SSH students

[rotorheads]

all i got to say is that we are getting the a shoe up the ass.. and some thing needs to be done about that. i personaly are getting some other students and getting a lawyer.

[clay]

FROM JH...... Altough a rough truth, i almost agree with this.. why would people take warning to what has always been said about SSH... and why wouldnt the current CFI's at SSH speak up when a student came in? because they were as greedy as Jerry and only worried about themselves. they wanted the time so they could move on, regardless of who the KNEW were getting screwed over.

 

again, this was taken from JH, but i almost see some real good points in this..

 

 

700 CFI'S LOST THEIR JOB - BOO HOO.

 

IT'S THOSE 700 CFI'S, THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TALKING TO PEOPLE AT THE DOOR.

DO NOT COME HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

YOU ALL KNEW THAT SSH WAS A SCAM.

 

YOU ALL WERE NOT "PROFESSIONAL CFI'S".

 

YOU ALL KNEW THAT THE STUDENTS WOULD NOT GET WHAT WAS PROMISED.

 

YAH... YOUR ALL GOING TO DO FIRE FIGHTING, LONG LINE, BIG GOVERMENT CONTRACTS AND EVERYTHING ELSE IN 18 MONTHS. BUT WHEN YOU SIGN ON, YOU WILL ONLY FLY 1 HOUR A WEEK. BUT WE WONT TELL YOU THAT, UNTIL AFTER YOU SIGN YOUR A** AWAY.

 

AND ALL OF YOU SSH CFI'S LET THEM SIGN....

 

SO BOO HOO, YOU LOST YOUR JOB. B.F.D.

 

YOU KNEW THAT THEY WOULD NOT GET WHAT JERRY AND ALL OF THE REST OF YOU PROMISED. YOU DID NOT GET THOSE CONTRACTS, SO WHY WOULD THEY?

 

I KNOW SSH CFI'S WHO HAVE BEEN THERE 3 YRS OR SO AND NOT ONE GOT A CHANCE AT ANY OF THE MAKE BELIEVE CONTRACTS JERRY SAID THAT THEY WOULD BE DOING IN A YEAR OR 18 MONTHS.

 

YOU SO CALLED PROFESSIONAL CFI'S SHOULD HAVE BEEN TURNING THOSE STUDENTS AWAY WHEN THEY DID THE INTRO WITH YOU. - "THIS SCHOOL WILL RIP YOU OFF".

 

YOU ALL DESERVE WHAT YOU GOT.

 

YOU F***** YOUR STUDENTS OVER BIG TIME.... AND NOW YOU GOT F*****!!!

 

KARMA SUCKA... IT'S A B****... 100% KARMA

[Fiasco]

Please don't bring that garbage over from JH. There's a reason I don't read that crap site.

 

I would never pull the uninformed invective hate filled opinions of the barely literate trolls inhabiting that waste of bandwidth and profess to agree with it. It's beneath this forum... or at least I hope so.

[blave!]

FROM JH...... Altough a rough truth, i almost agree with this.. why would people take warning to what has always been said about SSH... and why wouldnt the current CFI's at SSH speak up when a student came in? because they were as greedy as Jerry and only worried about themselves. they wanted the time so they could move on, regardless of who the KNEW were getting screwed over.

 

again, this was taken from JH, but i almost see some real good points in this..

 

 

700 CFI'S LOST THEIR JOB - BOO HOO.

 

IT'S THOSE 700 CFI'S, THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TALKING TO PEOPLE AT THE DOOR.

DO NOT COME HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

YOU ALL KNEW THAT SSH WAS A SCAM.

 

YOU ALL WERE NOT "PROFESSIONAL CFI'S".

 

YOU ALL KNEW THAT THE STUDENTS WOULD NOT GET WHAT WAS PROMISED.

 

YAH... YOUR ALL GOING TO DO FIRE FIGHTING, LONG LINE, BIG GOVERMENT CONTRACTS AND EVERYTHING ELSE IN 18 MONTHS. BUT WHEN YOU SIGN ON, YOU WILL ONLY FLY 1 HOUR A WEEK. BUT WE WONT TELL YOU THAT, UNTIL AFTER YOU SIGN YOUR A** AWAY.

 

AND ALL OF YOU SSH CFI'S LET THEM SIGN....

 

SO BOO HOO, YOU LOST YOUR JOB. B.F.D.

 

YOU KNEW THAT THEY WOULD NOT GET WHAT JERRY AND ALL OF THE REST OF YOU PROMISED. YOU DID NOT GET THOSE CONTRACTS, SO WHY WOULD THEY?

