FAA proposes fine against Arizona flight school for graduating students not fully trained

FAA proposes fine against AZ flight school

WASHINGTON — Federal aviation officials on Tuesday proposed a $330,000 fine against an Arizona flight school for graduating would-be pilots who hadn’t completed the school’s training program and who had failed final tests.

North-Aire Aviation of Prescott Valley, Ariz., training program didn’t meet federal course regulations, FAA said. The school also failed to retain student records as required.

The fines relate to at least 18 students who graduated between April and August of 2008. The school certified that those graduates had completed all stages, tests and course requirements satisfactorily, the agency said. The students were issued graduation certificates and were recommended by the school for pilot licenses.

However, the students had failed to complete the training specified in the school’s course of training, failed to pass the required final test and failed to complete all the curriculum requirements of the course, FAA said.

FAA said it has suspended the students’ certificates.

Officials for the school were not immediately available for comment. The school says on its Web site that its graduates include airline and corporate pilots.

“Pilots must receive comprehensive training and taking short cuts isn’t acceptable,” FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in a statement.

The school has 30 days to respond to the allegations.

On the Net:

Federal Aviation Administration www.faa.gov

North-Aire Aviation www.northaire.com/index.html