Originally Posted by
Wanna
Alright, I'm finally going to pull the trigger and start my pilot training and my question is "Is it really important which pilot school you choose"? I have a friend who runs a very small flight school here in Oklahoma and right now he can get me my private and Instrument rating for $18,000. He currently doesn't have a multi-engine plane, but he could rent one and he thinks he could get me my commercial license for 22,000 with Multi-engine rating. After researching, this would be well on the lower side of schooling to get me ready to be a airline pilot, but he doesn't have any contracts with regional airlines so would it be harder for me to get hired on once I'm finished and have gained enough hours? Or is it best to go to a well established school that regional airlines visit frequently to hire pilots? Thank you to all who help me decide!
I have been reading through forums for over a year now, and the consensus seems to be that you should get your ratings as cheaply as possible. As for contracts with regionals, I don't think this plays a role until you're at the CFI stage. At that point it's where you're working, not where you trained. Even then, 1,500 hours is 1,500 hours, and you can apply to whichever regional works best for you. Choosing a regional is a separate conversation.