Article from Flying Magazine – NAFI and King Schools Create Scholarship for Aspiring Flight Instructor

The National Association of Flight Instructors and King Schools, two powerhouses in the aviation instruction world, have created a scholarship to help a flight instructor candidate reach certification and continue their education with additional certificates and ratings.

According to King Schools, the award includes $5,000 that can be applied toward an initial CFI rating or any CFI add-on rating. It includes access to the entire library of King Schools’ online courses (valued at $15,000) and Flight Instructor Refresher Courses (FIRCs)—both for life.

• READ MORE: King Schools Marks 50 Years of Flight Training

To be eligible, applicants must be a NAFI member and hold a current FAA commercial certificate with an instrument rating or CFI certificate. The scholarship application can be found on the King Schools website and is shown below.

The scholarship application is an interactive PDF that you can fill out, save, and send by email. Or you can print the forms, scan them, and send them as a file. Applications will be accepted by email only.

The 2026 scholarship application deadline is January 7.

John and Martha King have been flight instructors for more than 50 years, first through face-to-face classes, then videotape, DVDs, and finally online. They have educated hundreds, if not thousands, of pilots.

The Kings serve as co-chairs of King Schools, which is the largest provider of online training for pilots from student up through professional jet pilot. In today’s aviation world, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who holds a pilot certificate and hasn’t done at least some training using a King Schools product.

Founded in 1967, NAFI is an organization that caters to the efforts to elevate the standards in the flight instructor community to encourage CFIs to be professional educators. The Kings are two of the group’s most experienced and revered members.