FlightSafety VRB after Hurricanes

[pireps]

Just wondering if anybody has some info on the condition of the Vero Beach facilities, aircraft damage, student enrollments, etc. now that 4 Hurricanes have pounded the area...?

 

[CUEBOAT]

I don't know about FlightSafety but from what I understand PanAm is going to close it up at Fort Pierce, I heard the lost 8 airplanes in Jeanne alone plus the hangar. The Aviator suffered some damage but not to any airplanes just the building. I cant imagine FlightSafety being in any better shape since they are so close plus have too many airplanes for them to move quickly.

 

[SouthTex]

During Frances they were able to get all of the A/C out and everyone spent over a week in Dothan, AL. Heard people were a little restless after that one. The only damage I heard of was a little to the main hangar and little to the Swiss Air building. It looks as if jeanne leveled the town (Capt. Hirams might be gone), still waiting on word from those peeps down there.

 

[pireps]

Captain Hirams is gone?! Oh man, that was like the one and only place in Vero Beach. Hope nobody got hurt. Thanks for the info!

 

[bobbysamd]

Fsi

I heard from someone with whom I have maintained contact over the years. He said the place suffered damage, but did not say to what extent.

Obviously, the hurricanes did a number on Vero. Check out the pix on this link. Sorry to hear about Capt. Hiram's. It was about two blocks or so from where I lived. Hopefully, Taste of Italy survived.

 

[cessna_driver2]

I heard from someone with whom I have maintained contact over the years. He said the place suffered damage, but did not say to what extent.

Obviously, the hurricanes did a number on Vero. Check out the pix on this link. Sorry to hear about Capt. Hiram's. It was about two blocks or so from where I lived. Hopefully, Taste of Italy survived.

I've heard the same about vero. I have freinds in vero. I've heard Piper was hit hard from both frances & jeanne.

 

[atrdriver]

FSI always had a hurricane evacuation plan ready to use. Instructors would be assigned an aircraft, canned flight plans, it would take 3 hours to have every airplane gone from the field.

atrdriver

 

[pavelump]

Hey there, I'm an instructor at FSI. Things are back in full swing now and all of the aircraft have been back for about a week now. Jeanne did more damage to the maintenance hanger and it no longer has doors. In addition, the flight line building took some damage and got a little wet, but it's starting to not smell so much anymore. We evacuated back to Alabama for Jeanne so all the aircraft are fine. I think that the Administration has some roof damage and leaking so most of the people in those offices are over in the academic building.

One of the dorms was hit pretty hard and is going to need a new roof, but all in all I think that FSI did pretty well.

 

[HHIguy78]

Flight Safety Student Keying in...

I actually go to Flight Safety and yeah, we were hit pretty bad. One of our dorm buildings got the roof ripped off of it and the people that were living there got shuffled into the other dorm buildings. It was the one on Airport Drive (2840) and currently has an industrial strength dehumidifier sitting outside it with an access pipe running through a 2nd story porch door. The inside of the building has the insulation totally falling through the ceiling and we´ve got a lot of water damage inside from our typical afternoon rain showers since the hurricane. The others are right though, we didn¨t lose any planes the Cadets were sent to Lakeland to be parked in the hangers for Sun n Fun and the Arrows, Seminoles, and Zlins went to Dothan. I hope the Alabama tourism dept. likes all the money we dropped in their restaurants while we were there. A total of 15 days the entire month of September.

Pipers main hanger is really hit bad. They were supposed to be closed for 3 weeks and that was after Frances. Since Jeanne, things got a lot worse in Piper land. The main hanger got its roof ripped off and the part that was there fell inward. There were boards that were put through its walls like a nail gun and the finish and paint lines are completely gone, in pieces all over their part of the airport.

Worst of all at VRB was the SUN Jet Center Hanger. The thing looks like a bombed out building from the war. The roof is completely gone. Theres nothing left. Some people parked their cars behind it hoping that the building would shelter them from the wind. whoops. The roof pieces landed on their cars and totalled them. Hertz parked their rental cars there too. At least they used to.
Thing are back to normal though now. Planes flying every day and lots of blue tarps and clean'up trucks to pick up the pieces.

 

[bobbysamd]

F S I

I'd bet the "fishbowl" survived intact. But good to hear that no aircraft were lost, and, hopefully, no one was hurt.

In 1992, with Hurricane Andrew approaching, we moved all the aircraft into the Piper hangar. For a time it looked like Andrew would take dead aim at Vero. Of course, it ravaged Miami. All we got were about one rainband and 30 mph winds.

Hope all is fixed soon. I'd bet the contract students found it all very scary.