John and Martha King
Co-chairmen and co-owners of King Schools, Inc.

John and Martha King´s use of technology and clear, simple, and fun teaching have made aviation knowledge more accessible to hundreds of thousands of pilots and maintenance technicians.

After a dismal failure in a business for which they did not have a passion, John and Martha King decided to relax and indulge their love of flying for a while. In the early 1970s, they began teaching flying to mark time while looking for a "serious business."

Originally the Kings launched their flying business out of a spare bedroom in their house. Today their company, King Schools, Inc., operates out of a dedicated complex in San Diego, California that includes a television and software production facility.

Over more than 30 years, King Schools has delivered many millions of videotapes, CD-ROMs, DVDs and web-based training courses to pilots in training. In addition to running King Schools, John and Martha also share the limelight as talent in the company's courses and television productions. With their insightful use of technology and clear, simple and fun teaching, the Kings have revolutionized the flight training industry.

It's no surprise that pilots throughout the world know John and Martha and regard them as their personal aviation mentors. Nearly every pilot has taken a King course at one time, and almost half of each year's crop of new private and instrument pilots in the United States use King Schools' educational materials. King Schools continues to revolutionize pilot training by pioneering the development of multimedia training programs on many aviation subjects including ground-breaking programs on aviation risk management.

Through the years, the Kings have retained their enthusiasm for flying. They fly their own Dassault Falcon 10 jet wherever they go, swapping captain and copilot duties on each leg. They have flown as pilots in every continent of the world except Antarctica, including a trip completely around the world via the length of Russia.

John and Martha are the first couple to both hold every category and class of FAA rating on their pilot and instructor certificates. Martha is the first and only woman to achieve this complete ratings sweep. They remain active in many categories, regularly flying everything from jet and piston airplanes and helicopters to weight-shift trikes and powered parachutes. They have enjoyed periodically serving as back-up pilots for the Fujifilm blimp. They have flown the blimp over such events as the Kentucky Derby, the Davis Cup, the Super Bowl, the U.S. Open tennis tournament, and the Experimental Aircraft Association convention at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Their airship adventures have been part of national television coverage on the Fox, ESPN, CBS, and USA networks.

The Kings appear frequently on national TV as aviation experts. They also have starred in numerous video presentations on Microsoft's Flight Simulator program providing instruction for the "Getting Started" Wizard and for numerous informational topics. Plus, they were featured on CNN's "Business Unusual."

John and Martha have been champions for the cause of improving the risk management practices of general aviation pilots and they speak to thousands of pilots each year on aviation safety. They work with the FAA's National Aviation Safety Program in producing safety videos. They also volunteer their time to speak to college classes on starting a small business.

For many years both John and Martha served on the Board of Directors of the San Diego Air and Space Museum. Both are currently on the Board of Directors of the Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation and John is a previous Chairman of the Board. Martha is on the Board of Overseers of the University of California, San Diego.

Awards and Honors

• 1996 Kings named "Aviation Educators of the Year" by Professional Pilot Magazine.
• 2001 Martha appointed by President Clinton to First Flight Centennial Federal Advisory Board to help promote celebrations of the 100th anniversary of flight.
• 2002 Kings inducted into the International Forest of Friendship, for contributions to aviation. This award was granted by Atchison, Kansas, hometown of Amelia Earhart.
• 2003 Martha honored by a resolution of the California Assembly and a proclamation from the Governor of California as the EAA chose Martha to fly the state flag to Kitty Hawk for the First Flight Centennial.
• 2003 Martha honored as one of the 100 Distinguished Aviation Heroes in the first century of flight by the First Flight Centennial Commission. At Kitty Hawk on December 16, 2003, Martha shared this honor with Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Chuck Yeager, John Glenn and Patty Wagstaff and 15 others of the 32 recipients still living.
• 2003 Martha named one of the "100 Most Influential Women in Aviation" by Women in Aviation International.
• 2004 John received the 2004 "Excellence in Pilot Training" award from the National Air Transportation Association.
• 2005 Martha awarded the prestigious Cliff Henderson Award for Achievement from the National Aeronautic Association. This annual award is presented to "a living individual or group whose vision, leadership, or skill has made a significant and lasting contribution to the promotion and advancement of aviation or space activity." Previous recipients include Jimmy Doolittle, Roscoe Turner, General Curtis LeMay, Frank Borman, Scott Crossfield, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, and Ernest K. Gann.
• 2007 John and Martha receive honorary Paul Tissandier Diplomas from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), in Lausanne, Switzerland, for serving the cause of general aviation through "their work, initiative, and devotion".
• 2008 John and Martha jointly receive the Forrest M. and Pamela Bird award by the Civil Aviation Medical Association for "...exceptional contributions to the safety of civil aviation as pilots and educators through exercising excellent judgment, logic and common sense in evaluation and training of civil pilots through the years".
• 2008 John and Martha jointly received the Vision Award from Business & Commercial Aviation. Other 2008 recipient include Michimasa Fujino,CEO of Honda Aircraft Co and the driving force behind the Honda Jet, and Paul Bowen, the inspirationally artistic aviation air-to-air photographer.
• 2008 John and Martha each receive the Lowell Thomas award, by the Explorers Club awarded the Lowell Thomas award to Martha. This award is named for Explorers Club member Lowell Thomas, the journalist whose news reports introduced "Lawrence of Arabia"—T.E. Lawrence—to the Western public and is given to honor men and women who have distinguished themselves in the field of exploration. John and Martha were recognized for their work in making aviation accessible as a tool for exploration.
• 2008 John and Martha inducted as a couple into the International Aerospace Hall of Fame. They joined famous aviation pioneers such as the Wright Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Chuck Yeager, Jack Northrop, William Boeing, Reuben H. Fleet, Glenn Curtiss, Wally Schirra, T. Claude Ryan, and Jimmy Doolittle Jr.
• 2009 John and Martha jointly awarded the American Spirit Award by the National Business Aviation Association. This award is presented in recognition of individuals within business aviation who exemplify the courage and pursuit of excellence and service to others that characterizes the men and women who created and nurtured the American aviation community.