Flightcap

It doesn't have to be that way. I spent around $60-70k for my B.S. Flight Operations, CFII-MEI. Thanks to scholarships, part-time jobs in school, etc., I had $25k in student loans upon graduation. Down to $20k now 15 months after graduation. It's not impossible to get a quality aviation degree for less than $100k.

Yes, I know most of my peers in the IT degrees are debt-free and rocking it right now. But they fly a desk.

tom11011

I think the smartest move might be get a degree in something other than aviation as a backup plan.

Flightcap

This ^^^^^^^

I got an A.S. Computer Science and A.A.S. Management for less than $15k at the local community college. Used both degrees to help land part-time jobs to pay the way through flight training. Paid massive dividends.

Ray Red

When I started flying, I spent about $15,000 for my rating at a pt 61 school. My first airline job paid less than $20,000 for the first year. Even at $20,000 training cost that would have been a 1:1 ratio, now it's more in the neighborhood of 5:1. That is to just get a commercial ticket. No wonder no one wants to get into this business.

tom11011

I started flying back in 1991 at a local FBO. I paid for my private pilot out of pocket which at the time cost $3500 if I recall all in (with a little help from mom and dad). Back then, a 152 cost about $30/hour wet. Add on $20 for the flight instructor.

After that, I got a job as line service at the same FBO and paid for all the rest of my ratings by trading line service duties for flying. I think those days are gone forever but back then answering the phones, gasing up airplanes, washing them, etc.. was acceptable work that could be traded for flying hours. Some of the best memories of my life and best friends ever made come from this FBO.

The FBO also gave me my first job as flight instructor, and then flying charter in their twin. I went on to get my ATP at this FBO too flying the same twin that did charter and ME training. Had 1700 hours when I got my first 'commuter' airline gig. Was living at home going to college.

Pre 9/11 days were so much less complicated.

beech1980

LOL! I wish I was not serious or accurate! Like I said, go tally up all the costs yourself.. I was dumb founded as you are. They hit you up for insurance at the tune of $1300 per semester at Riddle. It keeps adding up.

Std Deviation

Flying almost meets the clinical definition of addiction:
- willing to obtain it at all costs, affects life and family, etc.
Other than that it defies all logic given return on investment.
Trying to thread the needle to get that one dream job. The analogy is professional sports - playing junior A or minor league ball at $12,000 a year for a chance at the majors.

When passion flows logic goes out the window. I had a friend that went to chef school. $50,000 in tuition for a job that requires 6 days a week, 12 hours a day, all to start at 35K and maybe top out at 70.

On another note-We push college as a society. In reality a lot of people would be better off in trade school. There's a lot of debt ridden people with a Masters working at Starbucks while their high school classmates make $100K a year as a welder or electrician.

gloopy

If those numbers are anywhere remotely close to being true, its a very good thing you can't get financing for it.

That said, even if you're playing with daddy's money its a pathetic "investment" to overpay that much for a degree and some ratings. You can get just as good a degree somewhere else and train at FBO's for dramatically less money. Oh but you might not get to solo in an all glass G1000 plane LOL!

Std Deviation

Seeing this cost transition even for private pilots. I still do some GA instructing and all my clients are now high net worth individuals that bought a brand new plane outright. When I got my CFI in 1991 all my students were middle class (police officers, school teacher, fireman, chef, a zoo keeper, line worker at Ford). It really is transitioning to the rich.

tom11011

Mike Rowe whole heartedly agrees with your point of view.