We lost 50 pounds in only two months.  We have gone from carrying that much weight in paper to the airport to only two iPads.  That’s better than Jenny Craig, but when you consider just how much smarter these devices are than paper, you quickly understand the unbelievable adoption rate among pilots.  From flight planning and weather briefing all the way through departure procedures, charting and approach plates, these little 1.5 pound devices do it all.  But the work doesn’t stop at the chocks.  Once we arrive, they serve up email, hotel reservations, driving directions, books, and music, just to scratch the surface.  In a very short time it has become hard to imagine flying anywhere without the iPad.

Now, when you put a tablet computer together with online training you really hit the jackpot—training on your schedule, where ever you are, on an easy-to-handle, lightweight device.  Wow!  You can even sign up at this moment for an online course, and be taking it just moments later.  We have come a long way, but believe that the future will provide even newer ways to train.  You can count on KING to be there with products you can trust to help you reach your aviation goals.  To learn about taking KING courses on your iPad or other tablets, see page on using mobile devices.

By the way, the only problem with losing all that weight the way we did is that it only works in the cockpit!  We still need to keep up our exercise!

iSWiFTER on iPad for KING online pilot courses

The obvious, sheer pleasure so many pilots get from their iPads gave Martha and me iPad envy. We finally got one of our own, and found innumerable uses for it in the cockpit. But by far the biggest news is that the folks at King Schools showed us how you can take KING courses on it by introducing us to an application called iSWiFTER.

iSWiFTER is an iPad application that was originally developed to enable running Flash-based games on the iPad, but it also works for viewing any website that (like ours) is implemented using Flash. While not perfect, iSWiFTER allows quick and easy access to King Schools’ online training courses, including video playback and taking interactive questions.

At a price of only $2.99 per month a $4.99 ONE TIME FEE (that’s two four dollars and ninety-nine cents, folks!) to get out of “demo mode” and be able to run your KING courses on it, it’s a great value too.  While, as we said, the iSWiFTER solution is not perfect, we are delighted with the flexibility this provides to fellow iPad owners, and we pledge to continue our quest to seek better solutions in the future.

By the way, we have fallen in love with the iPad. It is light-weight, fast, readable in sunlight, and provides a user-interface that is intuitive to learn. We are intrigued with the idea of a single device that pilots can use to train, brief flights and access in-flight information.

All things considered, we believe that the iPad provides a wonderful way to consume aviation information. If you use an iPad or other tablet, you will find that King Schools is there, making our courses available for you. You can count on us to continue working to ensure our training is available wherever you are, and on whatever device you find useful.

Now if our second unit would just arrive—so we can quit fighting over this one.

For many folks, a big challenge to achieving that next rating or certificate is finding time to study for the written exam. If you have not previously used a KING course, you may be surprised to find that we have structured our courses so that in only about 15 minutes, you can complete a knowledge lesson—and the course will automatically track and show each completed lesson. Put together 15 minutes here and there, and you will be amazed to see your rapid progress…and what you have learned. In what seems like no time, you will be ready to confidently take your written exam. The focus for all KING courses is to clarify, simplify and make it fun! You will be happy to see that even with a busy schedule, you can still have fun preparing for your written exam.

Speaking of making it fun, this quarter we will draw the winner in our 35th Anniversary Sweepstakes. Over the years, we have given away just short of 2 million dollars worth of prizes to lucky winners. The odds of winning are not bad (about 100,000 to 1) and for our winners, the prizes have fulfilled many dreams. For King Schools’ 35th Anniversary, we put together a package of 3 very special prizes that continues this tradition in great style.

One of the places we especially enjoy traveling is Alaska where we have spent a lot of time both teaching and exploring the State in a Cessna 185 Skywagon on Amphibious Floats. As part of our 35th Anniversary Sweepstakes, we very much look forward to giving away an Alaskan seaplane rating vacation to a lucky pilot that will put them in touch with that amazing experience. Equally exciting, the winner will receive a state-of-the-art Redbird TD simulator, plus a KING Get It All Kit of their choice.

We have all heard the old saw that a good pilot is always learning. This incorporates a great deal of wisdom. The good news is that the learning possibilities in aviation are endless. Whatever your 2011 flying plans include, our guarantee to you is to keep the focus where it belongs, finding new and innovative ways to help you achieve your aviation goals. With over 90 aviation courses, we hope we have one that is right for you.

Have fun learning and flying.

Checklist: Aircraft Interception On An Airport

Our incident in Santa Barbara certainly could have ended with a tragic headline.  Instead, it has turned into a real opportunity to positively impact General Aviation.  We’ll be following up with details on a recent meeting we had with the Santa Barbara mayor, police chief, airport director and other officials and suggested changes to reduce misunderstanding between GA pilots and law enforcement in the future.

You can help!  We’ve created the following checklist: Aircraft Interception On An Airport.  It gives Law Enforcement Officers tools to better prepare for dealing with pilots and aircraft and alternatives for more effective and safer interceptions. Pass a copy along to your local law enforcement officials and to your local airport authorities. And forward it to fellow pilots so they can deliver it to their local authorities also.

