ATTENTION ALL SSH Students FRIDAY 6PM

[Cha Cha]

Hi my name is Charity Haselip. I am a former student at the Jacksonville location.

I have been making calls to news crews all day and have confirmation of media coverage.

I believe that we should make this as big of a deal as possible to help aid in the processes that are about to unfold.

I am asking that all students and staff of SSH meet at their hangar this friday 2/8/08 at 6pm to get organized and tell our stories to local news crews, in hopes that our plight will be brought in front of a larger crowd and help our situation in regards to when the lawsuits commence.

Please, take the necessary steps of calling every student you know and instruct them to make it on friday. Also call your local news station, let them know what you have lost and whatever else you gave up to attend this school. I guarantee you they are interested in this.

If students and employees from every location can make an effort to bring light to this horrendous back stabbing it only enriches our tiny chance of recourse.

If any of you are interested please contact me and flood the media with this story.

 

Remember Friday 2/8/08 at 6pm accross the country.

 

My contact number is 928-446-4202

[Jman]

The students in Washington are not going to take this Lying down. Everyone affiliated with the company is telling us to wait a couple weeks to see what happens. We are through listening to SSH and we are taking action. As students we must band together. We do not need bashing or flaming against SSH we need to get organized. We will be opening a web site as soon as possible to help give people some direction and a destination to communicate with each other. We will not be promoting any other schools. We are here to help each other!! Join with us if you are a former student or instructor! For information e-mail cwby416@gmail.com xfatjx@hotmail.com or hercules155@comcast.net

 

http://groups.myspace.com/SilverStateStudents

[Clay.Kent]

If everyone in the Mesa, AZ location is willing SO AM I

[Cha Cha]

Another little bit of information.

Anyone who got a loan from AES they are taking a list of SSH students and offering them an additional 24 month deferrment and are also going to give a look into our situation.

So definitely call them as soon as possible and get your name on the list

[Cha Cha]

FRIDAY MEETING CANCELLED AT JACKSONVILLE

The lawyer possibly representing us who is also in touch with Dan Reed has said there should be no media coverage.

Instead a few of us students are meeting together tomorrow to further organize our situation and set up a more private meeting for the location.

 

Charity

[helifool]

FRIDAY MEETING CANCELLED AT JACKSONVILLE

The lawyer possibly representing us who is also in touch with Dan Reed has said there should be no media coverage.

Instead a few of us students are meeting together tomorrow to further organize our situation and set up a more private meeting for the location.

 

Charity

 

 

Curios whats bad about media coverage?

[Cha Cha]

Curios whats bad about media coverage?

 

 

Believe me NOT my decision.

I'm not too happy about it, but it is a decision that needed to be made as a team, and the team vetoed.

 

 

Charity

[Icarus]

Loose lips sink ships. Media coverage is great, but ANYTHING you say can be held against you. If the wrong edit airs, if an impassioned student lets his/her emotions get the better of him/her and he/she lets loose with a well deserved, but not all together thought out rant about the situation, it will look bad for your case. This is why corperations, the government and all the big wigs have public relations offices. I would stick to the advice of your legal council. You have the right to speak, but you must be patient for the time and place. Just my $.02

 

Vive Revolution!

[slick1537]

What are you guys planning to do, start a riot? Get a lawyer like anyone else, starting a riot will just make you look like a dumbass.

[Cha Cha]

What are you guys planning to do, start a riot? Get a lawyer like anyone else, starting a riot will just make you look like a dumbass.

We are all very disheartened by what has happened to us, not crazy. I cannot imagine how anyone would think a riot would be a good idea.

I continue to get calls from magazine's and tv stations wanting to speak with me about the situation. I am not one to go shooting my mouth off. I definitely want to say something to them, but I also understand what is at stake..........

[Sugatrix]

Having been in the news business for many years, I can say this with confidence. This is exactly what the media was designed for. They are here to be watchdogs for the little guy. Remember how much preasure was brought to bear on verious corporations following the exposure of Enron?

 

That being said, you don't call in an air strike when a hand grenade will do. Your lawyer knows that, and he wants to keep the media as a negotiating tool. This is a prossess. Hang in there and good luck.

[IFLY]

.

Edited February 8, 2008 by IFLYEVERYTHING

[GlossAtl]

Hi my name is Charity Haselip. I am a former student at the Jacksonville location.

I have been making calls to news crews all day and have confirmation of media coverage.

I believe that we should make this as big of a deal as possible to help aid in the processes that are about to unfold.

I am asking that all students and staff of SSH meet at their hangar this friday 2/8/08 at 6pm to get organized and tell our stories to local news crews, in hopes that our plight will be brought in front of a larger crowd and help our situation in regards to when the lawsuits commence.

Please, take the necessary steps of calling every student you know and instruct them to make it on friday. Also call your local news station, let them know what you have lost and whatever else you gave up to attend this school. I guarantee you they are interested in this.

If students and employees from every location can make an effort to bring light to this horrendous back stabbing it only enriches our tiny chance of recourse.

