San Diego-headquartered King Schools has updated its instrument rating course for aspiring pilots to use in preparation for their FAA knowledge test. The all-HD version of the King Schools online Instrument Rating Ground School & Test Prep Course was completed last month and includes extensive content with every lesson reshot in HD video. This is the latest edition of the instrument rating course that pilots have been using for decades to prepare for their FAA written exam.

Founder Martha King comments: “As always, our goal is to keep training fun and interesting, and the King Schools course developers and video production folks really stepped up their game on this new course. We have added a significant amount of material regarding GPS procedures and use, including ‘Climb Via’ and ‘Descend Via’ clearances, along with great explanatory graphics. We also wanted the newest generation of YouTube learners to be especially pleased, so we made sure the graphics really pop and we kept to our goal of providing bite-sized learning lessons of five to 10 minutes in length. Of course, John and I also kept our focus on creating fun ways to help people remember important information.”

Fellow founder John King adds: “The new instrument course not only covers all the information pilots need to pass their Instrument Rating Knowledge Test, but also includes extensive discussions of risk management interwoven throughout the course in accordance with the new Instrument Rating Airmen Certification Standards (ACS). The ACS, for the first time, provides standards for the knowledge test and this supports us greatly in having much more significant and meaningful material in our course.”

CEO Barry Knuttila says that the new course benefits from the 45 years of experience of the King Schools team: “We have developed techniques to help pilots deeply understand aviation concepts, along with ways to absorb and recall facts when rote memorisation is required. As we do with all our test prep courses, we guarantee that our customers will pass their exams and that their online courses will always be up to date.”

This online interactive video course includes compatibility with the free King Companion App for iPad and iPhone. The app allows users to download lessons to their device when they have an internet connection, allowing them to watch the lessons any time, even while offline. When reconnected, their course progress is automatically synchronised with King's servers, allowing them to move seamlessly between devices, browsers and operating systems. Like all King test prep courses, the online course also includes free, automatic updates for life.

Knuttila has also taken on an additional flight instructor role, and will become a King Schools on-camera instructor.

Already a holder of an ATP certificate with a Falcon 10 type rating and flight and ground instructor certificates with all available airplane ratings, Knuttila owns a Beechcraft Debonair and regularly flies the King Schools Falcon 10 with John and Martha.

He explains: “The goal of this change is to provide our customers with more great King video content, at a faster rate. John and Martha are amazing mentors that make it all look so easy, but their skill in front of the camera is not easy to achieve. With their help, I'm working hard to simplify and clarify aviation topics, and make it easy for our customers to gain the knowledge they need to pass their tests and become confident and competent pilots-in-command.”

Martha King adds: “Barry certainly knows the material. He is an accomplished and experienced pilot. He has been piloting the Falcon 10 with us for nine years and has flown a multitude of different aircraft. We are asking a lot of him, but Barry's been working with us since 2002, first running our technology and marketing departments and recently as our CEO. John and I have the utmost confidence in his adding this completely new role.”