rubicon lover

Hello, my name is Dave, I am new to these boards looking for some answers. The past 6 months I have been very interested but contemplating going to aveation school. Because of my late interest, I will be going to Gonzaga University this fall and studying business. I am wondering if I have enough time to finish college then apply to an aveation school and prceed further study? My dream would be a commercial pilot. Also, would it look great on my application that I graduated from Gonzaga with a business degree when applying for a pilot job or even pilot school? Should I go to a masters program to study aviation or how long would aviation school be?
Thanks alot to any that can help,
Dave

Cubdriver

Dave, assuming Gonzaga is a 4 year ABET accredited-business school, a degree obtained there will be useful in your career as a professional pilot both in terms of respectability as a credential and as a potential fall back option in case your flying career gets off track.

I would begin your flight training as a private educational side-line in your spare time while in school, using small, local FBO-type flight schools. Try to get all your flight ratings by the time you graduate in four years. My advice is to pass on an aviation (note the spelling) college as it were, because an aviation degree is not mandatory to pursue the field although it helps. Flight ratings and certificates are all the same in the eyes of the FAA and aviation employers.

The timeline would be something like this:

1) 2009-2012 go to business school. Get all flight ratings through CFII. Begin teaching in your spare time.
2) 2012 get your MEI and teach in twin engine airplanes somewhere. This may entail leaving Spokane because schools with twins are hard to find.
3) 2013 or 2014 get an entry level job for a Part 121 or Part 135 company as a full time professional pilot.

Good luck!

rubicon lover

thank you. What do you mean by getting my CFII ratings? im sorry I am new to this. How would I go about recieving this? thanks

Cubdriver

CFI= certified (or certificated) flight instructor
CFII= certified (or certificated) flight instructor, instrument
MEI= multi engine (airplane) instructor

rubicon lover

so do you get your CFI from an instructer at a small airport rather than an aviation school? also how long does it take to get your CFI then your CFII? Is there any ways to make more money starting other then seniority?

maximilian2

Yes, you can get your CFI, CFII, and MEI from another instructor at just about any small airport (FBO-fixed base operator, aka small airport flight school.) The time frame is all dependent on how often you fly and how quickly you can complete one license and move on to the next. You will get at minimum your:

1. Private Pilot
2. Instrument Rating
3. Commercial Pilot (Single and/or Multi-engine)

All previous to your CFI.

I think everyone will agree that if you are looking to make 300K as a Captain of a 747 after 10 years you should move on, that is slightly unrealistic. I don't mean to turn this into a negative thread but if money is your driving force this isn't the profession to choose.

I commend you Rubicon for asking questions and gathering as much information as you can. You can never ask enough questions, I wish 5 years ago I would have asked these questions and not gone in blind.

My two cents is stick with the Business major, see if you like flying and make sure you will want to do it as a JOB and not just a hobby. If you do like it then take the dive and get all the ratings you can.

Best of luck in your decision and feel free to ask questions, there are many professionals on this site that have a wealth of knowledge.

waflyboy

Rubicon ~

Where are you from? (I ask because I have known several Gonzaga students who grew up in Western WA.) One of these days when you go home for a weekend or holiday, take an intro flight. For $100 or so, you'll learn very quickly if flying is indeed something you'd enjoy. An intro flight will also give you access to a flight instructor who's very likely pursuing a career path leading to airline pilot.

This is a good place to start. If you're in Western WA, I can point you in the right direction, and I know there are a few APC members in Spokane.

But for now, I'd recommend concentrating on your business degree.... you don't need an aviation degree to be a professional pilot, and Gonzaga is a fine school.

de727ups

Ummm. Dave, I'd suggest you check out the home page at Jetcareers.com - Welcome It's really set up well for someone looking at breaking into the career with zero background in aviation.

I'm assuming you are in Spokane. I'd be happy to meet up with you at Hooters and answer any questions you have.

Lastly....GO ZAGS....

waflyboy

That too. Good suggestion.

ZnCrO4

If I had to do it over again I would most likely NOT have gone for an aviation degree. It may sound like I am bitter about this but in reality I am anything but that. For me things worked out pretty good. I went to school with no time and graduated on time (4 yrs) with about 1200 hrs. I was hired right out of college and now sitting on two type ratings and a pretty good job. But I also look at it differently and think that I could be like many of my friends that have left the career after spending four years and quite a bit of money on a degree where there is not much you can do outside of fly an airplane.

If you find out that aviation is really truly your dream, still get a degree just not in aviation. Think of the degree as an insurance policy: If things don't work out you can still find something else to do fairly easily with a business degree. I agree with the others here that you should go do some discovery lessons to see what you think. If you still love it, go for it!

Just my two cents…

Best of luck.