armypilot

Thanks for all of the info rickair7777.

C152driver

"Also any school that wants ALL of your money up front is a big red flag...walk away immediately. You will want to pay in installments of 1K or 2K max"

That's definitely good advice. I have a friend that is completing his MEI at a local part 141 school that recently declared bankruptcy. He also had a substantial loan on the books with them, and has had to rush his final training to burn off the remaining balance of the loan prior to the "school" going out of business. Otherwise, that loan money would have disappeared.

You might consider asking around at your local airports to see what the best training options are in your area. Talk with everyone, CFI's, mechanics, student pilots, etc... to get the true picture. Of all of the "slam dunk" schools that I considered, I would have to say that ATP is fairly well regarded as well as Double Eagle in Tucson Arizona. However, I did not go to either one, as my current 9 to 5 job kept me rooted to this area. I was fortunate to find a couple of CFI's that cared about the *quality* of my training, not the quantity of hours in their log book, and I think that's an important distinction.

--Andy

flyerfly

You'll be much better off in the long run if you just go to University of North Dakota or try to get into Perdu's flight program. Get your degree. Its not needed but it is a very competetive market and you have to sell your product. Don't make rational decisions like I did and go to an academy. Think about the long run. Good luck with everything!!

Ziggy

If you are an Army pilot, don't discount the flight time you built up already. Look into transitioning your qualifications into certficiates. I used my G.I. bill at a local "genertic" college with a flight dept. In my opinion it helped me keep costs down. I also used my G.I. bill for the academics, for the actual flight training I had to use private loans. If I remember correctly the G.I. bill semester payouts don't even begin to cover the cost of flying.

LAfrequentflyer

Save the GI BILL benefits for an education you can fall back on. School know GIs have money and dreams and they structure their services to take advantage of you. I would get their rates in writing - all their rates then spring the news you are military. That may help lower your rates. If it doesn't and the first quote is reasonable go with it...If you get the shaft , walk your money to the competition.


-LA

loudgarrettdriver

Don't go to DCA or RAA- there both ripoffs. Try to find a smaller low key school that will accept a GI bill. Do not put a significant amount of money down in account anywhere. Over the last few years many have been burnt laying down thousands of $ and the school disapears.

There is a thing called pilot career foundation which will allow you to have a card with your money and swipe it as you go. That way if the school tries to run off with the money- they won't have access to your account.

Many schools expecially in the Orlando area, have been notorious for ripping off student pilots with CFI's milking students for time, retaking stage checks over and over, making false promises and flat out stealing.

Heed my warning.

rickair7777

Yeah, Orlando. Can anyone say ATA lol

JerrySpringer

I think the above hit it on the head...Don't pay it all up front, and avoid RAA/Delta acadamies. I am unimpressed wholly by both, as a checkairman for my airline. If you have a degree, I would recommend flight safety or PanAm. I have had great results with people from those schools. Get your private by itself first to make sure you like the flying before buying a package.

You don't have to have a 4-year degree, but if you want to go to the majors it helps. We have several folks who do online/correspondence degrees while on trips.

Good luck...If you have more Q's that need more "direct" answers, send a PM

surfer1212

RAA placed a little over 100 pilots with the airlines last year. I was just set up for an interview. The cost is high, but if you are willing to sacrifice a few years of loan payments, it's worth it. They are also partnered with Utah Valley State, so you can get your degree while you train, and your training counts towards college credits. As to the stability of the school, they've been around for seven years, I believe, and they continue to expand both their Florida campus and the Arizona one. Every school is going to have its positives and its negatives, but my experience here has been a good one. I did my type rating three months ago and three of the guys I went there with have been hired already and I hope to be as well.

Ziggy

[QUOTE=surfer1212]RAA placed a little over 100 pilots with the airlines last year. I was just set up for an interview with 390 hours total.QUOTE]

That's great, but did you get the job? By the way which airline was it?

Good luck!