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Looking for advice: Flight School/Education

Old 06-19-2017, 10:02 AM
  #1  
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Post Looking for advice: Flight School/Education

Hello,
I have recently gained an interest and desire to become a pilot. I have been searching all over the internet and I'm not sure where to start. I am 25, no college degree, and recently moved to Colorado. I am interested in getting a Private Pilot License, working my way up to a Commercial License and learning everything I need to know. I'm not sure if I want to work for regional, majors, cargo, corporate, get into aerobatics, or find a way to involve it with a photography job. There are so many opportunities that I'd just like to get my license first and go from there. I am also interested in going to school and finally getting a degree.

I know there are a a few options out there:
1. Go to an Aviation University (UND, Embry-Riddle, Purdue..)
2. Military/Airforce
3. Go to a local mom/pop flight school and at the same time attending a college for a degree for something else. (I read about having a back up plan in case you don't pass a medical, furlough, etc.)

I really love the thought of attending a school like UND and just being fully immersed in everything aviation, being surrounded by students with the same passion and goals, having access to alumni, a network, and many programs/clubs. I also like that they are part 141 and seem very thorough. I won't ponder if I'm missing any sort of important knowledge/training by going to UND. My main concern is I just moved to CO and can't afford the expense of moving again so quickly. But I'm not ruling it out. I'm also very interested in the local mom/pop flight schools due to the opportunity of gaining special knowledge they don't teach you in school. I like that in the area we can get mountain flying training that you can't obtain in flat land ND... Plus, it's much cheaper. I also have NO life obligations right now (boyfriend, friends, family, school, job, etc.) as I just moved here. So that does allow me to put in the time and dedication to fly and train as often as I want. I think If I went to a mom/pop flight school I could "fly" through training pretty quickly

That also brings up another question. This might be a silly question but are there places to look that would offer financial help for mom/pop schools? I.E. scholarships/grants. I'd need to be taking out a hefty ($30,000-$40,000?) personal loan in order to do this. I am currently looking for a job.

I'm looking to hopefully receive some insight, advice, and personal experiences. If there is anyone reading this from CO: What flight school and education route did you choose?
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Old 06-19-2017, 03:32 PM
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Have you flown before... if not, go take an intro flight and see how you like it.

In a nut shell...

Go to a 141 school like ALLATPS. They will train you for the airline (regional) job and at a much lower cost than mom/pop 61. All in multi's too. Graduate w a job in cfi seat until you qualify for regionals.

College only if you plan to go to majors. Personally, I think a college education is important regardless of an employment prospect.

Take a loan and get it done quick.
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Old 06-20-2017, 08:25 AM
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ATP Flight School is a good option, but it is not a "a much lower cost than mom/pop 61" option. The advantage that ATP has over "Mom/Pop" is time and a defined cost up front. "Mom/Pop" may be difficult to finance, depending upon your personal financial situation. If you choose ATP, go for the 40hr ME option: it's $10,000 less expensive. Sure, you come away with fewer Multi hours, but if you stay with ATP as a CFI, you'll get plenty of multi-time.

That's not to say that "Mom/Pop" is a bad option. Going this route will get you where you want. Airlines don't care generally where you got your certificates. However, "Mom/Pop" may take significantly longer than ATP (for example). The more you fly, the faster your training will progress (generally speaking). Not all "Mom/Pop" locations are the same. Some have excellent aircraft/instructor variety and availability, others leave a lot to be desired.

Given your age, the collegiate programs might be your best bet. The advantage is that you'll be able to qualify for the Restricted ATP. You'll have to choose an aviation major, which may have limited utility in a non-aviation job market. Further, this route may be the easiest to finance.

The military route is a long and difficult one. Getting a flying slot is not easy and comes with a significant time commitment. Joining a flying Guard/Reserve unit would probably be "easier," but there is still a lot of competition to get one of the few slots that come available at any one time.


