Best way to learn
 

What do you think is the best way to get training? Assume that you want to fly for a major airline.

ALLATP? ERAU? Local college and FBO?

So far, this is going just as I expected (although more votes would be nice).

Any thoughts?

I voted the first one because I chose a non-aviation degree but I am able to take flight classes at my school (University of Illinois). I think number one fits best because kids generally fly at school and study the aviation oriented degree

www.allatps.com

Its a good deal - I do recommend someone with the GI Bill get a degree and not spend the money on flight training. IMHO, a 4 year degree is a better use for GI benefits.

-LAFF

I think "best way to learn" and "best thing to do" are not necessarily the same. Spending four years and $160K at ERAU immersed in aviation-related subject matter and surrounded by one-dimensional airplane dorks may be the best way to learn aviation (for the sake of argument), but (1) that's not required for success as a pilot, (2) only medical and law degrees from top-ranked schools are actually worth that much, and (3) there's more to life than aviation.

All good points, perhaps I should have worded that differently.

If I had the chance to do it all over again, I would do the 2yr or 4yr degree non-aviation degree, then go to ALLATP.

When it's all said and done, I'll be a half-breed according to this survey. ERAU (non-flying degree...class of '87) & future ATP grad.


atpwannabe

P.S.- LAFF, love that new avatar. ;)

I call it the RJ-X1 (the 1st regional widebody replacement jet)



-LAFF

I went to Baylor to get my degree in Aviation Sciences. At first it seemed like a great idea. On my refrigerator at home there was a clipping on it from the Houston Cronicle showing the best professions to get into. Aviation was on it. So I did it. Then in my sophmore year 9/11 hit. Pilots were being laid off. Airliners grounded. Flights were suspended at local airports ect. This ended up giving me a nice break exactly when I didn't need it, right before my checkride for PPL.

Now the reasons I went for my degree didn't matter. I was coming out of High school and just thought maybe if I had X hrs and so did the other guy my degree would make the difference in allowing me to be hired. I have no idea what it was like then, I could have been right, but now I know I was wrong in assuming so. After 9/11 I was hit with the big reality and I had no other options available to me. I didn't diversify myself. I couldn't be an accountant, or engineer, or teacher. I was stuck in aviation. An industry that was kicking people to the curb by the thousands. If I could do it all over again I'd get my degree in business. I would have then but I already had 45hrs of credit at a private university and I would have lost it all if I changed majors. I couldn't have afforded to start over. I still find it amazing that after all the time and money spent. After all my parents saved up for me to go to college. After I sold my stocks I had invested into when I was a freshman. The money I had saved up working for ABC and Dell. The days before I graduated when I picked-up my CFI rating I had to put $300 on my discover to pay for it. $103 thousand later and $300 had to go on the card. Quite awesome really.