 

I KNOW SSH CFI'S WHO HAVE BEEN THERE 3 YRS OR SO AND NOT ONE GOT A CHANCE AT ANY OF THE MAKE BELIEVE CONTRACTS JERRY SAID THAT THEY WOULD BE DOING IN A YEAR OR 18 MONTHS.

 

YOU SO CALLED PROFESSIONAL CFI'S SHOULD HAVE BEEN TURNING THOSE STUDENTS AWAY WHEN THEY DID THE INTRO WITH YOU. - "THIS SCHOOL WILL RIP YOU OFF".

 

YOU ALL DESERVE WHAT YOU GOT.

 

YOU F***** YOUR STUDENTS OVER BIG TIME.... AND NOW YOU GOT F*****!!!

 

KARMA SUCKA... IT'S A B****... 100% KARMA

 

 

One thing I've always liked about this site is that it tends to remain above the petty, infantile and disrespectful behavior exhibited elsewhere. I have no connection to SSH so this doesn't affect me personally and directly. That said I think now is a time for sympathy rather than name calling. You can say what you will about SSH but in the end we are all helicopter pilots.

Edited February 4, 2008 by blave!

[67november]

Please don't bring that garbage over from JH. There's a reason I don't read that crap site.

 

I would never pull the uninformed invective hate filled opinions of the barely literate trolls inhabiting that waste of bandwidth and profess to agree with it. It's beneath this forum... or at least I hope so.

 

Thank you Fiasco.

 

BEHAVE PEOPLE this is not a slander site as JH is!

[gb901]

Thank you Fiasco.

 

BEHAVE PEOPLE this is not a slander site as JH is!

For the record, after we were told the completion deadlines in the contracts would be enforced (oct/nov) my CFI's told new students not to sign up. Some did, some didn't. The chief pilot and CFI's were bending over backwards trying to get us through and were scheduling flight blocks till 2 am. Regardless, I'm going to finish someplace else. I'm still in shock though, and I'm trying to get my mind around this whole thing.

[clay]

Thank you Fiasco.

 

BEHAVE PEOPLE this is not a slander site as JH is!

 

 

it had no slander to anyone in particular.. aside from SSH CFI's . . . which i think was the point. along time ago they should have started realizing it wasnt right and doing something about it. instead they just went on their merry way and said nothing.. as long as they were gettin those hours and money...

[KeysCapt]

That's really a bit short-sighted, don't you think? If you have any sympathy for SSH students who got crushed in this collapse, it should extend to the CFI's who were a product of the same mill. What can they do? They have the same back-breaking loans to repay, and they can't very well stand at the door warning away the very income that they so desperately need to survive. I think to a large extent they were all victims of the same scheme.

 

I'm sorry for anyone who suddenly has no job, no prospects, and a huge unforgiving loan to repay, through no real fault of their own.

[Clay.Kent]

Well I am now a former SSH student in Mesa, AZ.... I would definitely have to agree that the CFIs are not to blame.... The people i met at my SSH location are some of the best people I know and cared a lot about their students created bonds between them. I would have to say that Jerry would be the one to blame for his poor business ethics and practices. WE all got screwed and I just hope that for those of us with loans still out that we don't got screwed even more. Good luck to you all out there.

[fuzzymike]

Well I am now a former SSH student in Mesa, AZ.... I would definitely have to agree that the CFIs are not to blame.... The people i met at my SSH location are some of the best people I know and cared a lot about their students created bonds between them. I would have to say that Jerry would be the one to blame for his poor business ethics and practices. WE all got screwed and I just hope that for those of us with loans still out that we don't got screwed even more. Good luck to you all out there.

 

 

Any students in Mesa, AZ interested in joining together for a civil lawsuit may want to read the following article and get ahold of the attorney mentioned. I just called, and the receptionist said she's received several calls today from "former" SSH students (such as myself)...

 

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/10/26/2019621.htm

[stratispho]

Any students in Mesa, AZ interested in joining together for a civil lawsuit may want to read the following article and get ahold of the attorney mentioned. I just called, and the receptionist said she's received several calls today from "former" SSH students (such as myself)...

 

 

I'm in the same boat. Was called this morning by my CFI and told the doors were closed. Keep us posted on the activities with the Mesa location. I already hired an attorney who recomended I contact the student loan center and file a complaint and a stop payment. Also, if anyone can get someone on the phone at Silver State to say what they plan on doing it would be nice to know.

[Benny1]

all i got to say is that we are getting the a shoe up the ass.. and some thing needs to be done about that. i personaly are getting some other students and getting a lawyer.