We were pleasantly surprised – and honored – when AOPA presented us with the 2010 Pilot’s Choice Award for the “Most Watched Video by Time” on AOPA Live. The video was the interview we gave to AOPA, shortly after our incident at Santa Barbara Airport (SBA). Viewers spent over 4,000 hours watching the video, where we talked about our personal experience of being exported from our plane at gunpoint.

Although folks may recognize our names or faces, we think the reason for the popularity of the video was that the topic hits close to home for GA pilots. “If it could happen to someone I know, it could happen to me, too.”

Having just completed our oceanic flight, we also became aware of a safety warning regarding the use of Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC).  The alert warned of the erroneous presentation of Air Traffic Control (ATC) LOG data to a flight crew while in Oceanic FANS CPDLC operation.  The alert was issued by EUROCONTROL for CPDLC problems encountered in the North Atlantic, but it could be a problem anywhere CPDLC is used in oceanic airspace. Though most folks won’t be affected by this, if you do use CPDLC, we wanted to make you aware.

The Safety Warning Message begins: “A recent incident occurred where a (data link) message to climb may have been sent to an aircraft without the ANSP Oceanic Ground System initiating it.”

You can read the entire Red Alert Safety Warning Message on www.skybrary.com.

In the '30's, the Link ANT-18 flight simulator was the cutting edge.

Those first simulators represented the pinnacle of technology and the innovators who created them were driven by a love of aviation and a strong desire to increase safety. Of course, they were also motivated by profits. The first big confirmation that they had a winner came in 1934 when, after experiencing an unacceptable number of aircraft losses during instrument flight, the US Army Air Corps ordered 6 Link trainers at $3,500 each ($43,000 in today’s dollars). These were the first of over 10,000 Link ANT-18 units delivered during WWII. The Link trainers, affectionately called “Blue Boxes”, were so successful at molding proficient instrument pilots that they became a cornerstone of pilot training throughout World War II and for decades beyond.

We have come a long way since those “Blue Boxes”, but the mission of flight simulation remains the same; keeping pilots and their passengers safer by creating and maintaining a high level of proficiency. That is also our goal at King Schools and is why we are so excited to partner with Redbird Flight Simulations.

The Redbird FMX Full Motion Simulator

As Link trainers represented the pinnacle of technology in the 20’s, Redbird is at that peak today. They are delivering an amazingly high amount of safety potential per dollar spent. In fact, their FMX simulator is the first full-motion, full-visual simulator that is affordable by most flight schools.

The Redbird TD Home Simulator - The latest technology at a stunningly low price

You will be especially excited about the Redbird TD. This home simulator will really keep you sharp! Unlike other “desktop” models, the TD desk-mount places the yoke and controls under the table, achieving the feel of a real cockpit while you practice instrument procedures to any airport in the world, or maybe pre-fly that upcoming cross-country. It can also be ordered with either a “glass” or “analog” instrument panel—each option providing realistic system failures. With airplane manufacturers restricting the use of circuit breakers to simulate system failure in the air, a good simulator has become essential in preparing pilots to deal with emergencies—and the Redbird sims really deliver.

We have to tell you though, what we like most about the family of Redbird simulators is that they take advantage of the very latest technology to deliver unheard of capabilities at stunningly low price points. This fits our mission of providing highly effective training that leads to safe, fun flying!

Cessna's New Skycatcher C162

Cessna loaned the Production #1 C162 Skycatcher to King Schools in September so we could begin flying it to provide a model performance on video of the maneuvers a learning pilot has to demonstrate.

We love it. In fact we think it is a game-changer. It gives new hope for an exciting future for flight training.

It is as wide as a Cessna 206. Nearly everyone who took lessons in a C150 or C152 has stories about the difficulty of fitting two people in the airplane. In the Skycatcher you have a feeling of luxurious spaciousness.

It is easy to get in and out of the airplane. The struts connect to the fuselage aft of the cabin doors and the gull-wing doors move up and out of the way. Although the seats don’t adjust (we use cushions), the rudder pedals do adjust forward and backward, and the control stick comes from the panel, leaving the floor area clear.

We loved our time with Cessna's first Skycatcher!

The visibility is fabulous. The view over the panel is great. The side windows come down lower than on most airplanes and, along with the aft strut placement, result in an unrestricted view of the ground passing below. In warm weather it is a delight to taxi the airplane with the doors up for an open air feeling.

It has plenty of power. It seems to just leap off the runway. The great performance is probably the result of having so much power for its weight plus an improved wing.

The G300 avionics system is nearly as capable as the G1000 and is very intuitive and easy to operate.

And to cap it all off the control feel is wonderful—the controls are delightfully responsive without being overly sensitive. This airplane is flat out fun to fly.

I have to tell you that initially we were skeptical about this whole light sport aircraft concept. Our reaction was, “What’s the big deal?” Well the big deal is that Light Sport Certification let Cessna build a far more capable and fun airplane than a Cessna 152 at a price far lower than what the Cessna 152 would cost if it were built today. Cessna really got it right, and that is great news for our entire industry.

We  fly a lot.  You’re going to hear about our trips.  You’re going to hear about our company, King Schools, and some of our day to day stuff, like the latest courses we’re working on or new technologies we’re starting to use.  But most of all, you’re going to hear our own opinions about news and events that occur in aviation, and lessons to be learned from them.  This is going to be fun…