what school
 

im 18 and been looking into raa academy for when i get out of highschool. is this a good idea?

Go to Riddle.... get your degree. It's more useful in the long run. There's really no way to get into the airlines as fast as these academies claim. Plus.... would you want to fly an RJ with 300 hours? It was overwhelming for me, and I'm already at 700tt/200multi. But then again, that changes from person to person.

Good luck with your career path!!!

Go to a real 4 year college where you can fly and get a real degree (non-aviation related). All the airlines care is that you have a 4 year degree, it really doesnt matter what its in. (I just got hired at CAL and have a BS in Psychology)
Look at the Ohio State, UND, Fla Tech... basically any where with a real college.

Riddle is a sausage fest anyway!!!

Screw Riddle! Why waste all that money for the same 4-year degree that nobody cares about anyway? Save your money and get your 4-year degree elsewhere and use what you saved and find yourself a good CFI and enjoy flying close to home. And don't even think about those fast track programs. Their primary goal is to make LOTS of money off of you.

Look into U. Minnesota @ Crookston. They have an aviation program and do ROTC with UND. You could earn a commission in the AF and get a four year degree for very little money...


-LAFF

does anyone here have a clue what it cost for a 3 unit class at ERAU? I just want to get an idea of what people think it cost.

Hey man,

couple things,
1. this topic has been talked about, you can search the site.
2. if you live close to UND or ERAU, then go for it. if you dont you will be home sick like no other (trust me, i am still getting used to ND)
3. If i could go back and redo the entire thing i would have gone to a community college, to get GEsclasses out of the way
4. if i were you i would rethink about majoring in aviation, honesly aviation degree does not offer much.


just something to think about

edik

ps if you do want to major in aviation (which i hope you dont) go to UND, much better college experience then ERAU. That is not an opinion its a fact

I recommend you get a non-aviation 4 year degree and work on your ratings outside of that. I got my private at Purdue in high school, then went to ERAU for a few semesters before leaving to avoid taking out loans. I did return to Purdue - but for a business degree, not aviation related despite it's excellent aviation reputation. God forbid I lose my medical or something, I want something in the wings.

Good luck and Hail Purdue!

From my experience and that of successful friends, I will agree with the statement that getting your degree in another field is best. It is true,they dont care what it is, could be underwater basket weaving as long as it is a degree.
And also agreed is to have a plan B, I did not, and now I have managed to get a great job in aviation, but I can tell you that freight doggin is a nightmare!!
Do some teaching and fly some jumpers, work part time at something else so that you can afford to build your multi time.
Turbine multiengine time is the holy grail, only to be outdone by multi turbo jet time ( which is THE most holy )
Then stay at a regional for a while, upgrade to Cap. so that you can log those hours as PIC time. After 1000 PIC turbine multi, you can start thinkin about the majors,
Good Luck!!!

$25,490 a year for tuition and fees. That's $12,745 a semester, for a load of 12-16 units. So, around three thousand dollars for a (useless, if you're in the aero sci program) class. About the same cost of an ENTIRE YEAR at the University of Florida, a vastly superior school.

Under no circumstances should you go to ERAU. Even if you live nearby. UCF is in Orlando, UF is in Gainesville...no reason at all to go to ERAU. I can't believe people on this board would actually suggest you to go there.

Uncle Bose is right ( r u Dutch Uncle Bose)
You will hear, later on, people are actually "riddleculeled" about going there.
AHHH, he went to R**dle, no wonder"
why pay a fortune for that?

Raa
 

How is RAA? Can you go in and begin from Private to Commercial/Multi Ifr if you already acquired your degree fom a University? How are the costs there? I would want ATP's program but they don't take international students and dont intend to in the future...

And Cassaundra... I love a lady that flies. When you start doing routes to Canada, you should stop in Toronto and go for a flight with me... I'll probably still be in a 172 then but what the hell, being in the sky is what counts!!!! :)

Hey Golden Boy,
If you want to go to a real school, head to FlightSafety International. It doesnt get better than that. It is the most highly recognized and respected aviation institution in the world.
Thanks for the invite, my Van is basically a 172 on steroids!

I have to agree with Uncle Bose and I'm a Riddle grad. Do not waste your money on an aviation degree. It serves absolutely no purpose other than the fact that you can say "I have an aviation degree." You could receive the same quality of education at FAMU, UF or some other university.


atp

A lot of choices, eh?

I graduated Riddle and loved it. I did my flying off campus and minored in Business. The classes on turbines, systems, CRM etc. at Riddle are awesome. I can't compare it to anywhere else because I've only seen Riddle's, but I love them. The actual flight department at Riddle is becoming a little antiquated in their ways & cost. I flew off campus and ended up working for an FBO/airline that offered me a job in a King Air. I realize my luck isn't common, but Riddle is what you make of it. There are a few internships with airlines like CAL and ASA that are only offered to aviation Universities like ERAU, Purude and UND that can get you an interview with as little as 300/50.

