A local helicopter tour company is out of business leaving employees and student pilots out in the cold. Silver State Helicopters has ceased operations and has filed for chapter seven bankruptcy relief.
The company's former owner, Jerry Airola, ran for sheriff last year and lost. Silver State Helicopters merged with an investment group last year to create Silver State Helicopter Services. Airola remains on the board of directors and is the only person on the business license.
Read the Silver State Helicopters bankruptcy press release
Monday, he was no where to be found. No one from the company wanted to talk to us, except those are now feeling the punch.
"I'm not going to answer any of your questions. You guys need to leave the property. Thank you," said one man who wouldn't identify himself.
Read Jerry Airola's email to employees
Inside the offices we could see stacks of boxes but no employees in sight.
Student Allan Duncan moved to Las Vegas from Missouri to become a pilot. After months of research, he chose Silver State Helicopters.
"It looked like a great program. There were on the Forbes list of fasted growing companies. They compared their program to others -- it just looked wonderful," he said.
Monday he planned to make one last flight before getting his private license.
"I was actually supposed to get that tomorrow -- Tuesday, and I get a call last night from my instructor, "Silver State has gone bankrupt. You have no more school,"" he said.
In a 2006 interview with the Channel 8 I-Team, Jerry Airola, said his business was flourishing, "Whatever I have to do to make it work. I hired the right people. We put together a great program and did what we said we were going to do and the company became successful."
A plan for success that appears to have turned to failure, leaving employees and students wondering where to turn.
Duncan says he took out a loan for $70,000 for the class, "I feel like I've been deceived."
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The company's owner, Jerry Airola, ran for sheriff last year and lost.
In a 2006 interview with the Channel 8 I-Team, Jerry Airola, the owner of Silver State Helicopters, said his business was flourishing.
