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Old 03-15-2023 | 07:53 AM
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dckozak
done, gone skiing
 
Joined: May 2005
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From: Rocking chair
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Your question(s) have been asking many times on many different aviation forums. Expect to see a wide variance in opinion based on peoples own experiences and subjective bias of the industry. My own take; you only mentioned time, as in wishing to complete quickly, or what takes as fast in this industry. You also implied you are interested in the airlines, by way of mentioning The United training program. Having started your PPL in New England, I assume that's home and anywhere else will require at minimum, temporary housing and the associated cost. You are probably already aware what some of the "Zero 2 Hero" programs (so called because they advertise training and flight time up to ATP mins to get you into a regional job). Are you willing to spend 100K, or are you looking to do this as cheaply as possible? There is endless advice on both the cost affective end (cheap) and the premium expensive way. Only you are your accountant know which you can afford or are obliged to do. Most will advise against financing if at all possible. My suggestion is not to use a training center or national programs financing if at all possible. Bad terms with high interest rates reported.

Generally quick means going south, either Florida, Texas or Arizona due to weather primarily. Most of these programs train under FAR 141 vs 61, the way you are probably training right now. It is more scripted and better suited for most students who want/need a formalized approach to training. Bigger schools generally better with regards to scheduling and availabilty of equipment, though a very busy school with inadequate resources would also have that issue. It may cost you more time, but putting together a war chest for your next block of training (commercial/instrument) would be a wise move. Most pilots working toward the airline or corporate goal will flight instruct to bridge between the 300+- hour mark that will probably be your flight time with an instructors certificate, and the 1500 hours required to move on. Expect that to take 18 months, give or take. A school that will hire you after you have learned there and has a steady flow of students is a real plus. Like the training you received, teaching hours will come faster or at least more steady where winter does not affect flying as much.

One last thing. Don't chase the airline gateway programs without further research. Plenty of opinion both for and against getting involved. No experience personally but I don't like things that limit my options, especially when I still don't really understand those options.
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