If any of you are interested please contact me and flood the media with this story.

 

Remember Friday 2/8/08 at 6pm accross the country.

 

My contact number is 928-446-4202

 

 

 

I believe this article lays out who walks away with 30+ Million cash and all the real assets which spun off from SSH a month ago to AHI...Airola Helicopters Int'l. Also, students are considered non-collateral debt so they will not get their piece of the listed 50k in assets from a company that posted 78 million in revenue in '06.

 

By Bruce V. Bigelow

UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

 

February 7, 2008

 

The closure of a Nevada company that provided helicopter flight training at El Cajon's Gillespie Field has cut short training for more than 2,500 student pilots, some with private education loans of as much as $70,000.

 

 

AdvertisementSilver State Helicopters of North Las Vegas, which filed for bankruptcy liquidation Monday, had shut down Sunday evening, putting more than 650 flight instructors and other employees out of work.

In a Chapter 7 filing in a federal bankruptcy court in Las Vegas, Silver State Helicopters said it had revenue of $78.1 million in 2006 and estimated it had less than $50,000 in assets.

 

Silver State said in its filing that no funds are expected to be distributed to students and other unsecured creditors.

 

Silver State was founded in 1999 by Jerry Airola, who rapidly expanded the business from a single helicopter in Henderson, Nev., to helicopter flight schools at 33 airports in 17 states. Inc. magazine last year ranked the company at No. 243 on its list of the 500 fastest-growing companies, based on numbers from Silver State that showed a 963.4 percent gain in revenue, from $7.3 million in 2003 to $78.1 million in 2006.

 

Silver State estimated in its filing that it has between 5,000 and 10,000 creditors. In a 211-page document that identified all its creditors, the company listed what appears to be its students for 90 pages.

 

Many student pilots obtained loans because Silver State required them to pay upfront for flight training expected to take at least 18 months, said Kevin Wilhelmy, who took Silver State classes at Gillespie Field.

 

Wilhelmy, 30, who started working for commercial certification as a helicopter pilot 16 months ago, said he attended classes in El Cajon with scores of other students, perhaps as many as 200. He estimated that Silver State had between 15 and 20 employees at its Gillespie Field facility.

 

“I just spent $70,000 on training,” Wilhelmy said. “I don't have another $70,000 to spend on another flight school.”

 

Wilhelmy said that like many students, he was referred by Silver State for his loan to Student Loan Express, and his loan later converted to American Education Services of Harrisburg, Pa.

 

The lender could not be reached after business hours yesterday to say whether the student borrowers would be required to continue making payments on their loans.

 

It could not be determined if Student Loan Express, which was listed among Silver State's 20 largest creditors, is connected to Student Loan Xpress, the San Diego education lender operated by CIT Group of New York.

 

Silver State founder Airola became a controversial figure in 2006 when he ran for election as sheriff of Clark County, Nev.

 

Airola spent more than $3.5 million of his own money in a political campaign for county sheriff, using slogans such as “We need a sheriff who can run that department like a business.”

 

Airola lost the sheriff's race by a nearly 2-1 ratio. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that he couldn't overcome media coverage that revealed his lack of law enforcement credentials and a history of lawsuits filed by disgruntled flight school students.

 

The Review-Journal reported this week that Airola sold a 60 percent stake in Silver State Helicopters in August to Eos Partners, a New York private equity firm. An Eos spokesman told the newspaper that the firm expected to lose its $30 million investment.

 

Silver State also listed Orix Financial Services of Philadelphia among its major creditors. Other documents filed in bankruptcy court show that in August, Orix provided Silver State with a $40 million line of credit, which had an outstanding balance of more than $33 million.

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bruce Bigelow: (619) 293-1314; bruce.bigelow@uniontrib.com

[Cha Cha]

Gloss I am assuming is Scott.

Thank you very much for the article please continue to keep your eye open for articles and do your own research such as I am.

While I feel as though a tidal wave of information is being thrown at me I appreciate it, now I must wade through it and find the truth.

To everyone that has called me and sent me emails I greatly appreciate it and hope to get more feedback.

I still believe that we should set up a nationwide rally, if not for the comraderie, at least for everyone to bring all the information together. If anyone is interested I believe we should set one up in a couple of months so that lawyers can do what they can to get the ball rolling.

Also, I am requesting that anyone from each location can please send me a copy of all of the email contacts you may have so that we can all get a quick response list.

I will be posting something similar to this on justhelicopters.com and silverstatefamily.com

I strongly urge all students, cfi's and other employees of ssh to sign up at silverstatefamily.com and make that our major point of contact since it is geared specifically towards us as a "family".

When you sign up also try as little as possible to use crazy surnames (which I am obviously guilty of) so that we can reference and contact each other more easily. Also, make sure to fill out your personal information to lend to your credibility as a member so that we can keep negative entities out. The more exposure the site brings, the more outsiders will show up to give unfounded negative advise.

 

Like I have said before, let's get organized and smart.

