Post deleted by Doug Taylor

Re: LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR ATA STUDENTS!

Don't know if it'll help, but I also contacted a local ABC affiliate here in Tampa.

Bad press ought to get the ball rolling.

I work for aviation attorneys, but unfortunately, they are out of state at a seminar and cannot be reached.... otherwise...
 
Re: LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR ATA STUDENTS!

I did call and speak to Doug, he was helpful, but at the moment it seems we are in limbo. I suggest any student contact him, so should a class action be necessary we can get on it. Doug suggested I call 2 places, 1, the bank I got my loan through, which is Key Bank. I did that, and Key was no help at all, basically, you still owe us the money, that's all we care about. They suggested I contact the state rep to see what could be done. Doug's 2nd suggestion was to cehck with the Middle Florida Bankruptcy court to see if they had filed for bankruptcy. I called the court, got an automated system to check for filings under Airline Training Academy, which came back negative. If anyone knows of any other names the Williams might have been running their business under, we could check that under the automated system. That is all I know at this point.
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Re: LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR ATA STUDENTS!

[ QUOTE ]
Try this...
web page

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, Still no hits as a recent bankruptcy filing.
 
Re: LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR ATA STUDENTS!

It is possible that the filing is just not in the system yet. This all has happened within the past 20 hours, so, you know how fast the government works.
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Re: LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR ATA STUDENTS!

Doug said he would like to hear from other students, of course, what lawyer wouldn't like to get in on this class action. I don't know how many students were currently attending, I do know that they just started a new class 2 weeks ago, so it is possible many of those students paid $60,000 and haven't even seen the inside of an airplane yet. Myself, I am still owed roughly $20,000 worth of training, and I guess I will never see a penny of it. My preference, rather than having the money back, would be to complete the training, and get a job, but more has to be done then just getting ATA back for that to occur.
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Re: LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR ATA STUDENTS!

What’s funny is that some 6 months ago I had called to get some info on their program just to see what it was about and they called me a week and a half ago to tell me about their new program to ATP rating-they had to have known they would be going belly up months ago, but trying to get as much money as they could before they went under.
 
Re: LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOR ATA STUDENTS!

I was contacted on wed the 26 by a rep to see if I was still interested in attending there. It may be only the higher ups had this planned. Everyone else might have got the pink slip last night.
 
Screwed by Airline Training Academy

I was a student at Airline Training Academy and showed up for my Commercial written test on Friday to find out that the school closed its doors. I'm out $60,000.00. There is a lawyer working with us unlucky students that used Key Bank to get the loan. They are saying the school went Bankrupt, but, no papers were filed at the courthouse. They took 6 or 10 students just this monday and the school closed on Thursday night. There were 300 students attending the school. It is mandatory to pay up front. Some students even moved their families down and rented apartments from the school and now they are going to be evicted this month because the school didn't pay the rent that was promised. Those students are out $80,000.00. Jim Williams owned the school with his family. He is a retired Delta pilot and has 3 sons. We think one of his sons named Scott flies for American Trans Air. The family also owns Discovery Air. If anyone needs info on the lawyer, please let me know! We are in a really bad situation and for those of us with kids, we don't know what we are going to do.
 
Re: Screwed by Airline Training Academy

Hey Ken, How about posting that Lawyer's info right here, so that we might contact him.
Thanks
 
Re: Screwed by Airline Training Academy

The lawyers name is Don Christopher, he is with Litchford & Christopher, 390 N. Orange Ave.,Orlando,Fl. His website is www.Litchris.com. That is all the info. I have at this time. The fbo Air Orlando has been really great!!!! They are trying to help all the students trying to reach their goal. We should hear next week the final details concerning their insurance, etc. I hope this helps, when I find out more I will try to relay the message to others. Ken
 
Re: Screwed by Airline Training Academy

thanks for the info ken, the brother that works for ata airlines is robert williams, I was also a student there that moved my wife and 7 month old baby down here, i dont know what I am going to do I have tried getting some stuff going thru the attorney general maybe they can help all of us
 
Re: Screwed by Airline Training Academy

State Attorney Lawson Lamar has been notified,we have the papers, but we need to fill all of them out and copy our contracts, loan info. etc. Rosalee Hopard is involved in the Investigative Unit, the address is: Orange County Consumer Fraud Unit, 415 N. Orange Ave. P.O. Box 1673, Orlando, Fl. 32802 Tel.# 407-836-2490. As for the people/family that screwed us all, the list is as follows: Jim Williams;chairman of ATA;retired Delta airline capt. former president and ceo Airline Aviation Academy(subsequenently renamed Comair Academy). Ruth Williams; director of purchasing. Scott Williams; owner;vp operations; GM;comm.&inst. rated;ATP;2757hrs. president/gm Airline Aviation Academy aka Comair; 13 yrs. aviation management experience. Robert Williams; owner; vp flight operations; director of flight operations; until January 1,1998 a Canadair Regional jet capt. for Comair Air Lines; 11,000 hrs.; currently a F.O. on a l-1011 for American Trans Air Airlines. Melissa Williams; owner; CFO; Treasurer; chairman of Finance committee. Jeff Williams; owner; President of ATA(airline training ac.?);captain, Comair Airlines on the EMB 120; over 8500hrs. Christine Williams; owner;vp of student services, director of housing.
 
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