Several Foreign Students Left Wondering How They Will Finish Training

A long-established flight school in Fresno, CA has abruptly ceased operations, leaving many students who have already paid for their instruction wondering how they will finish.

Mazzei Flying Service officials met with its students on Monday of last week to inform them that the school was ceasing operations due to serious financial problems. Mazzei president Mark Addis told the Sacramento Bee that they would be finishing out training for a few students who are near the end of their programs, but full-time flight training has been ended.

That leaves dozens of students in the U.S. on student visas ... and who have already paid tens of thousands of dollars for their instruction ... wondering what they will do next, according to the report.

Addis said that the company had been working on an investment plan that collapsed the previous week, "so we had to make a decision quickly."

Many of the foreign students are from Asia, India and Indonesia. Three Taiwanese students traveled last Tuesday to san Francisco to complaints with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.

Addis said that once the handful of students who are near the end of their training have been graduated, it will be selling its 24 aircraft, and some 25-30 full and part-time employees will be losing their jobs.

FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said that the issue is between the school and the students.

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