Considering a new career
 

Hello all. I am new here and have a question about the pilot career field. I am prior USAF and was maintenance on cargo aircraft, love planes and enjoy traveling. I did read the top thread in this section "Considering a Career? Read This" but have a few questions...
I currently live in Thailand and talked to a pilot for one of the airlines here, he mentioned that if you don't have the funds to pay for the flight school, an airline will pay for it, but you have to sign some sort of contract with the company to work for a certain amount of years. Do companies do this in the states, or elsewhere? I just received my degree via the GI bill, so that part is covered.
If it's true, I don't intend on staying in Thailand, I don't trust the maintenance people here (or most 3rd world countries) to do their jobs correctly.
After reading the initial thread about the pay, I was rather shocked, but still interested since I love aircraft.

Thanks in advance

Not true in the US due to the abundant supply of pilots from General Aviation, Universities, Military Pilots, and non-pilot Military funding their training with the GI Bill. If you have any remaining Post 9/11 GI Bill left, you can use it to fund 100% of your costs until you run out (60% if you still haven't converted from Montgomery GI Bill). You're looking at 60-100K in training you need to fund.

Right now there is reason for temporary optimism (for the next 10-15 years). There is a looming pilot shortage, driven by major airline mandatory retirements, which is already affecting the regional level so starting pay for regional FO's is now realistically $35-45K...still peanuts but maybe you can afford to eat something other than peanuts.

Major airline hiring should stay robust for many years (it will have to unless the airlines shrink dramatically), long enough for you to get established at a major and well up the seniority list.

Also...JetBlue just started a guaranteed employment track training program, similar to what you would see in Asia and Europe (except I think the applicant has to pay a significant fee for the training). This is a first for US majors airlines.

Regionals will now provide all of the costly training to get your ATP, so generally you only need a CPL-AMEL.

In the pursuit of a degree. That is the part everybody seems to forget here when throwing out that option. You can't just use the Post 9/11 bill to pay for 100% of your flight training at any Part 141 VA approved flight school. It has to be part of a college in which you are enrolled in.

Not what I was talking about, in fact you'll see in another thread where I explained to a guy why people feel they must go to a college Aviation program to "save money"...one of those reasons is if they want their Private Pilot training to be covered under the GI Bill. It depends on what certificates he already has. The 100% I'm referring to is the rate at which covered expenses are reimbursed, whereas the old Montgomery GI Bill only reimbursed 60% of qualified flight training. If he's going for an ATP, it will cover 100% of an ATP for example (but not the practical exam I believe). My remaining GI Bill paid for 100% of my 737 type rating. I obviously wasn't talking about 100% from zero to hero in his case, since he has already used up most of his GIB benefit. If he needs a Private, then yes he will need a degree program if he wants those costs reimbursed. Non-degree programs are still reimbursed at 100% if they are Vocationally related--the VA does not consider Private Pilot to be vocational.

No. Yellow Ribbon is the best you can do IRT flight training without pursuit of a degree but with the yearly limits it will take you just as long to get them as it takes to get a degree.

Do you need a specific aviation degree? I just thought it was any bachelors degree, the one I just used my GI Bill to earn was in IT.

Need a Aviation degree for what? For PPL level training you won't get reimbursed by the VA unless it's part of a VA approved Aviation degree program. Beyond PPL many things are covered up to just under $20K/year without the degree requirement.



http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/flight_training.asp

Payment Amounts Under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Payments for flight training vary based on which type of flight training course and what kind of school you are enrolled in:

If you are enrolled in a degree program that consists of flight training at a public institution of higher education you can be reimbursed up to the public school in-state cost of the training and receive a monthly housing allowance and books-and-supplies stipend.

If you are enrolled in a degree program that consists of flight training at a private institution of higher education you can be reimbursed up to the full cost of the training or the national maximum (currently $19,198.31) per academic year, whichever is less. You may also receive a monthly housing allowance and books-and-supplies stipend. See if your school participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which may apply for those enrolled in degree programs.

If you are enrolled in a vocational flight training program you can be reimbursed the lesser of these two costs in effect the day you began training in your flight course:
-Full cost of training
-Annual maximum amount of training (see annual maximum amount)