Fallout from the Florida teen's recent suicide crash of a small plane into a skyscraper continues in the Tristate, with local flight schools undergoing a range of subtle changes in security.

        Plane keys at several facilities are now kept by instructors, under tighter controls. Scrutiny of newcomers is a higher priority.

        And some are considering stringent medical background checks, following the revelation that Charles Bishop, the 15-year-old who crashed a Cessna into a Bank of America building in Tampa, was using the acne drug Accutane. Accutane has been linked, anecdotally but inconclusively, to depression and suicide.

        “Part is making sure students have that medical background,” said Drew Hall, chief instructor at Lunken Airport-based Aero Aviation. “That acne might have disqualified him. You'll see more background checks.”

        “It is a good point, but once they're ready to solo, they have to do the medical anyway,” said Joe Conrad, president of Hamilton Airport-based Pro Aero flight school. “But I guess it's a way to screen for drugs.”

        He echoed other flight-school officials when he said, “We're doing what we can, ever since September.” But, he added, “obviously with what happened in Florida, the instructor wasn't suspicious. He had flown with him before. With new students, instructors will be more critical.”

        Pro Aero used to just give registered students keys when appropriate. No more.

        Charles, a student pilot, was not allowed to fly alone when he grabbed the Cessna keys, unbeknownst to his instructor. No one under 16 can fly solo; pilots may fly at 16 only on a student provision. Pilots can get their license at 17.

        Officials at most local schools said there are very few teen student pilots. Some, such as Pro Aero, had none last year. Most students are college-age and aspire to a career in aviation, or newcomers in their 40s or 50s.

        “We've had maybe two a year,” Bill Anderson, spokesman for Clermont County Airport-based Eastern Cincinnati Aviation, said of teen students.

        He said the school is satisfied after reviewing its security measures.

        Of the 640,000 licensed pilots in the United States, there are 17,026 ages 16-19 with some kind of certification, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).

        Enquirer reporter James Pilcher contributed.
       

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