If you haven't already done so, take a discovery flight. Then, get a First Class medical. You won't need that level to train, but it's best to find out now if you can/can't obtain one.
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Old 06-21-2017, 05:40 PM
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I had a friend, a CFI, who took me up recently just for fun. I loved it and that is why I'd like to pursue. I've spent a lot of time thinking and what I've come up with as of yet, is to:

1. Attend a community college for one year to get some of those general education classes out of the way.
2. At the same time take a ground course and obtain my PPL through a mom/pop flight school.
3. Then transfer to UND next summer for three years.
If all works out I will be looking at a $99,000 expense., or less. yikes.

I don't really have family or friends occupying my time or distracting me. So as long as I can comprehend at a decent pace I think I'll be able to move pretty swiftly... hopefully cutting down school tuition costs or to have it balance out as I've been considering investing more time into UND to take some additional classes for ATC to fall back on.

I've read some pretty awful things about ATP School. I had made an attempt to call them and get some information. No one had returned my call until a week later. I've contacted about 4-5 schools total and each of the other schools got back to me the very next day. Additionally, with the costs for ATP I'd rather pay that much and more and have it include a degree.
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Old 06-21-2017, 05:53 PM
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I went through ATP and it did what they said it would. Got me from 4 hours TT to 250 in ~7 months.

Not sure if you have thought about this yet, but there are schools such as Utah Valley, or Riddle where you can use your ratings you already have towards a degree. So if you speed through ATP to get your ratings, then instruct to get to a regional. You could then do college online while at the regional and since you have your ATP and all those ratings you get almost a year and a half of credits towards your 4 year degree. Just another way of saving a little bit of money.
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Old 06-24-2017, 08:32 PM
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Originally Posted by Jrellim27 View Post
Hello,
I have recently gained an interest and desire to become a pilot. I have been searching all over the internet and I'm not sure where to start. I am 25, no college degree, and recently moved to Colorado. I am interested in getting a Private Pilot License, working my way up to a Commercial License and learning everything I need to know. I'm not sure if I want to work for regional, majors, cargo, corporate, get into aerobatics, or find a way to involve it with a photography job. There are so many opportunities that I'd just like to get my license first and go from there. I am also interested in going to school and finally getting a degree.

I know there are a a few options out there:
1. Go to an Aviation University (UND, Embry-Riddle, Purdue..)
2. Military/Airforce
3. Go to a local mom/pop flight school and at the same time attending a college for a degree for something else. (I read about having a back up plan in case you don't pass a medical, furlough, etc.)

I really love the thought of attending a school like UND and just being fully immersed in everything aviation, being surrounded by students with the same passion and goals, having access to alumni, a network, and many programs/clubs. I also like that they are part 141 and seem very thorough. I won't ponder if I'm missing any sort of important knowledge/training by going to UND. My main concern is I just moved to CO and can't afford the expense of moving again so quickly. But I'm not ruling it out. I'm also very interested in the local mom/pop flight schools due to the opportunity of gaining special knowledge they don't teach you in school. I like that in the area we can get mountain flying training that you can't obtain in flat land ND... Plus, it's much cheaper. I also have NO life obligations right now (boyfriend, friends, family, school, job, etc.) as I just moved here. So that does allow me to put in the time and dedication to fly and train as often as I want. I think If I went to a mom/pop flight school I could "fly" through training pretty quickly

That also brings up another question. This might be a silly question but are there places to look that would offer financial help for mom/pop schools? I.E. scholarships/grants. I'd need to be taking out a hefty ($30,000-$40,000?) personal loan in order to do this. I am currently looking for a job.

I'm looking to hopefully receive some insight, advice, and personal experiences. If there is anyone reading this from CO: What flight school and education route did you choose?
If you're in Colorado, I recommend doing your training at a local community college than transferring to a state, four year school to finish your degree while you instruct. You'll get great training that way, and be ahead of the game by the time you graduate. Have you looked at Metro State? (I'm not from CO, but I know they're a CO college with a flight program). I've yet to meet a pilot at a regional that finished their degree online while working at a regional. Not that they don't exist, but it's very very rare. That's because it's difficult.

