Hillsboro Aero Academy to Train Vietnamese Pilots

Miki Barnes
January 27, 2021

Below is an excerpt from a 12/18/2020 article, Oregon Flight School Receives Vietnam Training Nod, by Curt Epstein.

"Oregon-based Hillsboro Aero Academy (HAA) has received approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) to conduct professional pilot training in accordance with CAAV regulations. The move will allow Hillsboro to accept Vietnamese students to its flight academy campuses."

"It will also build on the company's presence in the Asia-Pacific region, as it already holds certification from China's Civil Aviation Authority (CAAC) and conducts pilot training for Air China, China Eastern, Shandong Airlines, and Sichuan Airlines. Korean Air is also a client and the company attracts many students from Japan."

This follows on the heels of a November 2020 press release from Hillsboro Aero Academy announcing plans to train helicopter pilots on behalf of the European Union. See Hillsboro Aero Academy and RotorSky launch first-of-its-kind FAA/EASA joint training for helicopter pilots.

Additional information on this topic is posted on the Oregon Aviation Watch website.

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Hillsboro Aero Academy (HAA) has forged yet another deal to train foreign pilots over our homes and neighborhoods while blanketing local residents in noise, lead emissions and pollution generated by this activity. As noted in previous postings, HAA is owned by East Coast investment firms Graycliff Partners and Renovus Capital, out-of-state corporations that line their pockets by exploiting the local community. The unelected Port of Portland Board of Commissioners and the Portland Community College Aviation Sciences program are equally complicit in profiting from the degradation of the environment, threat to public health, destruction of livability and exploitation of area residents.

FAA airmen statistics reveal that less than 1/4 of one percent of the U.S. population, including student pilots recruited from overseas, is certified to fly in the U.S., yet this sliver of the population is responsible for generating relentless noise and pumping 456 tons of lead into the environment every single year.

According to the CDC, there is no safe level of lead in a child's blood. The negative health consequences of exposure to this toxin, including but not limited to ADHD, learning problems, behavior disorders, increased violence, diminished IQ, and damage to unborn fetuses, may be irreversible. Thanks in large part to Hillsboro Aero Academy, the Hillsboro Airport now ranks 11th in the nation among more than 20,000 airports in lead emissions.

Take Action

Contact U.S. Federal, State, and Local Officials:

• Tell them that the local populations bearing the brunt of the cost, noise and pollution generated by these aviation activities should have a democratic voice in the process.
• Tell them to immediately terminate all flight training until impacted communities are provided an opportunity to vote on whether or not they want to forfeit their health, livability, quality of life, and the environment to the Port of Portland, Hillsboro Aero Academy, and flight training industry profiteers.
• Tell them to establish laws insuring that government agencies and aviation businesses that intentionally and knowingly compromise the health and well-being of current and future generations are subject to criminal prosecution.
• Remind them that the antiquated, exploitative, white privilege, patriarchal values that have long been a defining feature of the FAA, Port of Portland, and the aviation industry pose a serious threat to democracy, public health, the environment and ultimately the ability of the planet to sustain human, animal, and plant life.

Federal:

Senator Ron Wyden - Portland (503) 326-7525, Washington D.C. (202) 224-5244 or by email at the following link https://www.wyden.senate.gov/contact/email-ron.

Senator Jeff Merkley - Portland (503) 326-3386, Washington D.C. (202) 224-3753 or by email https://www.merkley.senate.gov/contact.

Congressional Representative Suzanne Bonamici - Beaverton (503) 469-6010, Washington DC (202) 225-0855 or by email https://bonamici.house.gov/contact.

Congressional Representative Earl Blumenauer - Portland (503) 231-2300, Washington D.C. (202) 225-4811 or by email https://blumenauerforms.house.gov/forms/writeyourrep/.

Congressional Representative Peter DeFazio - Eugene 541-465-6732, Washington D.C. 202-225-6416 or by email at https://defazio.house.gov/contact/contact-peter.

State of Oregon:

Governor Kate Brown - Salem - (503) 378-4582 or by email https://www.oregon.gov/gov/pages/contact.aspx.

Oregon Senators and Representatives:

Contact information for state senators and representative is available at https://gov.oregonlive.com/legislators/.

Washington County Commissioners:

Contact information for Washington County Commissioners is available at https://www.co.washington.or.us/BOC/Commissioners/index.cfm.

City of Hillsboro Mayor and City Council:

Contact information for the City of Hillsboro Mayor and City Council is available at https://www.hillsboro-oregon.gov/your-city-government/the-mayor-and-city-council.