 

Two more things:

 

AES- has offered an additional 24month deferrment. BEFORE you sign up for this make sure to get a copy of the agreement. It may have something in it about being held responsible for the loan regardless of the outcome of the lawsuit(s). Also, DO NOT divulge the amount of training you have recieved (flight hours, certifications), they will use this against you to try and get compensation for education earned. Plus, we need get the support of our creditors behind us. They are out an incredible amount of money if we can't recover. Most importantly, TREAD CAREFULLY with our loan company. Be aware of what is being offered, from anyone.

 

Criminal wrong doing- If anyone (student, cfi, employee) at any location has witnessed any wrong doing REPORT it to the local police department because it will help us build a case against the company or Jerry himself in a fraud/criminal court. It will also make it easier to indict him.

 

 

This is what I can come up with now...

if you have anything to add go to silverstatefamily.com and post there. Make that site a daily read.

 

Charity

charosey@hotmail.com

9284464202

Edited February 8, 2008 by Cha Cha

[Fiasco]

... Also, DO NOT divulge the amount of training you have recieved (flight hours, certifications), they will use this against you to try and get compensation for education earned.

 

 

I take umbrage with this passage. So, because you were scammed, don't admit to any training you did receive because the lender (who will eat tons of defaults regardless) might expect you to pay for that training?

 

God forbid someone should try and get loan repayment for services that WERE rendered.

 

If you got $20,000 worth of training then you got $20,000 worth of training and certainly are not entitled to get that $20,000 back through lies and deceit.

 

IMHO that's a bad attitude and atypical of the general population of the United States these days.

 

This type of attitude makes it hard to be sympathetic. You were infuriated when SSH did it to you but it's ok to pass the buck?

Edited February 9, 2008 by Fiasco

[RWAZ]

I take umbrage with this passage. So, because you were scammed, don't admit to any training you did receive because the lender (who will eat tons of defaults regardless) might expect you to pay for that training?

 

God forbid someone should try and get loan repayment for services that WERE rendered.

 

If you got $20,000 worth of training then you got $20,000 worth of training and certainly are not entitled to get that $20,000 back through lies and deceit.

 

IMHO that's a bad attitude and atypical of the general population of the United States these days.

 

This type of attitude makes it hard to be sympathetic. You were infuriated when SSH did it to you but it's ok to pass the buck?

 

Just to let you know....I have called 4 different schools and guess what ...they do not acepted my credit from SSH. Therefore , what good it is for me the training that I received. I will have to start all over.

[Fiasco]

Just to let you know....I have called 4 different schools and guess what ...they do not acepted my credit from SSH. Therefore , what good it is for me the training that I received. I will have to start all over.

 

I highly doubt that. Hours flown in your logbook are hours flown. If you got your PPL at SSH... you have your PPL. Other schools aren't going to refuse to recognize it.

[rollthbns]

I highly doubt that. Hours flown in your logbook are hours flown. If you got your PPL at SSH... you have your PPL. Other schools aren't going to refuse to recognize it.

 

 

Agree totally. Silver State does not issue pilot certificates, although if Jerry could have found a way, perhaps he would have sold those too. Your license is your license, and provided you stay current by meeting the requirements as outlined in the FAR's, you can actually excercise the priveleges.

 

If another school tells you that your experience doesnt count, run like hell in the opposite direction. Good luck to all affected by this mess, and DO NOT let it destroy your dream.

[Investigate Silver State]

The students in Washington are not going to take this Lying down. Everyone affiliated with the company is telling us to wait a couple weeks to see what happens. We are through listening to SSH and we are taking action. As students we must band together. We do not need bashing or flaming against SSH we need to get organized. We will be opening a web site as soon as possible to help give people some direction and a destination to communicate with each other. We will not be promoting any other schools. We are here to help each other!! Join with us if you are a former student or instructor! For information e-mail cwby416@gmail.com xfatjx@hotmail.com or hercules155@comcast.net

 

http://groups.myspace.com/SilverStateStudents

 

www.investigatesilverstate.com

[Crusty Old Dude]

I take umbrage with this passage. So, because you were scammed, don't admit to any training you did receive because the lender (who will eat tons of defaults regardless) might expect you to pay for that training?

 

God forbid someone should try and get loan repayment for services that WERE rendered.

 

If you got $20,000 worth of training then you got $20,000 worth of training and certainly are not entitled to get that $20,000 back through lies and deceit.

 

IMHO that's a bad attitude and atypical of the general population of the United States these days.

 

This type of attitude makes it hard to be sympathetic. You were infuriated when SSH did it to you but it's ok to pass the buck?

This comes from a good place, and I see where you are coming from. But remember that even if the student completed $20K of training, it's $20K of Silver State training which could amount to nearly zero flight time if it's all done via simulator. Since it will be very tough to judge where a student is at exactly in terms of proficiency AND the training is broken and the student has to wait up to a YEAR to start flying again, I think it might be a fair assumption that they'll need to start at least back a few notches.

 

Remember that consistency and continuity of training are as important as raw hours. 10 flight hours with a year hiatus can be a very bad thing.