You don't need to go to UND to get great training. (Not to knock on them by any means). For some reason everyone forgets your training standards and licenses come from Oklahoma city/your local FSDO. The main things that will vary from flight school to flight school are the aircraft, rates and management. As you can see there is no golden route; what works for one person may not work for you. One thing is for sure though, you WILL need a four year degree (any major will do) and your certs and hours though.

Also, by default there aren't very many scholarships for aviation, which is something that has always baffled me, because its easily the most expensive career path/college major... The ones that do exist are insanely competitive and don't offer much. Your university or college if you elect to go that route may offer some scholarships that will help with tuition and books, but flight fees are almost always paid with student loans or savings.
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Old 07-01-2017, 05:55 AM
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Good luck with everything, yes it can be expensive.
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Old 08-04-2017, 12:11 AM
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Originally Posted by Jrellim27 View Post
Hello,
I have recently gained an interest and desire to become a pilot. I have been searching all over the internet and I'm not sure where to start. I am 25, no college degree, and recently moved to Colorado. I am interested in getting a Private Pilot License, working my way up to a Commercial License and learning everything I need to know. I'm not sure if I want to work for regional, majors, cargo, corporate, get into aerobatics, or find a way to involve it with a photography job. There are so many opportunities that I'd just like to get my license first and go from there. I am also interested in going to school and finally getting a degree.

I know there are a a few options out there:
1. Go to an Aviation University (UND, Embry-Riddle, Purdue..)
2. Military/Airforce
3. Go to a local mom/pop flight school and at the same time attending a college for a degree for something else. (I read about having a back up plan in case you don't pass a medical, furlough, etc.)

I really love the thought of attending a school like UND and just being fully immersed in everything aviation, being surrounded by students with the same passion and goals, having access to alumni, a network, and many programs/clubs. I also like that they are part 141 and seem very thorough. I won't ponder if I'm missing any sort of important knowledge/training by going to UND. My main concern is I just moved to CO and can't afford the expense of moving again so quickly. But I'm not ruling it out. I'm also very interested in the local mom/pop flight schools due to the opportunity of gaining special knowledge they don't teach you in school. I like that in the area we can get mountain flying training that you can't obtain in flat land ND... Plus, it's much cheaper. I also have NO life obligations right now (boyfriend, friends, family, school, job, etc.) as I just moved here. So that does allow me to put in the time and dedication to fly and train as often as I want. I think If I went to a mom/pop flight school I could "fly" through training pretty quickly

That also brings up another question. This might be a silly question but are there places to look that would offer financial help for mom/pop schools? I.E. scholarships/grants. I'd need to be taking out a hefty ($30,000-$40,000?) personal loan in order to do this. I am currently looking for a job.

I'm looking to hopefully receive some insight, advice, and personal experiences. If there is anyone reading this from CO: What flight school and education route did you choose?
Hi,

Find an instructor, first of all, i get some useful information. Also, there are lot of self-study options, books, sites, mobile application, which help you learn for example PPL, or IFR.
If you interested in, i can give you some links, where you can look around.
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Old 08-15-2017, 12:10 AM
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I'm in the same boat - looking to jump on the hiring wagon while it's moving - and am looking for a starting point. Could you please post those links here for self-starters?
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Old 09-07-2017, 05:02 AM
  #10  
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Thumbs up Check out CAU

Have a look at California Aeronautical University www.Calaero.com.

We offer a Bachelors degree (satisfying the restricted ATP requirements), immersion program, and a unique solely aviation university campus in sunny California (yes with plenty of mountains).

3 year program that meets your needs and gets you ready for the professional aviation culture!

Good luck!

Adam
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