KLM Flight Academy in trouble

[9Victor]

Heard some disturbing news about the otherwise well respected KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

KLM's Flight Academy has received a final warning from the Dutch FAA (NLA/RLD) and is likely to have their operating licence suspended by June, according to FAA sources. For several years already, extremely bad management and a total lack of internal control on instruction procedures, out of date training programs, aircraft servicing and validation of licences (the former chief flt.ops. flew without having any licence at all), are being named as important, contributing factors that have lead to several incidents and accidents, at the academy's facilities in Holland and Arizona, as well as to a fatal accident, last year in Holland, which fatally injured 3 people and badly wounded 2 student pilots.
A few years ago another fatal accident happened, causing the death of 2 student pilots.
The investigation into the latest fatal accident, which occurred in June 2000, has revealed that the 24 yrs old KLM flight instructor (500 hrs! TT), who is blamed for the accident to happen, was in fact flying without a valid licence.
The instructor was dismissed and both him and KLM Flight Academy are facing legal procecution.
The instructors' father (also KLM flight instructor), has taken up his early retirement.
In the mean time KLM is making frantic efforts in trying to save face and have replaced the management team of their academy.
Several KLM pilots have been asked to assist in writing new manuals and procedures.
KLM has refused to talk to the press.

I thought European flight schools were of the highest standard ?

[E. MORSE]

Isn't their president the same guy who was the financial director (......)of Air Holland before they went bankrupt ?
I heard his popularity went downstream awfully quick there after he left and things were revealed....

But a Dutch aviation magazine reporter was almost brought to the court by this man's lawyers so I have to be aware .....

[320DRIVER]

Where is KLM's Flight Academy sbased in Arizona?

I know of the Lufthansa school in Goodyear, west of PHX, but never heard of the KLM-operated flying school when I was there.

[Comet]

I am not sure where they were, but i do know that they are closing their arizona base and pan am flight academy is taking over KLM basic flying training at their florida base

[Flypuppy]

The KLM Flight Academy ( http://www.kls.nl/ ) is based in Groningen-Eelde airfield (EHGG), in the Netherlands.

This would explain why there was a large advert in Flight International a couple of weeks ago for Instructors at KLS.

[Denti]

KLM bought ATTI some years ago (ATTI was a subsidiary of ATTC which is the subsidiary of Lufthansa Flight Training). ATTI was based at Ryan Airport west of Tucson AZ.

Denti

[9Victor]

Their Arizona facility is in Tucson and yes they are hiring new, hopefully more experienced instructors, in order to meet the demands of the Dutch FAA. The situation there seems to be very critical, KLM's name is definitely at stake.

[Iz]

Don't think KLM's name is that much at stake. In past years it has seemed that KLM distanced themselves from their flight academy, forcing the KLS to turn into a commercial operation. Currently, no new student is offered a job guarantee with KLM anymore.

[mediflyer]

I've just heard about that story, things seems to have turned worse now that several KLM pilots seem to have been caught flying while parts of their licences were expired, in some cases 4 months or more. Also seems that several KLS FI's were not at all qualified to perform their duties.