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Flight school monitors students closer
By ALEX LEARY, Times Staff Writer CRYSTAL RIVER -- Calling the suicide mission of a teenage pilot into a Tampa high-rise an "aberration," the head of a flight school here said he will not require instructors be present while students perform preflight checks. But student behavior is being monitored closer than before, and the school is more selective in whom it accepts, the official said. Tom Davis, director of the airports in Crystal River and Inverness, said it is common for students to be alone before takeoff. "That's all part of the training process." The practice follows that of many other flight schools, Davis said, adding that instructors recheck the plane before departing. Florida's flight schools are in the spotlight after 15-year-old Charles Bishop stole a Cessna from St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport on Saturday and crashed into the 42-story Bank of America Plaza. Bishop's flight instructor gave him the keys to the single-engine plane so he could perform the safety check, which includes reviewing how much fuel is available and whether the brakes work. The ninth-grader from East Lake left behind a suicide note expressing sympathy for Osama bin Laden, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks that toppled the World Trade Center. In the hours after Bishop's fatal flight, questions arose about leaving inexperienced pilots alone with planes. The government apparently is mulling over new regulations, a prospect that worries Davis and other flight school owners. "I'm sure Washington is busy developing some sort of onerous regulations we're going to have to go through and pay for," Davis said Monday. "It's just beyond me." Still, Sept. 11 has brought changes to the airport, which is within 10 miles of Florida Power's nuclear plant. Some worry that a plane could leave the airport and reach the plant before military jets could intervene. Florida Power says a small plane would do little damage. Davis said he is paying more attention to students' behavior. "We've had people we'd had to keep a closer eye on because their performance is not up to par. The same thing applies to those you perceive to have a mental problem." He is carefully scrutinizing applications and has already denied two prospective students from the Middle East, simply by not responding to their query. Crystal Aero Group Inc., which Davis oversees, trains more than 30 would-be pilots each year, including a handful of foreigners. -- Staff writer Alex Leary can be reached at (352) 564-3623 or leary@sptimes.com.
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