Quote:
Originally Posted by elal07
Has anyone gone through the aviation program at UND?
If so how was it and were their any regional jobs when you got out?
The problem with ANY of these programs is that they cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and they do not get you that job that pays $20-30K as an airline pilot. You have to make up a big deficit of "experience" to even have a shot, and how does it make sense to spend that much money for a job that pays that little and doesn't move? Things do not work like they used to when you used to spend a year or two at a regional and move up to the "big time", it's a totally new game. It's not that the schools are "out there to take your money", that's ridiculous, they pour that money into their programs and people aren't getting "fat" by working there, the issue is that the industry is totally broken, and everyone "washes their hands" of the issue.
The majors have cut back and back on routes, it's been cheaper for them to have regional airlines fly those routes, it's cheaper to pay the pilots less money, it keeps the airline "afloat" and makes more jobs right? It's not some magical "cycle" that's going to someday soon "kick off", the major airlines are shrinking in scope at the same time as the pilots are retiring. And where does anyone get off saying that "regional airlines are just a stepping stone"? What, it's not a real job? I can just fake it while I'm flying? The schools say "that's the industry and we can't change it", the pilots take the jobs because they want to fly jets or think that eventually they might "make it", the passengers just want the lowest tickets, and so on. Many of these airlines should have FAILED years ago, but congress and others kept them afloat and have damaged the industry big time.
These are the tough issues and questions that have to be answered. I love flying, I don't want to be a slave doing what I love though, that takes all the fun out of it. Think real hard about what you love, that trans-atlantic captain job isn't reachable in a reasonable lifetime, and there are thousands of pilots (yes, thousands!) in line to take it before you.
I went through one of the "major" programs, and they are good. Based on my experience almost NO ONE else really holds students/pilots to actual standards in terms of maneuvers and tasks. Maybe you can find a "down home" school and instructor, and maybe that instructor will want to be your friend and show you all sorts of cool stuff about flying, but that instructor and the designated examiner may not really hold you to the standards (I've seen it over and over), and you may not really understand what you actually need to understand for a certificate or rating. Then when you get to a real professional flight department, you won't last through the first week. And while that part about maintaining standards is good, no one really cares unless you have thousands of hours and turbine time and the focus of all the classes and academic work is based on subjects and material that you won't even touch for probably the next 10 years...advanced transatlantic navigation? Turbine engine theory? Aircraft performance? Crew resource management? These are worthless, your airline will teach you what you need to know about these, but having all the "extra" that you'll forget over that time doesn't benefit you at all. Maybe if you were about to step to the right seat of an A320 right after graduation, but that's not the way it works, even if you are an outstanding student and pilot.
It's not worth the debt when you could be relatively debt free and building an RV-7 to fly around yourself (or just buy any other airplane). Do some research about what it really means to be a regional airline pilot. Pretty much everyone that graduated with me 7+ years ago is still "stuck". What they earn at those regional airlines is pathetic given their responsibility and training.
Find something you "like" so you can do what you "love".