As for the lifestyle....some people love it, some hate it. The current guy to girl ratio is 6:1. Brutal. If you're looking for a girlfriend its not the place to be, but with Spring Break lasting from mid Feb to mid April and that followed by the summer crowd, there isn't any shortage of girls. I lived next to the beach and learned to surf. One of the major differences between Riddle and a typical state school is that your social scene may not have anything to do with the school. Most of my guy and girlfriends were locals I met surfing. That aspect can be great, but Frats and campus parties definitely have their place in college.

My buddy did his ratings at ATP. It is very efficient and relatively inexpensive. He instructed there after getting all his ratings and had a regional job 5 months later.

There are a lot of options and it really depends on your personality and preferences to decide which avenue will suit you best. There is no "best" option, however some places will accomodate more types of people than others.

Good Luck

You can't "make" anything out of $25K a year. Not one thing that school has to offer justifies that amount.

be realistic...
 

All,


Be realistic about what you need and what you are going to be doing. You need a four year degree (w/ a good GPA) and FAA ratings. No one is going to care where the degree is from (just that you passed and had a good GPA) or where you got your ratings as long as you have basic instrument skills and the min. hours.

In short - can this candidate be trained and would I spend 3-4 days with them on a trip.

-LAFF

Do what I did. Go to Jet University. It worked for me!

http://www.jetuniversity.com/

Now i understand why your posts are the way the are.

DO NOT go to jet university. Thats the worst information you could have been told. Let me tell you a little story about a school in deland with the same promises. Tab Express it was called, come get your ratings in a king-air and then fly for us on our airline of beech 1900's and we'll pay you $35.hr while doing it. So people paid their 80-100 grand to go there, and the place declared bankruptcy and stole nearly $14mil from the students. Avoid places like this at ALL COSTS.

The other problem with them is that you're doing a PFT. You'll find that that is frowned apon greatly. The pilot recriuters at Jet U will tell you whatever you want to hear to get u to go there...they are snakes. They would tell you tha tyou could get a job at fed ex or UPS right after their program if thats what it woudl take to get you to sign on...obviously wouldn't happen.

find some place like ATP where you can get all of your ratings in a few months. Then go to some state school like Ohio State or Virginia Tech or University of South Florida and instruct part time on the weekends. This way, you will never have to endure the hell that is full-time flight instructing and you can have a great time at a real college and end up with some STDs and maybe a kid.


Well, scratch that last part, but you will have a lot more fun doing it this way. Instructing is actually a lot of fun in moderation...

Go to XYZ community college and get a business degree. Get your ratings at a local FBO. The only advantage to going to get an aviation degree used to be that some of the programs had connections with regional carriers to get selected graduates an interview with times like 600/100. Read that carefully, you still had to get from your 250/0 at commercial to the 600/100 they wanted. Now many regionals are interviewing anyone with 600/100, regardless if they spent $140,000 at ERAU or $40,000 split between State college and the local FBO. Why wouldn't you want a fall back plan? The only thing you'll get out of the aviation university is some advanced systems classes. Do yourself a favor, buy the Turbine Pilot's Manual and educate yourself. It's much cheaper. Besides, they'll teach you what you need to know when you get to class.

Wow... an ERJ type rating from this Jet University place is $23k, but a DC-10 type is $12k?

... dude, these guys are right- avoid this place like the plague!!! Somethin smells fishy, and it aint tacos! :D

Jet University used to be called Sim Center...the upper managment of Gulfstream Training Academy (not airline) all quit their jobs (or got fired) and hooked up wth Bill Radcliff at Sim Center and have created Jet University.....

Go to Riddle if you want to be in debt the rest of your life AND learn absolutely nothing. My advice: go to a REAL college and get a REAL degree. The airlines DO NOT require an aviation degree and they certainly DO NOT look any more favorable on Riddle grads than graduates from any other school.

As far as your career path, go get your ratings, but make absolutely sure that you ALSO train in some field other than aviation. i.e., earn a degree in something other than aviation.

Sounds almost identical to the typical line of BS that Riddle feeds their potential recruits.

You actually want to be a pilot?
 

Go to college, get a degree and make something of yourself. I love flying and wouldn't give it up unless it gave me up, but the stress of not knowing if your airline will be around next year let alone next week is killer. Although the flight academies are a fast track, they rape you every day of your money and you feel all dirty when they don't even give you a kiss first. Well, that's the way DCA was. If I could do it over I would not have gone to DCA or any academy.

come on guys. Don't sugar coat it. Tell us how you really feel.

I went to Florida Tech and did the B.S. in Aviation Management w/ flight. It gave me a pretty solid business/airport ops background and let me fly the whole time. The nice thing is you can work as a CFI for the school while you're a student and the pay is pretty decent for a CFI (more than the regional's make at least). Small school but a good one. I'd stay away from any academy...had a friend quit F.I.T. and go to one and it didn't work out too well.

Atp
 

I disagree. I've done a lot of research and haven't found anything against going to ATPS. For a fixed price / time a student that is proactive , engaged, and studious will make it without issues. I certainly hope someone interested in making such an investment (time and money) would not squander the opportunity.

-LAFF

Go to the cheapest college with a flight school and get a 4 year degree in something other than aviation. Go in-state if you can. It is that simple. Flight hours are flight hours. No one cares what school you go to and like others had said, you will actually catch crap if you go to Riddle or other expensive places like that.