With the current political climate, it is more important than ever that pilots fly regularly.  In England, there is an organization of trail bike riders who diligently log time riding ancient trails through the English countryside, in order to maintain ancient right-of-ways in a use-it-or-lose-it system.  If we want to maintain free access to airspace, airports and ATC, we should look at flying the same way.  It is truly in our best interests to both bring new pilots into aviation and to help inactive pilots start flying again.

You probably know a pilot that has been away from flying for a while.  Maybe their career got in the way, or they just didn’t fly for a few weeks and that lapse suddenly turned into a few years.  Now, even though they love to talk about flying at the drop of a leather helmet, they think it would take too much time, effort, or money to get current.  Well, now you can help overcome all three of those objections by recommending one of our new “Return to Flying” kits (Return to VFR Flying Kit | Return to IFR Flying Kit).  These products will make it quick, easy, and fun for your pilot friend to get back up to speed—and to address the “too expensive” part, we slashed the price by 50%!

The freedom to fly without excessive governmental fees and restrictions is not guaranteed by our Constitution.  We need to remain diligent in fighting threatening legislation.  Just as important, we need to make sure our population stays strong, vibrant and … flying!  We hope that you will join us in helping to both bring new pilots into aviation and to get those inactive pilots flying again.

That’s why we were so pleased recently to stop by the Redbird Skyport in San Marcos, TX to congratulate the students from Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology in Flushing, NY on passing their ground school and starting their flight training.

These students are engaged in an accelerated training program for their Private Pilot certificates at the Skyport flight training laboratory. Vaughn College and the Redbird Skyport are working together to determine the most effective way to use simulators in Private Pilot certification. The goal is to turn out a pilot who is not only physically proficient, but is a good risk manager and truly ready to be pilot in command.

The accelerated program at the Skyport flight training laboratory uses the latest computer-based software from Cessna, developed by King Schools. Instructors will introduce flight maneuvers in a full-motion simulator, and then have the students practice what they have learned in the actual airplane. The folks at Skyport aren’t worried about how much or little credit the FAA will give for the simulator time – they’re just interested in whatever provides the most thorough, cost-effective training. (Very few pilots finish their Private Pilot training in the FAA minimum time, anyway. The average flight time is about 73 hours.)

Skyport will also be testing the Redbird Parrot program (interactive ATC) on the Vaughn students, as well as their GIFT program (Guided Independent Flight Instruction, which provides video instruction from us in the simulator before and after they practice maneuvers), to see what changes should be made to these programs in order to provide the maximum help to a student.

And they’ll also be testing the results from a fun, competitive cross-wind simulator

Experimentation over a period of time, with these Vaughn students and others who will follow in their footsteps, will establish the best ratio and sequence of simulator time to airplane flight time. That’s why Redbird calls the Skyport a flight training laboratory. And the good news is that Skyport will publish its results and conclusions, so every flight school in the country can benefit from what they learn.

You might be asking, are these Vaughn College students hand-picked and special? They’re special only in the sense that everyone in love with aviation is special – they are excited, enthusiastic, and motivated.

So congratulations to these ground-breaking, soon-to-be-pilot, students from Vaughn!

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.

Related articles

• Learning To Fly the Citation Mustang – Single Pilot (johnandmartha.kingschools.com)

John and Martha take a break during shooting for “Flying the Citation Mustang—Single Pilot”.

You would think we would be over the thrill that comes with flying a new aircraft.  But the excitement Martha and I felt recently from learning to fly the Citation Mustang demonstrated that when it comes to flying, we still have the childlike enthusiasm of beginners.

To a pilot with a piston-powered background like us, there is no greater thrill than transitioning to a new jet.  To us, jets will always be special.  You are flooded with excitement and sensations—the thrill of hearing a jet engine wind up on engine start, so full of promise—the semi-sweet smell of jet fuel—the exhilaration of hearing jet engines follow you wherever you go—and the power, oh so much power and all at the command of your right hand.

Along with this excitement comes the pleasant discovery of new concepts, a new flight environment and elegant systems that provide a whole new level of comfort and safety.

Flying the Mustang near Page, AZ while shooting “Flying the Citation Mustang—Single Pilot”

As you know, many jets require two pilots, but the Citation Mustang is certificated to be flown single pilot.  It is a personal airplane, just the way a Cessna Corvalis or a Cirrus is a personal airplane.  It is a jet that evokes dreams of the freedom of getting in whenever you want and jetting off into the blue.

Before you can fulfill that dream, you have to demonstrate the ability to fly single pilot by taking a checkride and earning the C510S type rating. It would seem that should be slam-dunk for us—we have been flying jets for over 24 years.  But getting that single-pilot type rating wasn’t all that easy for us.  Our jet flying has always been in a two-crew environment.  We have shared the workload and always had someone to look out for our mistakes.

Martha and I each rode along in the right seat of the simulator while the other was in the left, but since we were going for our single pilot ratings, we weren’t supposed to help out the other pilot.  For me of course, sitting in the right seat and keeping my mouth shut was probably the hardest part of the training.