[Tenacious T]

United we stand, divided we fall.

 

Good luck everyone.

[dishealy]

United we stand, divided we fall.

 

Good luck everyone.

 

This is Drayton from Columbia,SC.

Sticking together sounds like a good plan.

We need to get all of the students together in a law suite to cover the student loans.

Our group has about 25 students.

[FLHooker]

As I have read this forum several times today, reading most of the posts about SSH, their CFI's and Students. I can't help but think..Damn. Anyone who has been bitten by the love of flight bug would truly be upset about this whole situation, having known about this or not. My thoughts are with everyone involved, with the exception of the obvious select few, and I hope all comes out well for you. Good luck to all of you involved.

 

 

 

CHAD

[ercam1991]

Wolfgang Helicopters located at Falcon Field inside the Tango 1 FBO is a great helicopter school.....give them a call, I know they will be able to help you guys out....480-273-5344..Good Luck!

[LadyShay]

You...and all of the other SSH students...have been so royally screwed. Those of us in the training world who are indirectly affected feel for you...the deception you have been handed is so fundamentally immoral. Please...stay angry...stay motivated...and make your dream happen. G-d Bless you, your families, and everyone who understood how intoxicating it is to fly a heli. Don't forget what it is to ride the wind.

[Mr. Will Hellme]

I don't think that this has much to do with the CFI's at all. The CFI's I flew with in SD all rocked. It appears that most of the issues with SSH were a result of poor upper level management. I know for a fact that the SSH CFI's had much disdain for SSH corporate policy. This disdain was amplified when a CFI came from another school. You know it isn't good when you hear staff meetings referred to as staff beatings.

 

For all the well wishers, thank you. In this short time here I see what a small caring group the helicopter community is. I am elated knowing this. I am most worried for the CFI's. Especially the lower hour CFI's. I have day job I dislike immensely. But at least I have a steady paycheck. All of this is nothing more than a minor speed bump. What don't kill us makes us stronger. I am there.

[rotorheads]

This is Drayton from Columbia,SC.

Sticking together sounds like a good plan.

We need to get all of the students together in a law suite to cover the student loans.

Our group has about 25 students.

i couldnt agree more. We all do need to stick together, however we are spread so far apart.

[CKone]

I WAS a student from Columbia, and as my boy said previously, we are not done. Not done with SSH, and more importantly, not done with helicopters. We all took a chance to live a dream, and these events came as no surprise to anyone who has paid attention to the last few weeks. However, I have witnessed dedication that is rare these days, and I am proud to have met everyone involved in the operations at the Columbia, SC location. Anyone who chooses to criticize the CFI's or students can find another post to tell everyone how great they are. We are not highly educated in the industry, and we will NOT apologize for that. Most of us are simply hard-working people trying to better ourselves, and there are not a wealth of schools here. No matter what event happens in anyone's life, one can always see 20/20 and realize what they should've done, or not done. To those that have posted in support of us, I say "Thank You".

 

 

 

Down, But Not Out !!

[fry]

Any students in Mesa, AZ interested in joining together for a civil lawsuit may want to read the following article and get ahold of the attorney mentioned. I just called, and the receptionist said she's received several calls today from "former" SSH students (such as myself)...

 

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/10/26/2019621.htm

 

Be careful. SSH appears to be headed for bankruptcy court so there is probably little that an individual attorney can do for individual students...except maybe explain the process. There will be a trustee appointed to collect, safeguard and dispose of the assets. An attorney will probably arise...maybe appointed by the trustee...to represent the students as a creditor class in the upcoming negotiations. The students will be vying for a share of the assets along with all the other unsecured creditors. It won't be quick and it probably won't satisfy anyone.

 

Maybe someone with come forward to buy up all the assets and the company as a whole (maybe Eos, the investors...maybe this is what they had in mind when they invested). It would all be over quicker but a whole-company buyer won't pay top dollar and so there would be less available to distribute to the creditors.

 

Good luck

[billybob5150]

it had no slander to anyone in particular.. aside from SSH CFI's . . . which i think was the point. along time ago they should have started realizing it wasnt right and doing something about it. instead they just went on their merry way and said nothing.. as long as they were gettin those hours and money...

