Hey POPA, I agree with you.... no point in getting grey hairs over this. I just want to fly.... last night I had a great flight coming from GSO, the weather was pretty crappy but flying a brand new C172 G1000 with NExrad and XM weather is awesome. Got about an hour of actual during the 2.7 flight. Whatever school you guys decide to go to please make sure you don't let the flight training get in the way of fun. Remember you have to enjoy it or you will not last!

Ok but why not get a degree in aviation and get a minor or double major in something else and get your ratings for just a little more than it costs at a local fbo and meet people who love the same thing you do(networking), learn a heck of a lot you would never learn from your local fbo or in a textbook about flying, and spend the next four years of your life flying with people who you'll get to experience the full 4 year college atmosphere with? I think it's awesome I get to earn credits sitting in a classroom learning about stuff I never even knew after I got my private and hearing all the great aviation stories my teachers have to tell. So far things have worked out here really well and I can honestly say unlike high school, I'm truly happy and I'm staying out of trouble. To the critics who say a double major with aviation can't be done, your wrong,it can certainly be done, it can be more time consuming depending on the degree like some kind of engineering or molecular biology degree, but it can be done. I don't mind putting in the extra effort for something that could save my @$$ incase my aviation dream goes to hell.
In terms of the cost and already coming in with a private going from instrument to cfi and me ratings by the senior year.. hmmm that's about the same as a local fbo...couple that with a low out of state tuition and the WUE tuition discount...wow I wont have to be paying back loans like at Riddle...

"learn a heck of a lot you would never learn from your local fbo or in a textbook about flying"

When I was your age, I thought the same thing. Ended up at Riddle. That was in the late 70's, early 80's. Now, I'm here to tell ya, anything you need to know about aviation you can get from the local FBO and out of a textbook. You'll see what I mean, someday....

TOTALLY AGREE de727ups!

ERAU...have you ever flown in ice, mountainous areas or anything like that?! - that is pretty much avoidable flying any where else other than FL! (except the plain states...but there you have tornados...) You DEF. learn just as much, if not more from flying outside the Riddle "bubble." Never knock flying at an FBO. Just because we don't have fancy 'Gip-wiz' or a 'Garmin G-wizz' in our planes...doesn't mean squat. (but now that I think of it...some of the flight schools in the area are getting them...and you can rent them for about $120/hr wet...and I am sure that Riddle is waaaaay more than that)

Now, you are correct in saying that it is convenient...but what about flying steam gauges? Have you ever flown an airplane to mins with just nav's, no GPS...no nothing? That's some real flying right there;)

Lax

PS...ok about the whole flying in the mountains thing...I will give it to you that there are some hills up near GSO...but I'm sure you knew that because your fancy GPS told you...or did you know it because you had your charts out on your kneeboard?

Hehehe...just bustin' on you;)

Embry is a good place to go to if you are afraid of failure in the industry and have lots of cash to burn through. Trust me, you will do just fine going to any accreditted (no fake online degree) university and a Part 141 or 91 flight school on the side.

In 1990 I added up my total expenses until 4 year B.S. and CFIMEI. For college books and tuition I paid a total of $6,000 for 4 years. My flying cost me $18,000. The college was average, and the flying school was Part 91 and no longer in business.

So what was the first question in my interview? Nice grades here on your college transcripts, did you have a social life? The point is, they do not care where you went to college or flying school.

I chose Addison, TX as my place to go learn and instruct at. Great choice in the end, as I had so many contacts there I had some great choices about where to fly next. Should I fly the Lear for X, the Challenger for Y, or the 727 flight engineer position for Z? Hmmmmm.

The grand point here is, save your damn money and go where there's lots of flying going on. Pick a busy field with lots of different traffic, corporate, flight instructing, etc.

Who you meet in aviation is EVERYTHING. Nobody gives a rat's behind where you went to college or how much you paid.

Just to chime in, online degrees aren't fake. They are a total pain in the rear end, and you learn your stuff. There's no "pay your money and get a degree" about it. They are designed differently because it's geared toward working families that can't attend a regular college 3 times a week during the day. But they are still real classes. Now back to the topic of Riddle, goodbye...

Just go to college wher eyou feel comfortable. There is absolutley nothing wrong with ERAU. If I could have afforded it I would have went there. I am going there for grad school. Its a good university. You dont have to major in aviation. They have a good engineering school and a good management school.

Just go where you like

Hey LAX, please don't assume that because I went to Riddle that my whole experience flying is flatland and shoreland.... yes I do agree with you that going back to the basics is great! I love flying an airplane with just an altimeter and heading indicator but guess what? The technology is here to stay so the quicker you get acquiented with it, the better you will be off. Don't knock the G-wizz technology until you have tried it.

That statement may be true for those of you who want nothing more with your life than to drive 777s between LA and Tokyo. For those who are more GA-oriented, however, you couldn't be further from the truth.

Well, i'm sure it will take a while for the older airplanes to retire. I wonder why Cessna claims that by next year it will not make anymore steam gauges 172 or 182 unless you buy 3 at a time? But you're right and I'm always wrong.