A little dilemma
 

Ok so here it is and I need some help and advice...im 29, married with a step daughter and with no degree and looking for a flight school here in CT (or general area) with atleast an AA degree program (sounds like a great idea) but here is the reality. Im recently out of the Army so I have the choice the of either the Montgomery GI Bill or the Post 9/11 which gives me schooling with little to no debt (awesome) but there are no 2 year programs in my area that include flight training for me to use my Post 9/11 so I can get my monthly allowance that I need to cover my bills while going to school, and yes the Montgomery may pay up to 60% of flight training, but they don't give you anything for it...just the money for tuition and books.

So as of right now, here are my choices and this is where I need the help.

1. Go to a local community college that offers an AA degree in Aviation Science ( i know bad idea but hey) tuition free from the state for being a veteran and only pay for books and a few other small fees out of my own pocket and use my Montgomery for the flight school (because flight training is separate from the school and the post 9/11 will not cover enough and leave me with a huge loan) and try to work part time to cover my bills.

2. Suck it up and drive to Rhode Island (about an hour and a half) everyday for the next 2 years to New England Tech Inst. which has the 2 yr degree and includes flight training from PPL to Multi Eng. in their Professional Course and use the Post 9/11.

3. Risk everything and work part time for the next year and use my Montgomery GI Bill for just the flight school and hope that my brother in law who sells and leases private jets for a living can use his connection to get me a pilot spot with them to help gain hours and have a job after training.

Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated as this is giving me a huge headache just thinking about it.

You will need a four-year degree in an aviation career...without it you'll be seriously handicapped with limited upward mobility in most sectors. Keep that in mind, it would be OK to start with an AA and flight training but have a plan to finish the 4-year and stick to it.

#2 sounds better except for the drive, can you move? Aviation is much like the military, you generally need to move around a lot, especially early in your career. Otherwise you could wait many years for the next opportunity on the career ladder to pop up locally, especially if you don't live in a large metro area (LA, NY, DC, SFO etc).

Also better plan for the CFI ratings...few people get hired with only a "wet" commercial ticket, most have to work as CFI's to build some experience.



This is very unlikely to happen. Rule of thumb is that you need one thousand hours with some turbine experience to break into bizjets. Insurance is one key limitation...either you couldn't be insured or the premiums would be very high. Also the flight training centers who typically train folks to fly bizjets may not touch someone with a wet commercial ticket.

If your brother-in-law actually owns a jet and is willing to pay the insurance premiums, and also train you then it could happen.

It's possible he might be able to network you into some kind of ASEL land job...that's usually all that's available to new pilots. Most actually become flight instructors.

A little dilemma
 

From a financial standpoint don't do it at all. From a pilot standpoint do the one that is the most financially feasible. Weigh the cost of driving to RI, working part time or not, out of pocket for school, consider what the next five years look like for you, etc.....just find the cheapest. I think this will be a huge undertaking with the goal being an ATP, 4 year degree and a job that enables you to be a good provider for your family. Being 29 and married with a kid, at this point I'm not sure it's financially feasible to to take on this challenge. Regional pay sucks. The quality of life and family time sometimes isn't so great when flying airplanes for a living.

Thanks guys..I figured 3 wasn't going to be the best option, but hey if I do find a way to do this and build hours, then maybe I could get a good career flying private..who knows..I am unable to move as my wife just secured a good job and I don't want to make her drive all that way or make her quit just because I want to go to flight school...right now financially the best option is to drive to RI (plus a cousin lives right up the street from the school that i could stay with a few nights a week to minimize the driving)..the VA would pay me about 200 less a month then what I am making at work, so not a huge difference and thats for 2 years, I do plan on getting a 4 year and I can transfer to a school closer to home after the 2 yr and flight training and work on that while doing a CFI while still having VA benefits available..as far as being in a big city, CT is really in a prime location (even for being over taxed and over priced) i'm 2 hours driving from NYC and an hour and half from Boston...i know the pay is low in the beginning, but nobody that truly loves Aviation does it for the money, they do it because they love it. If i have to struggle a bit for a year or 2 to do something I actually love and it doesn't feel like I am at work, then so be it. I understand it will be stressful, but so was the Army and being deployed.

A little dilemma
 

I knew the pay was low at the beginning too. I was willing to take low pay for a couple years too. But here I am, six years later, most I ever made was 45k and that was 2 years ago. The majority of those years were less than 30k. Also the part about doing what you love and it not feeling like work. Flying is fun but when you spend 2.5 years on reserve or even low seniority at an understaffed company it is a lot worse than a normal 40hr/week job. I enjoy ice cream but not too much of it. I'm not saying I wouldn't do it again if I could go back. It just would have been nice to really know what I was in for. I'm finally getting interviews for decent pay jobs overseas. Its hard to get a good job if you are confined to one geographic location. Hopefully the right one will come my way. Good luck to you. Just be prepared for low earnings to last longer than expected. The good news is major airlines are hiring. It's hard to get hired but there is movement.

First of all, thanks for your service! Putting in time to serve your country tells me you are willing to do what it takes to pursue a career. I like your option #1. You can get that 2yr degree for free AND then transfer to a 4yr college and get the BA or BS Degree. That's exactly what I did when I got back from Vietnam - except I was 20 and was not married. When you get to the 4yr College look for a degree that will allow you to transfer as many units as you can from your 2yr degree. Remember, the airlines don't care what your Major is; just get the Degree. I'd look for something that is easy like Psychology or Geography. Stay away from Physics or Engineering - its too taxing on the brain. Look for 2 part-time jobs. I delivered papers on a motorcycle in the early morning and worked on weekends at a restuarant. Consider working at the local airport as a fueler or ramp rat. Network with everybody. When you get your PPL ask plane owners if they need a safety pilot. Push yourself and don't give up, you WILL achieve what you want if you work hard and are persistent.

Aside from your finances and other personal stuff, #1 and #2 kind of go hand-in-hand. They'll both give you a 2 year degree, which you can use to transfer to a 4 year school for your 4 year degree. Technical Institute, or Community College means no difference in terms of quality of flight training if they're both 141 schools. But as said before, you'll need a 4 year degree no matter what.

Whatever path you decide to go with in order to get that, is irrelevant, aside from what you can pay and what-not.

Haha... Telling an ex service member(enlisted?) that. Good luck. Go for it.

Essayons.

I dont know much about the military benefits, but do you need to do a degree program that has flight training? Couldnt you do it seperatly? Go to a regular school to do a regular degree and do your flight training at dedicated flight school?

Krudawg, being a clinical psychologist as well as being a Psychology Faculty member, I got a major kick out of your comment above! Psychology often gets a bad wrap for being an easy major in college. I can tell you that in my courses, it's not that easy.

Cheers!