MBA
 

I'm looking at pursuing an MBA and I there are so many options and I'm seeking the opinion of fellow APCers. I don't want to give up flying completely but would love to work in management yet still be able to fly occasionally (if that's possible). I also would like to have a fall-back in the event that something would happen to me (medical, furlough, etc.)

I've considered applying to top full-time programs (Stanford, Notre Dame, MIT) which would force me to quit my current job as an FO at a regional. I might be able to flight instruct part-time to stay current, but ultimately would look at two years without flying.

Would it be hard to get back into a flying career? What are the chances of getting hired in managment and then being able to transition into flight ops?

Sounds like you need to decide what you want to be when you grow up. Having a backup plan is a good idea, but I'm not sure giving up seniority to go get a masters is a good idea unless you really intend to use the masters.

All depends on hiring demand at the time. You will most likely need to be doing at least some CFI work to keep current.

Not much point to that, since you would be starting over at the bottom of the list. Although there is at least one cargo operator which hires "management pilots" who (I think) are not on the seniority list and do occasional flying. Unfortunately the company tends to use them a lot when they get short of pilots so they are viewed mostly as replacement pilots (esp when people are furloughed).

You would be better off getting a seniority number and then transitioning into training and then onto management. It's common for management pilots to have a) been around a long time and b) have previous experience in the training department.

Look into embry riddle. The cost is reasonable. You can do it all online or take some classes in person, on a normal 121 reserve schedule I had no problem taking one course per term. With more than 10 days off a month you could take more. I am on my final capstone course and should be done this spring. In total about 3 years, but I did take a few terms off for financial reasons and for training when I got hired at my airline. Good luck, there are a lot of online options out there now.

I agree with Rickair's comment on this... management pilots are not typically MBAs, but rather folks who flew the line and worked in training for a long time beforehand.

As a current MBA student, I can tell you that you won't have time to flight instruct, especially if you attend a top tier program. You likely already know that the investment (in both money and time) is significant. Unless you have greater means than most, you should probably consider if an MBA is going to lead you down a path that you will enjoy while enabling you to pay off the debt you'll likely accrue. I don't have to tell you that being a regional pilot will not achieve the latter.

Thanks for the input guys, and frankly I assumed that would be the response I would get, but I figured it was worth asking. I've also looked at part-time programs at good MBA programs as well, but the biggest dilemma is the financial investment and whether or not it will pay off. I'm to the point where I think the safest bet if I want to pursue the MBA would be to change careers, but I'm not ready to give up flying.

Does anyone know anything about aviation consulting firms? I've done a littel bit of research and it sounds like a good job, however the profiles for the companies only list guys with 30 years of experience. I'm wondering how difficult it is to break into entry level positions at firms like this.

Thanks again.

I'm interested in this sort of thing as well (having a management position and being able to fly occasionally as well). FBO manager, starting your own light biz, flight school department teacher? comes to mind, but that doesn't seem like it pays too well. What other opportunities are out there and what are there approx salaries? Like what's aviation consulting/insurance entail?

Can anyone recommend a online MBA program beside Embry-Riddle?

A Question of Priorities
 

Earning your MBA or any other advanced degree is a commendable pursuit. In your case, you need to decide what you ultimately want to be: a pilot or a manager.

A top-tier school will probably take nearly all of your time and attention, so you won't be able to do much more than minimal instructing. Additionally, once you complete your degree, there's no guarantee that your MBA will get you a job. It can certainly help, but in many cases you might be able to secure a management position with just a Bachelor's (depending on the company and your undergrad degree).

Also, if your ultimate goal is to be a pilot, forfeiting your seniority and stepping away from the industry for at least two years can potentially be much more of a hindrance than an MBA can be as a benefit. Think about this: nobody knows what the hiring landscape will look like in two years, especially with the proposed 1,500 Hour Rule looking to go into effect this August. Suppose you step away and the industry gets hit with a major furlough. Such could further hurt your chances of getting back into the cockpit, as you'll likely have minimal currency and will have been out of the Part 121 game for a few years.

If the MBA is really just to be a fallback rather than a career necessity, I would suggest holding off until you've thought about it some more. If you ever do get furloughed, maybe that would be the time to take up the MBA and part-time flight instructing route. Otherwise, stepping away from the cockpit voluntarily could be an extremely difficult obstacle to overcome if/when you decide to get back into flying.

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Texas A&M Commerce

UT Tyler

Univ of Colorado

all are bonafide schools with physical campus. you want the program to have AACSB certification also.