Alright miles, here's the story from a current Junior at Purdue:
My Senior year of high school, I was looking at ERAU, ASU, UND, San Jose State, and Purdue. I was accepted to all (which isn't saying much) and visited all but ERAU. Although at the time I saw Riddle as the "professional" flight school and the obvious choice, I still wanted to visit them all.
First was SJSU. One word: terrible. I think the flight program is shut down now. If not it should be.
Second was UND. I visited during the summer and it was one of the most beautiful days I had ever seen (mind you, this is coming from a born and bred San Diegan). However, when one of the students reminded me that there are days where Celsius and Fahrenheit are equal in the winter, UND was out (the San Diego thing again).
Third was ASU. I was visiting a friend and thought I would kill two birds with one stone. Unfortunately, ASU is like the breeding ground for Mesa pilots. There is an incestuous relationship there that I did NOT want any part of.
Fourth was Purdue. I visited during winter break of my Senior year. I arrived in West Lafayette on a cold, dreary morning in January. There had recently been an ice storm, and it was the coldest I had ever been. The admissions office said it was too cold to give a tour. Despite that, my Dad and I went for a little walk around campus. All the students looked miserable, but all I could think about was how awesome it would be to attend Purdue University. From that day on, Purdue was all I could ever think about. I knew it was the school for me. Not sure why, but it just fit right and felt comfortable. If you get that feeling, you know where your home is for the next four years.
I decided not to visit Riddle, mostly because I knew from the start that I wanted a "traditional" college experience. In reality, the flight training is nearly identical. I'll bet you no matter what school you choose, there will be someone else at the other school that can regurgitate day VFR instrument requirements just as well as you on their Private check ride. Point being that if you want to compare whose flight training is better, you just can't do it.
Here is what I can tell you about the "perks" offered by Purdue flight:
- 10 hours in the right seat of a King Air 200 (guaranteed)
- 2 semesters in a 727-100 full motion simulator (yes it's old, but it is a great learning experience)
- 2 semesters in a 727-200 full motion simulator (LOFT)
In addition to the above, Most other flight schools can't compete on the social aspect. Purdue has the third largest greek system in the country, Big Ten sports, Grand Prix every spring, and the magical *******show that is Breakfast club. Any alumni, please feel free to chime in here.
As mentioned earlier, there is the opportunity to fly right seat in the Beechjet 400A. Every year, the top 12 students with the highest GPAs (usually about a 3.75 GPA is the cutoff) at the end of their Junior year will be selected to try out for 10 slots to fly as co-captain in the Beechjet. Those 10 are sent to Wichita, KS to attend FlightSafety ground school and sim training for the Beechjet, all expenses paid by the University. You then receive anywhere from 30-50 hours in the right seat of the jet. This is hands down the best opportunity in college aviation.
Hopefully this answers a few questions about Purdue. Again, this is not supposed to be an unbiased or objective post by any means. I am solely sharing my experience to this point. With both schools, you will find all types of great alumni and opportunities abound. I only posted the things that separate us from others. I know ERAU and UND offer bridge programs with I think Spirit and Cape Air which is awesome too. Purdue has its ups and downs like any school, but I can honestly tell you I no doubt made the correct choice for me. This may be different for you.
Now, as far as a double major goes, I can give you one great piece of advice I received from a retired Air Force Colonel: "If you're smart enough to choose a second major, don't be stupid enough to have it be related to aviation." Take that for what it's worth.
Now, back to studying the archaic and illogical systems of the infamous 727-100. Man, we really need new sims!