Pan Am International Flight Academy, Minneapolis Facility, where Zacarias Moussaoui was Arrested

From The Washington Post:

Zacarias Moussaoui's plan to learn to fly a Boeing 747 began to unravel the day he met Clarence Prevost, a retired Northwest Airlines and Navy pilot who once flew hurricane hunters.

Prevost, 68, took the stand yesterday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria and described how he quickly became suspicious of Moussaoui after he began one-on-one classroom instruction in August 2001.



An Alexandria police officer, who would not give his name, stands guard outside U.S. District Court as the Zacarias Moussaoui trial continues.

An Alexandria police officer, who would not give his name, stands guard outside U.S. District Court as the Zacarias Moussaoui trial continues. (By Caleb Jones -- Associated Press)
Special Report

A 12-member jury will determine whether Zacarias Moussaoui, who pleaded guilty last April to six counts of conspiring with al Qaeda in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, will be executed or spend the rest of his life in prison.

» FULL COVERAGE
The Final Verdict

* Al-Qaeda Plotters Dismiss Moussaoui's Role
* Moussaoui Shouts His Intention to Take the Stand
* Attorney Describes 9/11 Lawyer as 'Vilified'
* Prosecutors Scramble to Salvage 9/11 Case After Ruling
* Judge Halts Terror Trial

More Stories
Who's Blogging?
Read what bloggers are saying about this article.

* Spotlight on Military News and International Affairs
* Top Of The Fold
* TurcoPundit


Full List of Blogs (5 links) »

Most Blogged About Articles
On washingtonpost.com | On the web

Save & Share

* Tag This Article


Saving options
1. Save to description:
Headline (required)
Subheadline
Byline
2. Save to notes (255 character max):
Subheadline Blurb None
3. Tag This Article

He testified that at the end of the first day of classes, he urged the flight executives at the Minnesota school to request an FBI background check on Moussaoui because he was from the Middle East, had paid his $6,800 tuition with $100 bills and, unlike every other student at the school, he wasn't a pilot.

This is the response he got from his boss, he testified: "He paid his money. We don't care." Prevost said he told the executive, "We'll care when he hijacks an airplane, and he's throwing all the switches and then there are all these lawsuits."

The next day, Aug. 14, 2001, after Prevost kept pushing, school officials called the FBI. The following day, Moussaoui was arrested by immigration officials and held on charges that his 90-day visa had expired.

Also, from www.panamacademy.com:

Pan Am International Flight Academy (PAIFA) provides simulator-based flight training to commercial airlines and professional pilots. PAIFA provides simulation and pilot training for over 200 commercial airlines world-wide. We serve both major U.S. and international airlines with a fleet of jet simulators representing approximately 70% of the worldwide fleet of commercial jet aircraft. Headquartered at the Miami International Airport., the commercial division works with transport category airlines – those with aircraft having typically 100 seats or more.



PAIFA offers training solutions that fit the requirements of individual airlines. Our goal is to build a training relationship with each customer that ensures a high quality, cost effective, and professional training event. Customized programs designed specifically to meet each operators needs is just one of the services that sets us apart from the typical simulator provider.



The Academy’s Commercial Airline Division currently offers training at its centers in Miami, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Memphis. Additional international facilities are planned as part of the Commercial Airline division’s continuing expansion.

The Pan Am Academy is loacted in the Spectrum Commerce Center.