Originally Posted by
gcap
Grandson wants to fly! He is a freshman at a college in Boston (business) now but wants to do what I have done for the last 55 years!
He has flown with me in the Challenger and the Global and watched my airline career for most of his life.
He is also a superb athlete and might be able to get some scholarship money (soccer and basketball).
I welcome any and all ideas!!
Those programs are typically not good value for the money. If money is no object, there are several good options, UND comes to mind.
If finances are an issue then best path would be to go to a decent school you can afford, major in something that would have career backup value, and do flight training on the side. Probably want a college located somewhere with multiple flight school options nearby. Would need to dedicate a lot of summer time to training, especially if he's a scholarship athlete. Athletics might weight the scales in favor of an aviation university, since it would simplify/integrate flight training.
Also there is another Pro to aviation college programs if you weren't aware: Restricted ATP (R-ATP). If you attend an approved school, major in flights ops, AND complete your flight training under their program you can get an R-ATP and a regional job at 1000 hours instead of 1500. That's normally not a huge deal, and not worth the money, since a busy CFI could make up that difference in about 6 months or even less. But with the retirement wave in full swing, every day counts for some long-term seniority.
If you go that route, do the research and make sure you understand the requirements to qualify for the R-ATP.