Originally Posted by
snipeya66
I'm 17 yrs old and about to enter my senior year of high school. I haven't taken any flying lessons yet. Flying caught my eye last year when I was traveling to California for vacation. I would one day love to be a pilot for a major airline. I have been researching various training possibilities for a couple of months now. I would really appreciate some advice from people who have been trained at college or at a flight school. I don't know which one to choose because I live in Indiana where there are no real flight schools close, but I have Purdue two hours away. So I'm asking, what's the better route? Flight school or a 4-yr college. I've heard Purdue has a well-recognized flight program. Any elaborations on this would be great whether they are good or bad.
How hard is it to enter into a college like Purdue for flight training? Does Purdue have a good record of producing top pilots that excel in their careers?
Or should I go to a flight school in Florida or out west and just do online courses? I'm going to get a college degree either way, I just don't know which path would be more logical.
snipeya66
I was in your shoes about 15 years ago. Indiana resident and didn't know anything about flying. I was fortunate enough to get into Purdue and have had a great experience with my career so far, but I'm the exception right now, not the rule. You'll hear a lot on these forums about getting into something else, and I can't say I totally disagree as I see many of my friends who are getting ready to be furloughed with multiple mouths to feed. But if it's what you
really want to do, go for it. The industry is rough right now, as it was when I started school, but it can and hopefully will turn for the positive. I remember my first day of class a Prof. saying, "Good luck here and you'll be lucky to get a job when you graduate." There was 1 opening for a flight instructor position at Purdue and they had 50 applicants. When I graduated 4 years later, there were 3 openings and 3 applicants. I had 2 job offers without even interviewing.
Being an Indiana resident, the in-state tuition is huge to have. I'd also recommend getting a back-up degree, but I recall the syllabus being very structured and not having a lot of wiggle room. It may add another year of school but I would recommend it. As someone earlier mentioned, the best thing about Purdue, or any large university, is the experience of college diversity (athletics, girls, arts, girls, parties with co-eds. Did I mention the girls?
).
PM me if you have any further questions. I tried to PM you this, but I don't think you're eligible since you lack the required number of posts.
Good luck.