Hello everyone, I believe I found a program to fit my needs perfectly. It is a four year program at UFV which is in Abbotsford BC. By the end of the course you recieve PPL, CPL, ME and IFR. You also get to choose between CFI or Heavy Jet Training(Sim I assume) and you write a IATRA. There is also the customary airline specific training. This should be good as it is spread out over 4 years it allows you to pay off smaller amounts of debt a little easier. Oh, you also get a BBA. I will look into it a little more later. It also lets you join if you have a PPL already so I will be looking to take advantage of that. I have a meeting with a newly retired Air Canada pilot later this week as well. Should be a good way to get some contacts and some more info about piloting. He apparently was one of the last people hired right out of flight school by Air Canada, if only they still did that!

 

Unless money was no factor, there shouldn't even be the slightest consideration of CFI vs "Heavy Jet Training." Since you are just starting out, most likely you will be victim of the ATP regulation going into effect in 2013. Ergo, you will need over 1500 hours TT (500 hours XC) and even then, you will start out in a Turbo Prop or RJ. That sim training will be an interesting conversation piece during an interview but that's it. Get the CFI so you can build hours.[/QUOTE]

You said it yourself.

Excellent. 4 year degree in something quite useful = pure win (sorry). That means if something goes south in aviation (Read when), you have a great back up plan. Plus 4 years allows you plenty of "jump ship" time. You may find yourself happy with just a private and IFR to go personally fly and use that BBA to actually make money!

This does sound like a good program, but I am a bit biased since I went through a similar program. 4 years of training at a college to get a degree and ratings. Although I went to a state school so it might have been a little cheaper (although not much considering the state of my state's state schools). These type of programs usually cost more than a typical part 61 or even 141 0-hero programs BUT you get a useful degree and, hey, I had fun at college.