[QUOTE=FLightle]In Defense of the pilot factories...
I attend ERAU in Daytona Beach from 01-05 and graduated with a BA in Aeronatical Science. I'm now a CH-47D Chinook pilot in the Florida Army National Guard and have the approximate civilian hours as some of you posting here.
I am very glad that I made the decision to attend ERAU. Mind you, these are just a few defense points, but I will do my best to paint to total picture.
Overall, flight costs are higher than the norm and aircraft availability during some times of the year or after some syllabus changes is horrible. Expect to shell all in all about 30 grand for all of your tickets. (This is just flight costs) This would be a good time to mention that I attended school on a 100% academic scholarship from the Army that did not include flight costs. For what its worth to you guys, I never would have attended without that scholarship but it opened my eyes to some truths about life. Also, my freshman year, there was a 12% female student body. (It has since risen.)
Without a doubt, in the college environment, ERAU has the greatest core of aviation academia anywhere in the country. I will go as far as to say that the experience level and overall quality of classroom training exceeds that of any of the military classrooms. In the cockpit, the training exceeded the quality of my FBO private pilot experience but that's all I have to go off of. In certain aspects, ERAU flight training exceeds the quality of Army flight training but Army flight training is a totally different animal. In other aspects, ERAU needs to step up the quality. At ERAU, very few of my professors did not serve in the military as pilots. To your left and right for the most part sit extremely motivated and bright students. Their parents are not exceedingly wealthy either.
This awesome core of students is the top reason that I would suggest anyone attend the school. You WILL meet some of the best friends you will ever make. What other college's favorite movie is Top Gun ? (from facebook.com's school pulse) I specifically enjoyed not having to explain myself when I go off on a tangent about aircraft and flying because the guy sitting next to me is trying to do the same thing! Just from students efforts, several aviation clubs exist on campus. Whatever aircraft fetish you have, could probably be satisfied by an existing club. The top rivalry at the school isn't frat vs. frat, guys vs. girls, its Aero Engineers vs. Pilots (Aero Science). I've met REAL life f*cking nerds... I mean REAL REAL nerds and that's just awesome! They happen to be some of the coolest guys ever, by the way. And yes, the pilot group is regarded as a bunch of drunk idiots by the engineers. (Which is also cool.)
The college has the greatest Air Force ROTC program in the country without a doubt. 3 of the 4 Air Force ROTC roommates I had at ERAU are now pilots in the Air Force. Nearly all the Air Force friends I had at college are now Air Force pilots. Given the standards for exceptance, thats pretty good. The Army ROTC program is not the full glory of it's sister branch, but has produced a HUGE amount of military pilots even in the time that I was there. The school also added an extremely well run and successful Navy ROTC program and it has two routes for the Marine Corps. I would venture to say that the school puts out more military pilot officers than any other civilian school in the country.
The bottom line is, never again will I recieve such well rounded and insightful training as what I recieved at ERAU. Note: Well rounded but heavily, heavily aviation. College does not make you educated, YOU make yourself educated with your motivation level. Many of you know this, and you've never been to college.
If you can afford it, or if you are a superior canidate for the officer corps of today's military, then I suggest ERAU. The funny thing is, I am saying all this after I attended there, after I've started paying the bills, and certainly after dealing with the universal bull**** that IS going to college. If you're not motivated, you'll go home after your first semester and say that it's a bunch of crap. (another universal college truth)
Just my 2+ cents. Haha. I had a GREAT time.
Forest Lightle
Run Forest run...
Dude, you drank way too much Kool-aid! As an F-16 pilot, I only attended the "extended campus" for my last 3 years but my part 61 training was top notch and cost me at least 1/2 of what Riddle charges and I still get to fly a kick ass a/c. To all thinking of attending Riddle, do you really want to go to a place where they still quote Top Gun? Real fighter pilots don't do that. Riddle did nothing to get me into a military cockpit aside from checking off the degree container on the app. It worked for you and that's great, but there are cheap and equally as effective routes to take. Cheers.