NAFI Inducts Legendary Instructors into Hall of Fame

The National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) has inducted legendary CFIs John King, Martha King, and Greg Brown, into its Hall of Fame.

The ceremony took place at the National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) last week in Las Vegas, Nevada.

NAFI director of program development and administrator of the Hall of Fame award program, John Niehaus led the induction.

“The Hall of Fame requires a minimum of 20 years of active industry experience,” Niehaus said. “We know that all our inductees have contributed much more than the minimum. Today, we inducted the 32nd, 33rd, and 34th names to this list meaning, at minimum, we have a collection of over 680 years of aviation education represented in the Hall of Fame.

“The incredible privilege to introduce these remarkable flight instructors and individuals is the absolute highlight of my career.”

Neihaus said, “John and Martha King have provided millions of hours of instructional content to thousands of future and current aviators.” The Kings, both contributors to FLYING, hold every FAA pilot certificate available—but those they hold most dear are their collective instructor certifications.

For more than 43 years, their company, King Schools, has delivered in-person and online ground instruction to prospective and continuously learning pilots around the world.

They’ve also circled the globe (via the length of Russia) in their Dassault Falcon 10, and they continue to inspire pilots through scholarship programs and outreach in risk management.

John King put it this way: “Learning to fly is an extraordinary achievement. It is a long process that encompasses an individual’s physical, mental, and emotional effort together into an extraordinary achievement. And we play a role in this—what a privilege! We are thrilled to be a part and receive this recognition.”

“And the amazing part is to be included with so many flight instructors that came before us that were mentors to us and we’ve learned from and help other flight instructors carry on that tradition,” Martha King said.

He’s well known to his general aviation audience as the voice behind The Flying Carpet—which not only refers to his ongoing columns in aviation periodicals, but also the Cessna 182 that he flies extensively around the U.S.

But it’s Brown’s leadership as a flight instructor that sets him apart—he has more than 40 years as a CFI, and he holds every fixed-wing rating on his instructor certificate.

Brown also flew as a corporate pilot, and he has an airline transport pilot certificate with a Boeing 737 type rating—the basis for his books on turbine aircraft operations and professional pilot strategies.

“Throughout my career, I’ve strived to empower pilots at every level of aviation to achieve their aviation goals and dreams,” Brown said. “The best ways to do that? Make flying fun and inspire pilots to take command of both their cockpits and their careers…[and] promoting and stimulating a unified aviation community where our common passion for piloting transcends differences of race, politics, and gender, thereby broadening acceptance of diversity and aviation opportunities for all.”

The NAFI Flight Instructor Hall of Fame inductees are determined through a nomination process, and judged by a panel of instructors chosen for their ability to represent the general aviation community.

“I am proud that Greg Brown and John and Martha King have been inducted into the Flight Instructor Hall of Fame,” NAFI chair Bob Meder said. “On a personal level, I have learned at both the basic and advanced levels about flying and teaching others about aviation from them. More importantly, Greg Brown and the Kings’ commitment to aviation safety and proficiency along with their passion for teaching is an inspiration for all pilots and instructors.”