Romeo Hotel

I should have asked earlier... Which regionals is the school associated/interviewing with?

SeannyP84

Right now Sky West and Envoy... But they also have a relationship with Endeavor.


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hypnotika

Having been in your shoes, I'll bite and respond to your post in order to save you a world of ass-pain I went through in various aviation programs and dealing with the bureaucracy of the VA. A regional airline partnership is a nice concept but should be the least of your concerns. These programs only guarantee an interview when you meet ATP or Restricted-ATP minimums through building experience as a Flight Instructor. If you meet ATP mins, you will probably get an interview anyway..... at least right now in the short term.
Consider, the government pays 100 percent of flight training at public university/college that lead to a degree AND also pay your living expenses. You have the golden tick to go virtually anywhere in the country. Do not limit yourself to a geographical area and get stuck with a horrible flight school. Pick an aviation program that will SUCCESSFULLY get you to where you want to be as a professional pilot in the QUICKEST way possible even if that includes relocating. You will need to move A LOT anyway to get the jobs you NEED to advance in the aviation industry while chasing QUALITY OF LIFE.

With this in mind, I found aviation programs at a Community College with a QUARTER-term academic schedule AND own their fleet of aircraft to be the best value. WHY? In general, Community College flight programs will be 100 percent covered by the GI Bill along with the greatest amount of flexibility as far as course load, how you choose to fly, and completing certificates. With a quarter term, you can complete more courses towards your ratings and more frequency in accessing flight labs to meet aeronautical experience requirements. I would stay away from Community Colleges that contract their flight training to FBOs/flight provider; they are more of mom and pop operations have limited resources, lack of standardization, and high instructor turn-over due to low pay (i.e. the only multi-engine airplane in the fleet that needs an engine swap right before your check-ride and you wait months for maintenance – true story). There may be a lack of structure that will hurt your progression. For example, an instructor did not adequately plan to get a student to checkride on a reasonable amount of time causing massive delays with no assurances on any future date even though he or she met the standards (happened to me). Oh, the attrition rate at these Community Colleges are not great. You will also lose out on some of the big university experience. After you get all your certs, just transfer to a big university like I did.

So, my top three recommendations are:

Big Bend Community College (Quarter)
Northern Michigan College (Semester)
Cochise Community College (Semester)

For a complete list: https://www.faa.gov/pilots/training/...ority_List.pdf

P.S. After you get your certs. Transfer to a 4-year university (Florida) pursuing non-aviation degree. Something you can fall back on! If you are a CFI, you can teach on the side or fly skydivers on the weekends while attending school. My last advice is do not be in such a hurry to the majors, enjoy life and the college experience

uavking

Hypnotika hit this right on the head. I'd emphasize balancing quality of program, maximizing GI Bill benefit, and quality of life. If it were me starting all of this over four years ago, I would have taken a long hard look at something like those three. A similar school that does things in house is Texas State Technical College in Waco and they have a pipeline agreement with Envoy if that interests you. I also wouldn't exclude going to a quality four year like Auburn where you can get a full slate of flight training, but graduate with a Business BS (The scenery is alot better than Cochise, saying this as a Cochise grad).

flyinryan86

Currently AD looking at transitioning next Mayish. I've looked at Coast Flight Training, and while it's 100% covered through the VA (for now), your BAH is only about 1,000/month because of where the school is accredited (Iowa I believe) which may get you half a one bedroom apt in that area (would need a roommate for sure, unless you ballin out). Secondly, MEI and instructor for Multi is NOT part of the curriculum, so you will have to pay out of pocket for them down the road. Some programs include MEI in the curriculum (VA paid for) just want to clarify that. I may still end up going there because flying in SD has to be awesome, and I've liked everyone I've interacted with and talked to a few current vets in their program. If I'm wrong, please let me know.

SeannyP84

Yeah... They just changed the MEL and MEI. I'm still getting it because I'm grandfathered in, but they did unfortunately drop that part. If I'm not mistaken, you can still get them using the GI Bill, but under traditional flight training rules with the annual cap. It is a very good school though, with very knowledgeable and professional flight instructors.


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flyinryan86

I'm sure they're a great school. I'm actually flying out there next weekend to attend the Sky West briefing to the students. I'm also looking at Florida State at Jacksonville's pilot tech program. MEL is included in the curriculum which would save me 8 grand or so, and has BAH rates that are for Jacksonville. Not sure where I'm going yet, but I look forward to the presentation next week. Feel free to text me if you like..would love to chat with a current student 419-779-3112.

hypnotika

You have more resources than most civilian students. Go to a school that will lets you train in a multi-engine at the private pilot level. I would argue this takes priority over the MEI rating. Unless you end up teaching at pilot mill like ATP or at a provider that contracts with Chinese students - it would be hard to instruct as MEI. The reason is the many other instructors that are competing to get the prized ME time and not many students wanting to pay to fly the ME since flight training is already expensive. Yes, there are Community Colleges that will allow you to do training in a ME aircraft (I went to one) - although most will be restrictive or reluctant because of perceived abuse. Doing it as a private pilot is the fastest way to reach 50+ ME hours. And if you decide not to be an instructor, you have the hours you need. Heres what I did:

Private Single
Private Multi Add-On (To act/log time as PIC of ME)
Instrument in Multi (build ME-time here)
Commercial Multi (build ME-time here)
Commercial Single Add-on

Renting a complex aircraft with retractable gear was almost as much as multi-engine aircraft anyway at my flight school. It made more sense to fly the ME and using a bit more of your flight lab funds because you CAN with the GI Bill and you need it anyway. Once you get your Commercial Multi, you can do you Single-Engine add-on in a fixed gear since you demonstrated complex operations in the multi. This is where you save money in your flight lab. There is always the option of transferring to another Community College during the Summer term just doing your MEI there (like Northern Michigan College) - ensure you don't finish your degree or leave one class at you parent school to finish at NMC which you can transfer credits back and graduate. Most community college will have flexible admissions especially during the Summer time. Its YOUR benefits, so you can plan and use it as long as it leads to a degree.

Believe me, by doing this you will have a lot more flexibility with planning your career because you are not chasing ME time.

hypnotika

For you Active-Duty guys. Do yourself a favor and finish your General Education requirements now with TA. CLEP and DSST exams (free for military) too... so you don't have do worry about it while flight training. This eases your course load, allows you to finish faster, as well as focus on flying. Also means more free time to chase the college ladies or drink beer or have fun while in college aside from your studies.

flyinryan86

I already have a bachelor's degree (currently an officer) just looking to get as much of flight school paid for by the VA since I earned the GI Bill by having 8 years of service. I understand that I may need to come out of pocket for some things, and that the VA will basically pay for everything (for now) if I'm pursuing at least an associates degree. I'm not looking to attend multiple schools, just looking for the right one that fits the basic requirements to start building hours, understanding that 20/hr is the best you'll find for CFI jobs.