As when flying any aircraft single-pilot IFR, the challenge is to use periods when you are not busy, to get ahead of things to relieve the workload during periods when you will be busy—all the while using all your resources to maintain situational awareness.

The G1000 and the GFC-700 autopilot in the Mustang are fabulous tools for doing all of that.  But it really pays to be sharp at using the G1000.  (King Schools’ course on the G1000 can be a great help here.  It includes a built-in procedures trainer.)

Inside the Citation Mustang glass cockpit, featuring the Garmin G1000

The other thing that can help out a lot is knowing how jets behave compared to piston aircraft.  Among other things, the throttle response is different and you don’t have the benefit of propellers to create instant lift or drag when you need them.  (You might want to take a look at King Schools’ Jet Transition Course.)

Martha gets her Citation Mustang single-pilot type rating!

In our opinion, if you are dreaming of flying your own jet, you should get your type rating first.  Martha and I have gotten great pleasure from learning to fly each jet we have flown, and confirmed in two cases that we did want to buy the aircraft…and in another case decided we did not want to buy the aircraft.

By the way, you’ll want to know that we are finishing up the production of our new course, “Flying the Citation Mustang—Single Pilot.” It leverages our own recent learning experience and will make your dream of flying a jet even more vivid.

UPDATE: We just posted a video preview of our upcoming course on flying the Citation Mustang.

UPDATE: Flying the Citation Mustang—Single Pilot course is now available for purchase here.

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.

Pictured are Left to right: Karen Ramsdell, Airport Director, Martha King, Jim Armstrong, City Administrator, John King, Camino Sanchez Chief of Police, Helene Schneider, Mayor.

As you may know, the last time Martha and I were at Santa Barbara airport, we were met by the police, held at gunpoint, and placed in two separate police cars with our hands cuffed behind our backs. This time we were met instead by Craig Fuller, President of AOPA, and invited to the Mayor’s office.

There we visited with the Mayor, the City Administrator, the Chief of Police, the Deputy Chief, and the Airport Director. We presented them with a planning guide and law enforcement officer checklist for the interception of an aircraft on an airport. The main idea behind the guide and the checklist is to allow the airplane to go to an FBO rather than sending it to a remote part of the airport. When we were sent to the remote area it tipped us off that something was up. When we spotted all four police cars lined up in wait for us, we knew something interesting was about to happen. Any real culprit in that situation would have simply put the throttle in and taken off. So the technique they used wouldn’t have captured the bad guys.

The use of a remote location came to mind for them because they, like all the rest of us, had seen on TV hijackings handled exactly that way. The technique works for a hijacking because the pilots are in cahoots with the police against the bad guys in back. But when the suspects are the pilots, the technique gives them a tip-off and an opportunity for escape.

Pilots who are instead allowed to go to an FBO won’t be tipped off. When they get into a parking spot, just like all the rest of us, they will get out, and most likely chock or tie down the airplane and lock the doors. They will have immobilized the airplane in anticipation of transferring to ground transportation. This is the time for the police to deal with them. They are on foot and usually inside a fenced area. There is little opportunity for escape and little need for the police to draw weapons.

The result is a procedure that does not tip off the suspects, minimizes the opportunity for escape, and is less risky for everybody. This doesn’t come to mind for law enforcement officers, because in most cases they just don’t know about airplanes. They don’t know such key things as the pilot will very predictably go to an FBO after landing and then immobilize the airplane, and that if you want to keep a piston airplane from going anywhere all you have to do is pull in front of it, because it can’t back up.

The planning guide deals with the need for law enforcement agencies to, in advance, recruit folks with aviation knowledge to assist them. In our case the subject airplane was actually a Cessna 150. We were flying a Cessna 172. The police wouldn’t know the difference, but nearly every pilot would. The police had thought they had covered this detail when they asked the tower, “Is this a Cessna?” The tower replied that it was. The problem with that exchange is that Cessna has built over half of all the single-engine airplanes in the world. The police hadn’t narrowed it down much, because they just didn’t know the right questions to ask.

This is where you come in. Print out the card with a color printer, have it laminated and take it to the law enforcement agencies that have jurisdiction over your airport. This card has practical recommendations developed by people who know both law enforcement and aviation, including police chiefs and past and current members of the board of the Airborne Law Enforcement Association and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

The other aspect to our interception is that it was the result of a multi-agency governmental mix-up that resulted in the Santa Barbara Police Department being falsely notified that our airplane was stolen.

The FAA is, for unimaginable reasons, re-issuing to different aircraft the registration numbers of aircraft that have been stolen. Then the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is listing the registration numbers as belonging to a stolen aircraft even though they are now attached to a completely different aircraft. Finally, the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) is sending alerts out to police departments like the Santa Barbara Police Department when they spot an aircraft on the list in the IFR system headed their way. EPIC does this without even bothering to check the status of the registration number in the FAA’s registry. This takes about 30 seconds on the first page of the FAA’s website.

So AOPA, NBAA, and other organizations as well as our local congressman, Brian Bilbray, are working to resolve those issues. Let’s hope they are successful.

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.”