dmben89

So over the past couple of months, Ive been searching all over florida to start my career in aviation. My goal, like thousands on this site, is to become a commercial airline pilot. Getting started with that dream has been a little difficult.
I have visited 3 different flight schools in Florida: Delta Connection Academy, ATP, and the National Pilot Academy.
1.) Delta Connection= wayyyy to expensive for me
So my next choice is either ATP or NPA. ATP looked great but NPA seemed a little more personal with the instructors and a lot less expensive. Does anyone know anything about the National Pilot Academy?

But my real problem is whether or not I should get my 4 year degree first and THEN start flight school. As of right now, I plan on going to Embry Riddle in the fall of 09'. I know the campus in Daytona is stupidly expensive, but they have a campus in Tallahassee I am going to attend, which cost less than most state schools in Florida (cheaper than FSU).

So someone with experience, should I get a degree in Professional Aeronautics (which i would complete in about 2 years) and then do flight school after, or should I just go and get my licenses & certs at a flight school now?
Thanks!

spank

Get a degree at a university that will be worth something if flying doesn't work out. (ie business, accounting, marketing, etc...) Don't waste money getting a ticket from an overpriced flight school. Find a local FBO close to your college and do your training for maybe as much as half the price. Most people you talk to in this industry will tell you the same. Best of luck!

atpwannabe

It's obvious that you have some recent & viable aviation work experience in aviation, because otherwise you wouldn't be inquiring about the Professional Aeronautics degree.

If you have the opportunity to get the Professionals Aeronautics degree then I'd say go for it. Now, depending on the type of work experience that you may have and are planning on getting back into after graduation, you could use the money from your job to pay for your flight training at a local FBO. If you're not taking the office home with you---flying in the evenings and on weekends with some consistency will in no time yield an established a track record at work, but you will also have your licenses & ratings.

If you have any other questions, fire away.




atp

ryan1234

find a part 61 flight school, go to a state school or something... and have fun (but don't do too many stupid things)
don't waste your time and money at those other places.

-going to school full time, working, and flying is not easy.. if you can.. .I'd say take a summer and a semester off (or night classes) and get your ratings and certificates (up to CFI) at a 61 school, and try to instruct part-time at some place while you're going to school to finish a 4 year - maybe take some summer classes to catch back up. When you're done you'll have a large amount of hours and experience...

Kasserine06

Although you can save a lot of money going to a part 61 FBO, I would get some time at a structured part 141 flight school. I have done both, and I notice that many of the people who only stay at part 61 places end up getting a complacent attitude toward flying. They are so used to the same aircraft with the same instructor that they neglect things like weight and balance and performance planning because they are always the same for every flight. This may seem like a minor thing, but over time I have seen people lose flight discipline. It can create bad habits. 90% the performance numbers are the same, but that 10% of the time when they leave the practice area and familiar cross country routes, the numbers no longer work. A friend of mine is like this, and although he is a private pilot with about 230 hrs, he would not be able to pass a checkride because his skills, outside of the pattern, have degraded. I started at a part 61 school, and then I went to a collegiate flight program. I did some additional training on the side at a part 61 and now I instruct at a part 61 school. It has given a good balance and view of flight training.

I am sure there are many great part 61 places and many poor part 141 places, but so far, I have noticed two broad generalizations. Part 61 is a pass/fail mentality. No one cares how well you did, they only care if you pass. Part 141, however, instructors will point out every mistake you did, even if you did pass. Part 141 teaches you to reach for perfection even though it is unattainable. I know many people will be offended by this, but that is just my experience. I have seen places that fit this generalization, and some that don’t, but that is why it is important to get a taste of both.

PS: If you can, I would go for your ratings first. That way when you do take any aviation classes, they will be a piece of cake. Then you can focus all your time on instructing. I saved all my intro and easy classes until my senior year and now I only have to focus about 20% of my energy on school and I can focus the rest on instructing.

dmben89

No I am already in college. I will have my A.A. at the end of this semester and will work into my Embry Riddle degree in Aug. I will have that finished in 2 years and then I will go to a flight school to get my certs. Does it matter where I get my licenses? Does anyone know if airline companies look at which flight school you went to?

ryan1234

My green and blue cards look exactly the same as Mr. DCA/ERAU ....your logbook matters though, your multi time matters, but not where you got the stuff..,
I'm going to have to wave the bs flag at the whole 61 isnt as good thing, every case is different....you can use those hours to do things like tailwheel, seaplane, glider....and come out with more hours for the same price as 141...

Kasserine06

They do not care where you did your training really. Going to a collegiate program may make a 1% difference. I would avoid ATP unless you plan to do lots of extra flying to make your resume stick out. Employees do not like the cookie cutter mass production flight training companies. They spit out the same pilot every few months. The program is fast, but I am surprised how little new ATP graduates know. They teach you to pass the checkride and nothing else. If you only do the flight training at ATP, or even other collegiate programs, your resume will look like everyone else’s. You need to look for unique flying experiences that none of those other large flight program graduates have. That is why part 61 schools can be better because you can use the money you saved going there on unique flying experiences. You will not get hired if your resume looks like this:

CFI
260 hours single engine
20 hours multiengine

Spend some money on something unique, like a type rating. I am looking into a King Air type rating. It shows employers that you have gone through training for a complex aircraft. Then they will be less apprehensive to hire a low time pilot because it shows them that you have a good chance of passing their training.

Kasserine06

I never said all part 61 places are bad. I am just saying I have experienced some bad part 61 places. In fact, I did some training at a bad part 61 place because the flight time was cheap. I did the homework myself and learned more about the aircraft than their “senior” instructor (tried to tell me to pull the carb heat on landing in a fuel injected 182). Part 61 serves a great niche for cheap and quick flight training, but it does require a bit of self learning. What I am saying is to try both just so you get to see both sides of the flight training world. Even if you only do 10% or less of your training at a 141 place, you will be better off than a person who has never left their part 61 FBO.

Also, If you plan on instructing, you will have a large advantage. How can you instruct at a part 141 school if you were never a student at one? Because I went to both part 61 and 141, I am comfortable learning and teaching in both environments.

I completely agree. For a fraction of the cost to get my CFI at the 141 school I went to, I got my CFI, CFI-I, MEI, seaplane, a 10 hour aerobatic course, my high performance rating, and my tailwheel at part 61 schools.

clearedirect

I really wouldn't advise to do that in this current state of time. Do you know how many kingair driver's are out of a job right now? Do you possibly think a 300hr CFI with a kingair type rating is going to be able to compete with guys with thousands of hours of actual experience in them? I wouldn't spend 10-15k on that right now! and I think the 300/350/1900 are the only ones that require it. Save your money