MOJAVE-BASED FLIGHT SCHOOL FIGHTING TO OVERTURN TRAINING BAN; STATE DEPARTMENT ORDERS INSTITUTION TO QUIT INSTRUCTING FOREIGN MILITARY PILOTS.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer MOJAVE - Representatives of the National Test Pilot School said Tuesday they will travel to Washington, D.C., to try to convince the U.S. State A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States, although four states use the official title "commonwealth". The separate state governments and the federal government share sovereignty, in that an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and Department to rescind its ban on the training of foreign military pilots. The 19-year-old school received a cease-and-desist letter last month from the State Department's Office of Defense Trade Controls, blocking it from continuing its training programs for test pilots and flight test engineers. Created in 1981 and based at the Mojave Airport, the nonprofit school offers a one-year course, at a fee of $500,000 per pilot, who get training similar to that offered at U.S. Air Force and Navy test-pilot schools. The school, located about 90 miles north of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , also has a variety of short courses that target specific areas of flight test equipment and procedures. The school, however, does not have a license from the State Department to do the training, a violation of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations “ITAR” redirects here. For the Russian news agency, see Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) is a set of United States government regulations that control the export and import of defense-related articles . ``We'll probably go to Washington to try to get this thing resolved,'' said Russ Stewart, an instructor who also is director of marketing. The school's director, Sean Roberts, is out of the country and is trying to get back quickly, Stewart said. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , the school and its supporters, including the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley Board of Trade, have brought the situation to the attention of U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer Barbara Levy Boxer (born November 11, 1940) is an American politician and the current junior U.S. Senator from the State of California. A member of the Democratic Party, Boxer was first elected to the U.S. and Dianne Feinstein Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein (born June 22, 1933) is the senior U.S. Senator from California, having held office as a senator since 1992. She is a member of the Democratic Party. , both D-Calif.; U.S. Reps. Bill Thomas, R-Bakersfield, and Howard ``Buck'' McKeon, R-Santa Clarita; State Sen. W.J. ``Pete'' Knight, R-Palmdale, and the State Trade and Commerce Agency. Thomas, whose district includes Mojave, has been in contact with the State Department and will oversee the licensing process. ``They (State Department) will come out and see the school as part of the evaluation,'' said Kevin McCarthy, district director for Thomas. There was no time frame available for how long it will take to process the license application. The State Department's Office of Defense Trade Controls, which enforces International Traffic in Arms Regulations, handles some 50,000 requests a year to export military goods and services In economics, economic output is divided into physical goods and intangible services. Consumption of goods and services is assumed to produce utility (unless the "good" is a "bad"). It is often used when referring to a Goods and Services Tax. . The training of military pilots is considered a service and requires a license under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, State Department officials say. The test pilot school was registered with the State Department, but not licensed. The school is a nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. , licensed to issue master's degrees. Its for-profit arm, Flight Research Inc., maintains the aircraft and conducts flight tests. The school uses a fleet of 30 aircraft, including the twin-engine Beechcraft Queenair, Bell Uh-1N helicopters and the Swedish-built SK-35 Draken supersonic fighter. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Test pilot Russ Stewart of the National Test Pilot School checks an aircraft. The school has been ordered to stop training foreign military pilots. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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