The course includes the following topics: Terminology, Key Personnel, Amendments, Example Amendments, Flight Plan Review, Alternates, Briefing a Jeppesen Chart, Inoperative Equipment, Pushback Sequence, and other examples of typical airline flying scenarios.

King Schools also promotes the advancement of future flight instructors with two scholarships each year. The Kings and Knuttila were joined on the press conference stage by Bob Meder, chairman of the National Association of Flight Instructors, and Dr. Peggy Chabrian, founder of Women in Aviation International, to help celebrate the 2020 and 2021 winners of the NAFI/King Schools Scholarship and the Martha King Scholarship for Female Flight Instructors. Seven pilots have won scholarships to further their flight instructor certification, with a cash award of $5,000 and lifetime access to King Schools courses—including FIRCs. Winner of the NAFI scholarship in 2021 is Allen Reenders, and of the Martha King scholarship is Sarah Tamar.