Grand Aire Express

[1] From 1987 until early 1999 the Detroit FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) held oversight responsibility for GAE while the operation was based in Monroe, Michigan.

However, when GAE moved its headquarters to Toledo, Ohio (about 20 miles south) [10] in early 1999 the Cleveland Flight Standards District Office took over surveillance of the company.

Walter Moor was one of the FAA Primary Operations Inspector over GAE while the certificate was supervised by the Cleveland FSDO.

Moor told Cheema the Cleveland FSDO was simply following the “handbooks and regulations, and their job was to ensure that those requirements were met".

[11] Ken Shauman, was the former FAA Primary Maintenance Inspector over GAE while the certificate was supervised by the Cleveland FSDO.

In April 2001, prior to the transfer of the certificate to the Detroit FSDO, Shauman wrote: “This is not a safe, nor compliant motivated operation.

All the indicators and comparison factors, predicting a major catastrophic event in this operator’s future, are glaringly evident”.

[11] In the same interview the NTSB asked how the Detroit office was to work with now and Cheema replied, "fair", "the company wanted communication.

[11] John Hogan was another FAA Principle Operation Inspector over GAE while the certificate was supervised by the Cleveland FSDO.

Hogan did not think the certificate should have been moved back to Detroit, but he said the FAA Regional headquarters made that decision.