Question for real world Pilots

[Selino631]

So, my Active Duty contract ends this November, and i'm just going to be switching over to the Army National Guard. And as a career i'm looking at just using my GI Bill to go to school to be a Airline pilot. I've been looking around at several schools but the two i'm most interested in are, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Aerosim Flight Academy (formerly Delta Connection academy). I've heard both good and bad about each, but i'm just wondering if anyone has any 1st hand experience with either of these locations. thanks

[icepac]

I was accepted to comair academy in 2001 and moved to "stonebrook" where most of the flight instructors and students lived but september 11th happened and I watched instructors start driving around with domino's pizza delivery lights on the roofs of thier cars.

Pretty hard to pay back 60 grand worth of student loans on a domino's driver salary so I wisely stayed with my temporary job toyota (intent was to earn for a few months before attending comair) and ended up a Lexus master technician.

Wherever you go, make sure you live where the highest concentration of students or flight instructors live.

The total immersion and having help only footsteps away will make things a huge amount easier.

I got my A&P, private, and instrument ratings at SIU carbondale back in 1984, moved to miami for eastern airlines pilot entry program in 1988 only to have eastern go down with my name on the machinists union roster, and pursued a life outside of aviation for a long while before going to comair only to be thwarted again by september 11.

Stopped only a little short of ground school to complete a commercial but I wonder if something is telling me to stay out of the cockpit.

Part of my not going ahead was seeing the woefully unqualified people I saw as instructors at comair who couldn't even change a tire on the bmw thier parents bought them for graduating.

[LilMak]

Before you do anything, make an appointment with a local flight surgeon and get a first class medical. That, in and of itself, will determine if you can go any further.

Next, get a two year degree from any junior college keeping in mind that you'll need to transfer any credits over to the University of your choice. That will probably save you 30k or so. If you're panning to go to Embry Riddle in Daytona, I HIGHLY reccomend looking into Floida State College @ Jacksonville to get the 2 year under your belt. They have a pilot program where ALL the credits will transfer over to ERAU. Their pilot courses will allow you to use your GI Bill to get your license.

Also, if you can pull it off, buy a nice IFR equipped Cessna 150/152 to build time in. They can be had for around 15k now. You can lease the plane to a local flight school to offset the maintenance. Then sell it after you get your IFR ticket and get some of you $ back.  During your initial phases of flight training, it's more important to build time than it is to go fast. You can save a TON of money on fuel by flying everywhere you go as slow as possible. Seems counterintuitive but hours and ratings are what they look for. An hour in a Cessna doing 40knots is the same as an hour in a Gulstream doing 600knots.

I considered the professional pilot route for quite some time but opted out when I did the math. If you peruse it, you better LOVE it because you could be a doctor or lawyer for the amount of money you're going to invest in your training. When you start working the small carriers, you're going to be making near poverty level money till you advance. And...your entire career is dependent of maintaining that medical certificate. If you lose it, you're back to delivering pizza. If you love what you do, however, you never work a day in your life.

[LilMak]

Oops double post.

[Bino]

My little brother went to F.I.T. in Melbourne, Florida.  Really  liked it.  Got a bunch of commercial pilot-type tickets, plus a B.A. in business.  Looked at being a pilot, then got into aviation insurance.  He goes all over the country looking at bent and broken planes, i.e., he was the guy who made the phone call about a crane to pull Sullenberger's flight 1549 out of the Hudson River.

[perdue3]

Embry Riddle is a phenominal school however the time sheet is almost always full and it is a very busy airspace. Simulators are hard to get in due to popularity but the instructors, aircraft, and university are all top notch. If you are not worried about amenities or the area take a look at Florida Tech in Melbourne, FL. The Melbourne Airport is not very busy, somewhat inexpensive tution, and relaxed lifestyle. Of course, this is if you are looking at Florida.

It is hard to turn down Daytona Beach though, I couldn't

[cpxxx]

A friend was with Embry Riddle but he felt it was too slow when it came to flight time so he moved to another flight school as an Instructor during the summer. Great pilot by the way. He wasn't interested in any form of relaxed lifestyle. He was full on.
After training consider skydive flying, it's always under estimated. It's real flying and your stick and rudder skills will improve beyond all recognition. It's a tough apprenticeship but you'll be a better pilot for it. There are time when I think, this is just like Aces High!

