I do not know all the details on either program, but I do know that PSA is trying to be more flexible than Envoy's when it comes to how you pay "your share". With Envoy, I believe they expect you to use your GI bill to cover a portion of the cost. With PSA, they are saying "You have the choice on how you want to fund getting your flight hours, no GI bill use required. Plus you can build hours on your time, as long as you complete in 3 months." I believe if you choose to not use the GI bill to fund your portion, then you can either pay out of pocket or receive a reduced bonus. The reason for doing it this way is so folks who the GI bill is worth more to them if they pass it on to their kids can still have an option without having to use up a portion of it. The GI bill has monthly limits on it with respect to aviation training that are well below that of what it is worth if it is used at a university.
I'd go ahead and call the recruiters and get the gouge directly from them as this program is very new and I don't know of anyone who has entered into it yet.

 

250 hours in the jumpseat? That's like cruel and unusual punishment. Not to mention, they're not gonna know most of what they're looking at unless they have already been through training. I could see observations being required, maybe like 25 hours, but not 250 hours. Realistically, jumpseat time doesn't really substitute for actual flying experience, let alone 1000 hours worth. Where in the world did you hear this?

 

I'm not aware of any monthly limit with the GI Bill, only the $12,500 annual limit for flight training...

 

I'm sure that is correct...$12,500 a year is still well below what the GI bill is worth if it was applied to a university. It really depends on what a person has planned for the GI bill. If they are single with no kids, then they should use the GI bill for the program. Others may have kids or a spouse that they are planning on using it on. Then a reduced bonus is not a bad option.

 

[QUOTE=Tester130;2316447]I do not know all the details on either program, but I do know that PSA is trying to be more flexible than Envoy's when it comes to how you pay "your share".

What's "your share?" I could be wrong, but I think Piedmont's version pays for everything? Why would they be different?

 

[QUOTE=PiedmontFlyer;2316519
What's "your share?" I could be wrong, but I think Piedmont's version pays for everything? Why would they be different?[/QUOTE]

Both Envoy's and PSA's programs expect you to use the GI bill to offset the cost. If it is an Army pilot who has never flown any fixed wing, they are going to need 250 hours of PIC time as well as an MEL (and associated MEL hours), so this cost could potentially be quite high.

I haven't seen anything formal on Piedmont's program, but if they are willing to foot the entire bill, it would be because they want to attract more helicopter pilots. The same reason one airline would offer a bonus higher than another airline's bonus.

PSA's program is specifically saying that they will work with you if you don't want to use the GI Bill to cover some of the costs (or you do not have it available for one reason or another). This might mean paying out of pocket or accepting a reduced signing bonus. What an individual's share would be will more than likely depend greatly on what all they need to get their ATP mins.

All three programs are great deals for the military helicopter guys out there and opens up a very large pilot pool for the regional airlines to pull folks in from.

 

For the GI Bill, only a small amount of the money can be used toward "time building". The money can be used for ratings, but ou are on your own for time building.

PSA's program is much cheaper, first of all. The hourly flight cost is much less, and will save thousands of dollars. Also, you are able to use your new hire bonus to offset any training costs before you are even hired at PSA. This way, you can save your GI Bill benefits for something that is much more cost effective.

If you want to get all 250 hours and not pay a dime out of pocket and not use your GI Bill, you can just use your new hire bonus.

 

I'm using my GI Bill with no out of pocket expenses. Is $93/hr for a T41C (think of a 210hp 172) plus $38 for the instructor. Can hopefully use up my $12,500 before August, then get another $12,500 and fly as much as I can. Then will see where I sit with ratings/hours.

 

As of right now, 12 months value is approximately $21,300. That's not down to the nickel, but I can't remember the exact number I was told last week at the Education Center on my base.

Yes, I know that's nearly a $10,000 difference. Yes, it is really THAT big of a difference.

 

Does anyone have an estimate on how many hours I can expect to log in training? I know most airlines will take someone a little below the required minimums, knowing they'll get the hours in the sim. How many hours below atp mins is psa willing to take me?


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