HEY WOW i havent been in this post for A LONG TIME. alrite wells i decided to go to Florida Tech for good. I got this awesome loan that gives me low interest plus 20 years to pay back, plus a sweet amount of scholarships (at the moment $15,000 a year and counting lol sorry couldnt resist) and i figure i will get scholarships down the road at Florida Tech. Florida Tech just seemd to have the whole package, so Im going there.

To the guy asking about Lewis, props on the scholarship. nice work. lewis isnt for me because well there 95 percent job rate is based on hiring at their FBO for flight instructors. Now dont get me wrong, i know thats an EXCELLENT way to build up flight hours. However, I have talked to a lot of flight instructors there and and FIT, and they dont treat there new CFIS very well at all. However, when i visited them they said within 3 or 4 years they are looking at having a bridge program with American Eagle. SOunds like neat stuff. Also i live like 5 minutes away from Lewis, and no offense but i wana get out of town really bad lol.

To any body else out there, as far as colleges are concerned, it seems like Saint Louis University is going down a great path right now. They almost exclusively are JetBlue's northern internship house, and they get a lot of people into the Southwest internship. They have a pretty cool program. HOWEVER, St. Louis shuts down after 10 if your under 21. NO JOKE!! I mean, Im an honor student and all, but you know everyone likes to have some fun every now and then. Otherwise um, Saint Louis has a pretty cool campus, the professors seem great, and they are VERY well connected. They have a retired pilot from TWA (practically flew everything with wings on it), ex-american, united, and delta flight instructors, as well as retired bussiness executives. Just like Florida Tech, they are a very well connected school. Also the girls are MUCH MORE ATTRACTIVE in St. Louis. Alrite thats my 2 cents. Feel free to comment back.

Also lewis kid, or anybody else considering college, hit me up at
www.myspace.com/blazingpaco

Does FTD time count as actual flying hours?

It doesn't count towards your total time, but as long as it is IFR certified by the FAA you can use it towards some of your ratings.

No. In fact it probably doesn't even count as sim time unless it is an FAA certified instrument simulator...if it is, it will have the FAA authorization posted on the wall.

Apparently your friend did not put enough effort into it. Most of my friends that are graduating this year have their CFII's. On top of that 47 instructors have been hired from the school onto a regional since july '05. Don't bash the school just because your friend had a bad experience.

It's not just as easy as waking up and saying oh "I want to go to USAFA"...It’s an extremely hard to school to get into, not to mention, if you are a senior, you’re probably too late. Most cadets were starting to write congressmen to endorse them while a junior, and probably attended the USAFA camp held during that summer. Also once you are at USAFA your not neccessarliy guranteed a flight spot. Only half of the spots are guranteed to USAFA graduates and the other half go the Air Force ROTC guys. Other instituions (Navy, Army, RTOC programs) offer free schooling at Unviersities, and you can still have a decent social life while attending those Universities.

Not So
 

It's not easy to get into, but is not that difficult either. Even if you don't get in, they have a year long junior college, acadamy prep school on base you might be able to attend. If things work out there, you're golden. You don't have to be right out of high school to attend either, one of the guys in my brothers squad was an enlisted f-15 crew chief, he was old enough that he was drinking with all the upperclassmen his first year there.

The nomination isn't nearly as big a deal as it sounds, usually a phone call or talk with your high school counsoler early in your senior year is enough to set up an appointment with your local congressman.

Only the hardcore cadets that just can't get enough of the military attend the summer camp, most do not. You are not guaranteed a flight spot, but it would be safe to say that you are all but guaranteed one assuming you are willing and able. Last year the acadamy had more flight slots then they had cadets (again willing and able) to fill them.

The academys are the way to go man. I wish I had put a little more effort into trying to make it to one...hind sight is 20/20.

awesomesauce17, thanks for starting this thread, I've learned a lot from it. I'm in the same position as you (except a year younger) and am looking for a good school. Im looking to leave this island too! lol :D

Good luck and blue skies dude :)

What about Louisiana Tech University. Since I have been in the Professional Aviation program there I recieved my Instrument through MEI. I started instructing in between my Freshmen and Sophomore year...now currently in my second year still (Senior by hours) I have 700 TT and 50 ME. I dont think you can get experience like this anywhere else in the country. On the side I copilot a B-200 and a F-90 with RON usually once a week. The school is DIRT CHEAP. After all is said and done I will be about 40-45K in debt. The people there are great, and we in aviation are a real family. Its nice to be able to have a life outside of flying (being a college larger than just aviation), and it is also a NCAA Division 1-A school.

Just my .02

Righhht....
 

First off, the USAFA is one of the most selective schools in the United States. It’s not UND, where you can be accepted after you put the stamp on your application. Requirements include, but not limited to: having at LEAST an average of 30 on your ATC. Also, at LEAST a 630 on the verbal and a 663 on math for the SAT. In addition the averages of students accepted are in the top 3% of their class. The overall process is: 60% of the selection is based upon academics, 20% is based on extracurricular activities, and a 20% selection panel rating. In fact, the AFA encourages students as young as 8th grade to begin preparing for acceptance.

As for the “simple phone call” to “set-up” and appointment also isn’t a guaranteed opportunity. Congressmen are only allowed to write two letters of recommendations a year. Most students willing to go to the AFA start visiting congressman early in their high school career to just get their name out. Just think about how many people are asking for a letter. If your not up to par with your grades, or aren’t a stand-out athlete, you can forget receiving a letter.

Also, the prep school is also extremely difficult to get into as well. Why? Because only a limited number of students are accepted into that program and the majority of the prep students are collegian athletes who were not accepted into AFA. Furthermore, once you arrive at the prep school, you’re not a cadet yet. You’re only referred to as a ‘cadet in training’. The prep school only improves chances for appointment as an Air Force Academy cadet, but does not guarantee one. Because no one, and I mean NO ONE, is guaranteed or “golden” once they get their. The AFA washes out so many people.

As well, once you enter your first year at the AFA you are AUTOMATICALLY a freshman, whether you 19, 20, or 21. Even if you have attended the prep school! Also, freshmen don’t “drink with all the upperclassman”, if they do, they get kicked out, plus not one single upperclassman would WANT to drink with a freshman.

Finally, although your “hindsight is 20-20”, that obviously isn’t the reason you couldn’t attend the Air Force Academy. Although the air force will not give any cadets LASIK, they will give cadets (juniors and seniors) PRK, which is a lot like LASIK, just more painful. You CAN STILL FLY once you get PRK.

Simply put, your remarks are ignorant.