Originally Posted by
Abouttime2fish
As we start down the flight training, college search process, what I’m discovering in my son is he wants to fly planes, but he also wants to pick his own major. Not aviation management or similar. This throws RATP out the window, but opens other training paths. I am worried about getting flight training down while studying for a non aviation major,,,,
I'm pretty sure you could knock out all ratings up to CFI in four years, especially if you commit summers to flying.
Location (weather) could be a factor though, and also need a good local school that can consistently accommodate your schedule. Depending on finances, an option might be to find a good local instructor and commit do fly a certain amount with him/her, in exchange for preferential scheduling. Would also need reliable rentals available (we have plenty in my area, but might hard in some places)... or maybe just buy a plane.
Might be harder if the degree is in engineering, or a few other STEM majors which tend to high workloads. But even then, if you buckle down during the school you should be able to keep your summers mostly free. Or five-year program.
Personally if my kid wanted to get a decent major and do flight training in college, I'd write some checks to facilitate that (not entirely a hypothetical, I'll know soon).