Here is the only comparison you need to make:

In the military, you will get the best aviation training in the world for free. I’ve been through both military and civilian training and I can tell you it isn’t even close. While you are in military training, you get paid more than any of the civilian RJ pilots who are probably also in a lot of debt from their training. After your military training, you have a guaranteed job for 10 years compared to having to fight and compete for an RJ job that pays half of what you will make as a 1st LT in the military. During that 10 years, you will get to build experience, just like the RJ guys spend 10 years doing, but you will be getting paid a lot more and the flying is WAY better. Lifestyle in the Air Force at least is no more painful than the airline pilot lifestyle. Probably even less painful for most. Go check out the military pay scales to prove my point and don't forget to add the flight pay. At the 10 year point, you are making around $100K and you get free health care. This is not to mention the amazing experiences you'll have traveling around the world. After the 10 years, you'll be pretty much equal in the eyes of the airlines as that RJ guy who spent the last 10 years making no money, sitting on his hands in the RJ and spending thousands of nights in anysmalltown, USA. Also, the airlines know that military training is unmatched. No offense to the pilots that chose to go the civilian route, I respect your commitment and drive. But this seems like a no brainer.

My senior year of high school I actually told an Air Force Academy hockey recruiter that he was wasting his time because I would never be in the military. I just didn’t understand how good of a deal it was. I was in the same position. I wanted to be an airline pilot but I could not afford UND’s training program. Now I am finishing my 10 year military contract with no debt and a bunch of money in the bank. And I have loved 96.69 percent of it. If I am lucky enough to get hired by an airline, I will get to start on something much bigger than an RJ (even as a fighter guy).

Well, there's a difference between "being in the military", and the path lined with gold that you just described. Some of us didn't have the most perfect eyes or whatever and that dream you just dscribed isn't necessarily realistic. I wish the best for everyone, but not everyone can take that path.

I gave up reading the thread after page one with everyone telling you to use the search function so i will post my thoughts on UND.

First i will say go military if you want/can. I was in Airforce ROTC my freshmen year and then dropped because there was 50+ in my class and they told us maybe 3 will become pilots. So i decided to get out because i wanted more control over my future. (Biggest mistake ever) I suggest not going to UND unless you have rich parents to pay for everything. It was a great school and i had a lot of fun. But the debt I racked up going there is not worth becoming an airline pilot. I was accepted to Purdue for their engineering school and then I found out about UND and said why would i go to school for something I didn't plan on doing because I was going to be a pilot. So I went to UND. I graduated in 3.5 years and was in Ground school for Mesaba 14 days after graduation. I thought this was great. Then came time to pay the student loans back. By the time I had to start paying my loans totalled over 150k or monthly payments of about 1300 a month. Starting pay at Mesaba was 1200 a month after all deductions and health insurance etc... You can do the math I could not even make my student loan payments so i had to but them in to forberence and allow over 700 a month of interest to build. Now I am a 5 year FO sitting reserve and might make 40k for the first time in my career. If my wife did not have a good job I would be living in a cardboard box. The reason I am telling you actual numbers is because I hope you and others that are like you think about going to high priced schools like UND. When i was 18 i did not think about how i was going to pay loans back. I just knew i wanted to be a pilot and that was that. I did not know any pilots so i did not know what life actually was like. Good luck in what ever you choose.

Very nice and thoughtful post!

:D I'll agree with you there, but it was never just a job to me. If there were a way to be a civilian contractor still doing teaching at the RAG then I'd be standing in line! The only reason I gave up that *contract* job after the military that was the closest thing to being in the military that you could get probably was that it didn't hold the second career potential :(, otherwise I would have never dreamed of leaving it!

USMCFLYR

I will be the first to admit that there is a lot of luck involved with becoming a military pilot. But even if you don't get a pilot slot, you have a job for 4 years after college graduation that pays pretty good compared to most entry level jobs. And you have education benefits that will pay for advanced degree programs to include flight training. I used my post-9/11 GI bill to pay for a 737 type rating. It didn't cost me a dime and I still have $68,000 and/or 26 months of the benefit left to use however I want, even after I leave the military.

If you have the option to compete for the military pilot track, it is well worth it. Even if you never end up flying in the military, you'll be financially much more prepared to pay for the training you need to be an airline pilot in the future.

Talking to a 777 ca about a career in aviation is like talking to pimp to find out how bad prostitution is. (Sorry couldnt find a better analogy)

UND
 

Not sure if any of u know but what's it like to get into helos for the army? How do u go about that? How would they consider u for that? And how would those hours count toward ATP minimums? I've heard it's a 2 helicopter hours equals 1 hour TT, is that true?

I would start by getting off APC and typing 'Army Aviation' into Google.

US Army Aviation - Home of Everything US Army Aviation
There is even a drop down for 'Aspiring Pilots' :)

USMCFLYR

UND
 

Ok thank u :)