Huffman Aviation
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Huffman Aviation was a flight-training school in Venice, Florida at Venice Municipal Airport.
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[edit] Background
Huffman Aviation was established in 1972 as Venice Flying Service, and was reorganized in 1987 and renamed as Huffman Aviation.[1] Huffman Aviation was purchased by Wally Hilliard and the Dutchman Rudi Dekkers in 1999.[2] At the time of purchase, the school had a fleet of 12 small aircraft.[2] Huffman offered private pilot, instrument rating, Commercial pilot, Multi-Engine Ratings, and flight instructor training, but did not offer training on larger, jet aircraft.[3]
The school was comprised of more than 80% foreign nationals, following a marketing campaign designed to lure overseas students.[1] It also suffered from a poor local reputation, as the Venice Gondolier ran continuing stories about the flight school's troubles. On May 12th 2001 it reported the school as having paid 3 months of past-due rent, was threatened with eviction by the city on June 9th.
[edit] September 11, 2001 attacks
It gained note after the September 11th attacks, when it was revealed that Mohamed Atta al-Sayed and Marwan al-Shehhi had both attended the school to learn how to fly small aircraft.
On July 3, 2000, both applied to the school; Atta claimed to be of royal Saudi descent and presented Marwan as his bodyguard. In August, the school filed the necessary INS paperwork in order to allow both pilots to switch from 'tourist' Visas, to 'student', in order to allow them to enroll in the school's piloting program. While they were allowed to apply, final verification did not reach the school until March 11th 2002, 6 months after both pilots had been killed in the attacks.[2]
For a short while, during their time at the school, both Marwan and Atta lived with a company employee named Charlie Voss for a few days, paying him about $250 cash. After a week, Voss reportedly kicked them out of his house for insulting his wife.[3]
After the attacks, media pointed out that one of the school's hangars was also the location of Britannia Aviation, a possible CIA front that listed no employees or licensing, and had assets totalling only $750 yet had been listed as awarded multi-million dollar contracts in order to operate. Its only known employee was named Paul Marten.[4]
Owner Rudi Dekkers gave conflicting reports after the attacks, once claiming that he knew both students were on terrorist watchlists, and that they were alleged to be planning to use planes as weapons.[5]
[edit] Controversy
In January 2002, Huffman Aviation again made headlines when the local paper sent a reporter onto its property, who managed to casually move between airplane cockpits, fuel tanks and other "safety concerns" without anybody noticing or stopping him. In March, the school was cited for having left fueltrucks unlocked, with keys in the ignition at the Venice Municipal Airport.[4]
Dekkers was arrested in early March 2003 on charges filed January 17, charged with Fraud involving a security interest, and was allowed to meet a bail bond set at $1000. The issue dealt with a $200,000 loan that had not been repaid.[5] On the eve of the trial, Dekkers sold all of Huffman's holdings minus 10 planes to Triple Diamond, to gather the money needed to repay his business partner.[6][7] In December 2003, the charges against Dekkers were dropped, because Dekkers "never got any of the money and there wasn't anything he'd done to defraud anyone."[6]
[edit] References
- ^ About Us. Huffman Aviation (via Internet Archive). Retrieved on 1998-12-12.
- ^ a b "Raytheon lands 50-plane order, maybe more, from Executive Jet, Inc.", General Aviation News, July 9, 1999.
- ^ Flight Training. Huffman Aviation (via Internet Archive). Retrieved on 2001-06-04.
- ^ http://www.venicegondolier.com/NewsArchive3/030202/TP2VN12.HTM
- ^ Werner, Michael and Earle Kimel. "State files charges against flight school owner", Sarasota Herald-Tribune, January 22, 2003.
- ^ Kimel, Earle. "State drops charge against ex-owner of flight school", Sarasota Herald-Tribune, December 6, 2003.
