Article by Julie Boatman of AVBrief.com originally appeared on the AVBrief.com website on July 24, 2025 To view the original article Click Here.
The multiengine instructor course uses the same methodology and tracking system as other courseware in the Cessna Flight Training System.
In 2009, King Schools released the initial Sport/Private Pilot Course, Cleared for Takeoff, in partnership with Cessna Aircraft Company (now Textron Aviation), with a groundbreaking learning management system that tracks student progress with ratings through a collaborative process between the instructor and learner. In 2024, the San Diego-based company updated that particular course and the system in light of changes induced by evolution of sport pilot certification and overall improvements in the technology behind it.
On Thursday at EAA AirVenture, King Schools announced the completion of that training catalog with the introduction of Cleared for Multiengine Instruction, a course aimed at budding MEIs and instructors looking to advance in their competencies in twin-engine airplanes. Barry Knuttila, CEO of King Schools, explained the unique course series. “We have a line of courses, which are primarily used by our business-to-business customers,” said Knuttila in the press conference. “Those are the flight schools, colleges, and universities, and we’ve developed that course of training over a period of more than 25 years in conjunction with Cessna … and that Cessna Flight Training System has evolved over time, but it’s an integrated product that includes not only home study, but also a complete flight training curriculum that will take a student from the beginning all the way through their next certificate or rating that’s supported by the system.”
Training organizations do not need to be affiliated with Textron Aviation to benefit from the course. Knuttila also indicated that updates to the company’s user interface on its B2C courseware, via the iLearn system, would be available later this quarter, upgrading and clarifying the experience.
King Schools also feted its flight instructor scholarship winners for 2026, Thomas Sando of Williston, North Dakota, winner of the NAFI scholarship, and Jodie Gawthrop, awarded the Martha King/Women in Aviation scholarship. The total value of each is estimated at $20,000, with a $5,000 cash award plus lifetime access to all King Schools courseware and biannual flight instructor refresher clinics.
The company will host its fourth Envision Flight conference in October, on board a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that will sail from Port Liberty in New Jersey to Bermuda. It’s open to flight training professionals, their families, and anyone who may benefit from the education sessions and camaraderie on board the ship.
