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Old 01-05-2009 | 02:24 PM
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rickair7777
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From: Engines Turn or People Swim
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I second the thought that you should consider the military. I'm pretty sure you could get an ROTC or academy scholarship.

However...the downside to that is if you do not get a flight slot (possibly due to minor medical or vision discrepancies) you would still be obligated to military service for 4-10 years.This happened to me...

A safer option for someone who really wants to fly would be to get a college degree on your own and learn to fly on the side. Do not get an aviation degree unless it is in engineering. Avoid schools dedicated to aviation, state schools or in your case big-name schools offer more return on your investment than any dedicated aviation college. Ultimately learning to fly airplanes is vo-tech, not real higher education...kind of like welding or auto-mechanics. With your ability, do not blow your college years on "aviation science".

After college (actually as a junior), you should look seriously into flying for the Air national Guard or USAF reserve. This would allow you to fly at a regional airline while also earning the military credentials which are most competitive at the big airlines. If you wash out of military training, your civilian flying career will not be on hold since you will not have an active-duty obligation.
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