Martha King, co-chair and co-owner of a major E-learning-focused aviation school, has been appointed to Civil Air Patrol’s Board of Governors.
King succeeds retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Teresa Marné Peterson, whose second three-year on the Board of Governors expires in November.
“The Civil Air Patrol has a long and storied history, and represents the biggest and most committed group of volunteers in aviation,” King said. “It’s an honor to be associated with this wonderful group of contributors.”
San Diego-based King Schools Inc., which King founded in 1975 with her husband, John King, develops and provides online courses for individuals interested in achieving all levels of pilot certification.
The Kings, both certificated flight instructors, launched King Schools as a traveling ground school that conducted two-day courses in various cities. About 10 years later they created training videos for other flight instructors’ use in presenting their courses. They subsequently moved to online training.
King and her husband were inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in 2006.
In 2003, she was honored by the First Flight Centennial Commission as one of the 100 Distinguished Aviation Heroes in the first century of flight and was also named as one of the “100 Most Influential Women in Aviation” by Women in Aviation International. Two years later, she received the National Aeronautic Association’s “Cliff Henderson Award for Achievement,” annually 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.”
In recent years the Kings were jointly:
Named “Aviation Educators of the Year” by Professional Pilot Magazine in 2006,
Honored with the Vision Award from Business & Commercial Aviation and inducted into the International Aerospace Hall of Fame in 2008,
Recognized with the American Spirit Award by the National Business Aviation Association in 2009,
Awarded the Frank G. Brewer Trophy for Aviation Education by the National Aeronautic Association in 2012, and
Presented the Pinnacle Award by the Flight School Association of North America in 2015.
“Martha King has an excellent reputation as an industry leader in innovative approaches to pilot training, and we’re all delighted to welcome her to CAP’s Board of Governors. The vision and experience she brings to our governing body are especially valuable as we increase our emphasis on flight training for our youth in response to the nation’s ongoing pilot shortage,” said Maj. Gen. Mark Smith, CAP national commander.
As Civil Air Patrol’s top governing body, the 11-member Board of Governors consists of four Air Force appointees, three members appointed jointly by the Secretary of the Air Force and CAP’s national commander, and four members-at-large — including Peterson and King — selected by CAP’s Senior Advisory Group to represent industry, government and education.
The Board of Governors moves CAP forward through collective decision-making to generate strategic policies, plans and programs designed to guide it both today and tomorrow. It is assisted by CAP’s national commander and CEO, the organization’s chief operating officer and the CAP-U.S. Air Force commander, who act as advisers.