You sir, have a very skewed idea of the real events. From your comments, I'd be willing to bet that you personally do not know any ssh cfi's or students. Your words are very short sighted. I know that I and my fellow CFI's were always upfront with students as genuine information came available. I never lied to a student to get them to sign up. I didn't pressure anyone to agree to a program they didn't feel right about. There were plenty of students that were told by us "greedy" cfi's that the program wasn't for them. Doesn't 70K seem like enough money to pay for proper training if the money is managed correctly. I know people who have gone to other schools and paid the same amount without the school going bankrupt. We didn't control the purse strings. Our local operation was run very efficiently and professionally. Your criticism is midguided. We need to stay positive and lay blame where blame is due (not that it does any good now).

[fry]

Some info and questions posted at JH:

 

According to the LVRJ Eos Partners invested $30 million in August of last year and stands to lose that investment. According to the bankruptcy filing, at the same time Orix granted SSH a revolving line of credit secured by the aircraft which currently stands at $33 million. So...what happened to that $63 million of cash in less than six months? SSH's customers all paid in advance...what happened to all that cash?

 

Why would a NY investment group put $30 million into a company that, apparently, had no cash and a huge liability for future student training costs and, again apparently, a declining student enrollment?

 

From the bankruptcy filing Orix has a security interest in 139 R-22 and 38 R-44 helicopters, 18 turbine helicopters and 4 airplanes. That's pretty much all the substantial assets. Will there be nothing available for the students who had their loan monies paid to SSH in advance of receiving services?

 

And what about the lenders? Why did they pay the students' loan funds to SSH within 6 months of the students beginning the 18 month training program? Were they in a hurry to get the loans on the books so that they could re-package them and sell them to investors?

[Spierman]

You sir, have a very skewed idea of the real events. From your comments, I'd be willing to bet that you personally do not know any ssh cfi's or students. Your words are very short sighted. I know that I and my fellow CFI's were always upfront with students as genuine information came available. I never lied to a student to get them to sign up. I didn't pressure anyone to agree to a program they didn't feel right about. There were plenty of students that were told by us "greedy" cfi's that the program wasn't for them. Doesn't 70K seem like enough money to pay for proper training if the money is managed correctly. I know people who have gone to other schools and paid the same amount without the school going bankrupt. We didn't control the purse strings. Our local operation was run very efficiently and professionally. Your criticism is midguided. We need to stay positive and lay blame where blame is due (not that it does any good now).

I want to have sympathy for people. But, the thing is, the growing list of litigants, the growing list of student drops, the overpacked schedule, the fact that they continued to recruit against limited resources, and many other tell-tale signs should have tipped people off (including CFIs) a year ago. I flat told them I was not going to work for them and just wanted to expedite my training and leave.

So, the people that stayed and/or supported ssh fall into one of 3 categories: CFIs/employees without integrity, CFIs/Employees who lack situational awareness, and students with huge loans and no choice but to hang on and get as much as they could.

Either way, I have zero respect for anyone who ever received a paycheck from ssh. I would never hire anyone who worked for ssh.

[Helopel]

I want to have sympathy for people. But, the thing is, the growing list of litigants, the growing list of student drops, the overpacked schedule, the fact that they continued to recruit against limited resources, and many other tell-tale signs should have tipped people off (including CFIs) a year ago. I flat told them I was not going to work for them and just wanted to expedite my training and leave.

So, the people that stayed and/or supported ssh fall into one of 3 categories: CFIs/employees without integrity, CFIs/Employees who lack situational awareness, and students with huge loans and no choice but to hang on and get as much as they could.

Either way, I have zero respect for anyone who ever received a paycheck from ssh. I would never hire anyone who worked for ssh.

 

 

To those of you that understand the meaning of "Victim", thank you for your understanding. As for the self rightous assholes like Spierman and Clay that think the CFIs have any blame in this at all, you are as sick and malicious as Jerry Ariola. The CFIs benrighteoust over backwards to help these students obtain their dreams. The dream of becoming a helicopter pilot. I know, because I was a SSH CFI and I spent 12 to 14 hours a day, six days a week for more than a year giving all I could give to my students. I had a 100% check ride pass rate. ALL my students pasted their writtens with over 85%. ALL my students are excellent pilots or will become great pilots. And all my students will gladly back all me against jerks like you. I worked for SSH because it was the only CFI job were I lived. It was the only way to pay my bills and reach for my own dream. Right - I'm going to stand at the door and tell students that SSH sucks and somewhere else! That is the stupidest statement I've ever heard. How long do you think I would have had a job? Professional?? It's professional to do your best IN SPITE of the bad circumstances. To provide the very best instruction regardless of how bad your employer is. Professionalism is caring enough to give your best even when others are taking advantage of you. But that's a concept some "pilots" are not aware of - professionalism.

 

But to everyone else, thank you.