So you want to be a pilot. Great.

Do you think that being a commercial pilot means you have to be an airline pilot?


Also, there is some good you can take from a university program, but you need to be well balanced and not have a degree in "aviation", as that isn't very useful. Your ratings and certificates and experience are what get you the job, not the degree. Aerospace engineering, aviation management and others are good choices. If you don't have a good way to fund this education, it's a very bad idea. You don't want to go a bunch into debt. Consider an on-line program or some other ideas.

Over and over? Five posts in the thread at that point, and this is what you have to say?

If someone wants to get into flying, have a ball. No reason not to. A masters degree is nothing special; it's not overqualification for a flying job. It's simply paperwork saying one has spent a little extra time in academia. It's no barrier to a flying career, and embarking on a flying career is NOT a waste of a perfectly good masters degree.

Lots of pilots out there with masters degrees.

One must be aware that flying for a career is a long slow process, and a great deal more time is spent at the entry level rungs, as a rule, than some other industries. However, if one wishes to fly for a living but gives it up to go do another job that one hates simply because one has a degree...what's the point.

A wise man once said that you should do something you love for a vocation, and if so doing, will never work another day in your life. Consider that carefully.

There is no good reason why someone who wants to undertake flying for a living shouldn't do so.

As for going to a flying university, absolutely not...no reason to do it, and it won't promote your career at all...particularly for someone who already holds a masters degree. All it will do is make the flying more expensive. Nobody cares that you went to Purdue or ERAU to learn to fly. Where you got your primary flight training, for the most part, is irrelevant. It's rare anyone has asked me where I learned to fly, and I can't imagine too many people who would care. Am I properly certificated and can I pass an interview and a checkride? It's enough.

Save your money for flying, rather than paying for a brand name that means nothing but to those who patronized the brand. You'll get more training done for less, in shorter time, and will come out ahead.

Yes. Three people at least. EMB170, his father, and his grandfather. I would think the weight of the advice of a father who was a professional pilot would hold considerable weight. Maybe "over and over" was a bit dramatic, I'll admit that, but I think it holds its value. His own family is trying to help him break the cycle from their own experience, yet he does not heed it. Fine.

I hope if my father and grandfather (RIP) were to give me the same advice, I'd listen. But, hey, I'm a guy, I had a rebellious streak once...

If you read further in the thread you will also I attempted to give constructive advice regarding the question.

Good luck.

Since you already have a degree I would highly recommend buying a 172 and getting your ratings with it. You'll need to pay for some time in a complex and multi, but the 172 will get your private, instrument and time building done. The best part is your 172 you paid $50k for is probably worth $50k when you are done with it, or when you decide it's not for you anymore.

Don't waste time with the university route. Go to All ATP's or find a local school near home and follow that route. Filter the noise and do what your wallet lets you do.

I appreciate the advice guys. All this information is helping me build a picture of how I will pursue my future endeavors. I have begun looking through ATP's and expect to start this summer. The financial burden of a large school like EBAU would be too much and I already have a degree. This will allow me to work while earning my ratings. Thanks for all the information guys!

Thank you for the advice, your comments show this will not be an easy path to follow. My parents advice does hold weight and what father wouldn't want to protect his children from burdens he has experienced. He would rather see me utilize my degree and earn more money. This however is a passion I plan on pursuing and will strive to be successful in. If I can take anything away it will be that this will be a long road.

One thing to consider are the new (or likely to be new) mins for getting an ATP. Currently it is 1500 hours. However, there is an NPRM out to reduce that to somewhere around 750 or 1000 if flilght training is from an AABI accredited school (like ERAU, Auburn, Jacksonville Univ, Purdue, and a couple dozen other schools). I suspect that the rule will be finalized sometime this year. That will make a huge difference for getting your first regional job (which will require an ATP now).

The DoE actually does not recognize AABI in the United States. You would have to attend a school that is accredited by a nationally-recognized accrediting board to meet the proposed requirements.

I would suggest Flight Safety Academy in Vero Beach, FL. I received my flight training there and loved every second. FSI is considered in the ivy league of aviation schools. You will be extremely prepared for a career when you are finished. Airlines prefer graduates of FSI when selecting candidates for hire. It is a bit pricey, but when you experience the quality of flight training and ground training, you'll know why.