Student pilots are looking for next steps following a west Houston flight school closure. VT-AAA closed on Nov. 1, halting training programs and leaving many unsure about the status of money paid in advance.
Several students told local news station KHOU 11 they had placed thousands of dollars into training accounts with the Houston flight school and have not been able to reach the school for confirmation about refunds.
“A lot of us have over $30,000 in our accounts,” student Haley Hartnett said.
The closure interrupted training plans for students who were preparing to transition into commercial aviation roles. VT-AAA student Bazil Khawaja said the shutdown has delayed plans to continue training elsewhere until students know whether their remaining balances will be returned.
“It’s easy to move on when you have that money and you can just go to another flight school,” he told KHOU 11. “But it’s hard to move on when you don’t get your money back.”
Another student, Matthew Havelka, said he managed to reach someone with the Houston flight school who told him they would “work on refunding your money in the next couple of months,” though he said he has not received additional updates.
The flight school’s website is still active, although West Houston Airport, where VT-AAA rented hangar and office space, confirmed the school has left the premises but said it was not otherwise associated with the business.
Records from the Better Business Bureau show the Houston flight school held an F rating following unresolved complaints, and KHOU 11 reported the company has previously been sued over issues involving student funds. As of this week, students say they are still waiting for any confirmed timeline—or communication—from the school’s leadership.
VT-AAA previously had an additional location in New Braunfels, Texas, that is also closed. The school was part of Vaayu Group, a company that also owns several aircraft leasing, storage, maintenance and other aerospace-related companies.
Closures of flight schools and other training programs in the aviation industry can be highly disruptive for students, especially when those students take large, school-specific loans or pay large sums of cash up-front.
This is exactly why i was a pay as i go student. No monies on account, no student loan taken out.