One thing for sure no ex skydive pilot will drop into the sea with the stall warning screeching!

[Selino631]

Alot of the complaint's i've heard about ERAU is that they are kinda slow (like you all said) and the price (which doesn't matter cause of the VA). But i was looking more into Aerosim and found out that they partner with Jacksonville University in Florida. and i can come out with a 4 year degree in whatever and still get all my training done (as well as be around a bunch of 18-23 year old girls  ) Anyone know anything about Aerosim Flight Academy or Jacksonville University in particular?

[SIK1]

What LilMak said about getting the medical first is spot on. Went to Riddle in Prescott with a guy who lost his medical due to a heart condition his junior year. He had to change majors because of it.  

[Karnak]

One thing for sure no ex skydive pilot will drop into the sea with the stall warning screeching!

Gee, I wonder which Air France flight from Brazil to France you could possibly be referring to...

[LilMak]

Alot of the complaint's i've heard about ERAU is that they are kinda slow (like you all said) and the price (which doesn't matter cause of the VA). But i was looking more into Aerosim and found out that they partner with Jacksonville University in Florida. and i can come out with a 4 year degree in whatever and still get all my training done (as well as be around a bunch of 18-23 year old girls  ) Anyone know anything about Aerosim Flight Academy or Jacksonville University in particular?

JU is a private college ($$$$). I used to live a few blocks from there but I don't remember them having an aviation department. Not sure how much you have in your GI bill but I know mine was no where near enough to cover ERAU...let alone flight hours. I still recommend Florida State College @ Jax. Great program when I was there (maybe 15 years ago). Plus it will allow you to establish residence and qualify for instate tuition at JU or ERAU. You'll still come out with a degree from the big school but you'll have more flexibility in your flying schedule. FSC didn't own planes so you were responsible for going to a local flight school and getting lessons. You had to come out of pocket with the money till you completed the "class". The first "class" was your solo endorsement. When a CFI signed your log book, you could go to the college and get credit for the class at and the GI bill would send you a nice chunk all at once because the credit hours were pretty large. The second "class" was to your private cert and it worked the same way. There was rarely any scheduling conflicts because YOU chose the actual private flight school and could switch on a whim. The CFI's loved it because you got all your ground school at the college and they got to spend more time in the right seat. It was a really good setup.

[eagl]

One thing about riddle is that the student population is male dominated.  If that's your thing or you're already hitched or you want to be a monk for a few years, then that's not a problem...  I put up with the USAF academy for 4 years (15% female if I recall correctly) primarily because it was the only way to get a flying gig during some budget cut years and I supposed it didn't cause me any permanent damage, but you need to know what sort of environment you're getting into.  Other larger universities with flying programs generally have a more diverse student population and that makes the days OFF the flying schedule go by much more quickly.

Then again, not having a GF, SO, wife, etc. provides a certain incentive to study hard and get out of there quickly so you can get rich faster and then take your pick from a larger pool...  Again, assuming that's part of your long range plans.

If you're already married, then maybe riddle would be a good way to avoid temptation.

[Tordon22]

If you're looking into a degree and flying at the same time: ERAU or North Dakota. Many smaller operations as well. Plenty of places, one thing I was glad I did was to visit/tour several places before making a final choice.

Another Florida option not mentioned is Flight Safety Academy, 30 mins or so south of FIT. It's the one I chose and was satisfied. No place is perfect though.

[Selino631]

If you're looking into a degree and flying at the same time: ERAU or North Dakota. Many smaller operations as well. Plenty of places, one thing I was glad I did was to visit/tour several places before making a final choice.

Another Florida option not mentioned is Flight Safety Academy, 30 mins or so south of FIT. It's the one I chose and was satisfied. No place is perfect though.

I actually have heard of them, and that is also one i've been looking into. the reason i've been leaning more towards Aerosim is it seems like they hook you up alittle more as far as being a CFI after training AND a guarenteed Airline interview

[Golfer]

In 4 years if you can fog a mirror 3 out of 10 tries you'll get an airline interview.

The regionals are starting to hurt and it's going to get worse for them in the next 5 years as the legacies start hiring. A lot. Don't take that "guaranteed interview" as being worth anything other than a talking point to someone who doesn't know better. And now you do