CINDI BROWNFIELD
9/11 + EMBRY-RIDDLE FOR FLIGHT TRAINING
Sun Jun 27, 2004 21:31
64.140.158.44

SAUDIA AIRLINES SELECTS
EMBRY-RIDDLE FOR FLIGHT TRAINING

Daytona Beach, Fla., Oct. 23, 1996 -- Saudi Arabian Airlines has signed a contract that consolidates at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University most of the flight training of its cadets, which previously had been conducted at other facilities in the U.S.
http://comm.db.erau.edu/media2/pr/prsaudia.html

With its acquisition of 61 new Boeing and McDonnell-Douglas jets, Saudia's need for new pilots has doubled, says Capt. Jazza Ghanem, vice president for flight operations at the airline. "We are using Embry-Riddle because of its name and reputation in the field of aviation education."

Starting Nov. 4, Saudia will begin sending groups of 8-12 students at a time to the Embry-Riddle campus in Daytona Beach, Fla., for up to 12 months. There they will achieve up to 320 hours of flight time and complete commercial pilot's certification, instrument rating, and multi-engine rating. They will live in campus housing. Upon completing the program, they will return to the airline's academy in Saudi Arabia for advanced jet training.

Saudia compared several schools in the U.S. before the airline's director general, Khalid Ben Bakr, made the final decision, says Capt. Majed Kabbani, general manager of flight operations training. "His Excellency liked Embry-Riddle's experience and history. Their system is airline-oriented." Kabbani says consolidation also will give the airline greater control and standardization.

Another advantage, says Capt. Talal Ageel, manager of flight training academy operations, is that although it is not an academic program, students will receive credits that can be applied toward a university degree.

Kabbani believes Saudia's decision to consolidate its flight training at Embry-Riddle could appeal to others, as well. "We meet twice a year with other airlines in the region," he says. "Next time we meet I'll be talking to them about our decision."

Embry-Riddle's ties with Saudi Arabia are extensive. The University has been educating Saudi students for years, and in 1994 it awarded an honorary doctorate in aviation business administration to Prince Fahad Bin Abdullah, who is assistant to the minister of defense and civil aviation in Saudi Arabia.

The world's largest university specializing in aviation and aerospace, Embry-Riddle has campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., and over 100 education centers in the U.S. and Europe. Its curriculum covers engineering, research, manufacturing, management, and marketing of modern aircraft and the systems that support them.


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Moore’s Magic: 9/11 Electrifies
by Rex Reed
http://www.observer.com/pages/story.asp?ID=9227

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Tuesday, September 10, 2002
Embry-Riddle's 9/11 nightmare: Grad mistaken for terrorist
By CINDI BROWNFIELD
Education Writer

DAYTONA BEACH -- Like millions of Americans, Lisa Ledewitz was glued to her television after work last Sept. 11.

The phone rang, and the nightmare began for Ledewitz, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's top public relations official.

"Tom Connolly, our chancellor at the time, had talked with the FBI and it appeared one or more of the terrorists had been educated at Embry-Riddle," said Ledewitz, who has since been promoted to vice president of communications and marketing.

For 10 days, it was suspected that an Embry-Riddle graduate and trained pilot had been one of the suicide hijackers on American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to crash into the World Trade Center.

ERAU was thrust into the national spotlight as FBI agents pored over student records. TV crews lined up at the school's entrance, and random e-mails and phone calls accused the university of training terrorists.

"The public scrutiny and the media inquiry were absolutely overwhelming," recalled Ledewitz.

Then, on Sept. 21, the FBI notified Embry-Riddle that its alumnus was alive in Morocco and was in no way connected to the terrorist attacks. It had been a case of mistaken identity. The ERAU graduate either had the same name as one of the hijackers or his identity had been stolen.

A year later, Ledewitz doesn't believe the incident had a negative impact on Embry-Riddle's image. The media accurately reported the outcome of the story, and Ledewitz and her staff found ways in the midst of the crisis to educate the public about the good Embry-Riddle does, she said.

Since Sept. 11, Embry-Riddle has supported students who lost family members in the attacks and protected students, particularly those from the Middle East, Ledewitz said.

A scholarship fund was set up by the family and friends of ERAU alumnus David Charlebois, the first officer on American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon after being hijacked by terrorists. The first scholarship will be awarded next fall.

The university took a lead role in advising Congress and 15 different states as they considered policy changes for screening foreign students seeking flight training in the United States.

On Wednesday, Embry-Riddle plans to mark the day much like the rest of the nation, with a moment of silence and a memorial service. Students, faculty and staff at ERAU campuses in the United States and Europe will do random acts of kindness -- in the spirit of remembering Sept. 11.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/special/americaattacked/910AREA2A.htm
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So where was Warren Buffett the morning of 9/11 and what was he doing?

Mr. Buffett was reportedly at his home in Omaha, Nebraska watching TV when he heard about the terrorist attacks. He was getting ready to host his "last annual golf charity event" which just happened to be at the U.S. Strategic Command headquarters located at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha. Offutt AFB is, coincidentally, where President G. W. Bush flew to on Air Force One later in the day for "safety". This early golf charity event hosted by Mr. Buffett was to include celebrities, professional athletes, and a small group of business leaders in which one of these business leaders became a very lucky person.

This very lucky person was Ann Tatlock, the CEO of Fiduciary Trust Co. International. Now what made Mrs. Tatlock such a lucky person for being invited to this charity event that morning? Mrs. Tatlock not only works in the World Trade Center, but her offices were right where Flight 175 crashed into the WTC 2.
http://thewebfairy.com/killtown/buffett.html