Thats what I did, a 4 year degree at a normal university (albeit one with a world renown aviation program, the screen name is a clue;) ) But even if I had not gone that route, there is no reason to rack up the kind of debt these "pilot factories" require. The benefit is just not there to justify the cost.

If you are already in college or most of the way done, go get your comm/multi/inst and then bang out a CFI/CFII/MEI rating. You can do it with significantly less cost than a place like DCA or RAA and you will learn a hell of a lot more. Really get to know the people at the place where you fly, they will be a good start when you are ready for that first flying job. My first flight instructing job was at the flight school I had gotten my private at. Even though I hadn't done any other training with them and only rented from them sporatically, I had a good raport with the owner/chief instructor and when I was looking for a summer job, he helped me out.

And it is not difficult to instruct while going to college because as an instructor you can pretty much make your own schedule. I did 3 semesters of instructing while attending college and was still able to maintain my GPA without any trouble. Plus you'll make more and work less than your friends working retail or fast food:D

Hope this helps

Yah that sounds good! Im almost done HS, so im just trying to figure out how I should go about all this.

Your point is well taken. I guess I tend to leave things at the office. I take my personal time pretty seriously. If I can help it, I don't think about work or talk about it. I indulge myself in other aspects of life. The success vs. rich is probably the more sensitive issue. I do love to fly, but I don't love it enough to be on welfare working at the pathetic pay the regional airlines offer. It almost seems to me that it's daily comedy to airline management to watch a bunch of pilots with such important responsibilities working and getting paid like a 16 year old with a paper route. I guess my point is, you can be happy and successful as long as your stomach is full and you're warm and dry (read: food on the table & roof over your head). I just find it sadistic to do with what the regionals are paying out.

I have to agree HSLD aviation experience being equal, Id take the guy with life experience and maturity too. But my point is a 40 year old guy who is independently wealthy (meaning doesn't care about pay or bennies), bored with his desk job and thinks flying a jet with passengers in the back would be a "cool hobby" is no different from the 20 year old guy with a blank check from mommy and daddy. Both are not going to be good for those of us trying to feed and shelter ourselves as we start out on this odysey in the aviation industry. Yes, the life experience is going to be different and the 40 year old guy will probably have more maturity but that is no indicator of how someone will react in a clutch situation.

I agree
 

Right on, this is true and I just think that if you want to fly for a hobby or you don't need money, do something that is completely known for not making money and is only for peolple who need the love of flying such as general aviation. Flying all day with no rest has lost its fun and needs to compensated with money. I like flying, but it becomes a job and you should be compensated well for it.

The 40 year old will have the maturity which is good in many, many ways, but you're right that there is really no way to predict how someone will react when the **** hits the fan. You have to do it for real once to find out.

I'm a career changer myself...I do have financial resources apart from airline pay, but I EARNED them. I am by no means content to slave away at a regional job and write it off as a "cool hobby". I don't like spending my hard earned savings to make up the gap between regional pay and financial reality. Like many others, I looked at the pay scales when I entered the industry, but did not fully understand the work rules. However I have the experience, judgement, and energy to help force some change, which I am agressively pursuing. The 20 something PFT slackers are the ones whose apathy overwelms what little economic sense they might have.:mad:

I'd rather fly with the guy who doesn't say "dude"

Dude, you need to relax, okay dude? I'm mean, dude, what's the point of that post anyway? It's completely useless...just like this post. Agreed dude? :D

Add insult to injury...

I requested CAPT to send my resume out to Air Wisconsin on 2/10/2006. I received an e-mail this morning that my resume was going out to them TODAY. I mean...who does this? How much of an effort does it take to shove a few sheets of paper into an envelope and hand it to a secretary to address it, put a stamp on it and walk to a mail box?

Since they aren't getting any money out of you, you're not very high on the priority list.

I thought you were done with aviation for the time being?