Embry Riddle CAPT Program---Anyone know about this???

[Clyde]

I am happy everyone is being so "brutally honest". As I am totally new to this, I am uninformed. I am simply looking for a good route to take to achieve a goal and stumbled across the CAPT program. As for a degree, I already have a BS in Criminology so I don't have to worry about that. As for ERAU, I am quite skeptical of that program, which is why I asked the experts about it here. How can a pilot with 500-700 hours, with a type rating, which I dont even know what that means, expect to get a job with an airline when they ALL say you must have a minimum hours of at least 2000 just to interview, from what ive seen??? Is their program that specialized that the airlines they are affiliated with will hire out of those graduates???


Keep em coming guys, and thanks. I'd love to hear from someone who is in the CAPT program...

Chad

CB,
If you already have your degree, all you have to do is get your flying certificates. Don't worry about going to a flying university to do that, YOU WILL BE WASTING MONEY. Start looking at your local airports and interview instructors and staff. Go around to the local flying clubs and hangars and ask people what they know about certain schools as well. The airlines don't know nor care where you received your flight training, as long as you are licensed, meet the minimum requirement for flight time, and have a clean record (meaning no violations).

Before I go any further, I am a 757/767 copilot with a major carrier and have been flying since day 1 for almost 14 years now, all civilian. At no time during my training, did I ever go through any type of program similar to CAPT.

What is a type rating? In order to operate a turbojet aircraft or any aircraft with a gross weight of more than 12,500lbs, as the pilot in command (captain) you must have a special rating for that particular aircraft. You don't need it to serve as a copilot. You will obtain these as you move your way up the ranks, and your employer should cover the cost of this. I got my first type rating with almost 2600 hours in my logbook, so there is no need to get one right away.

So, what will a 500-700 hour pilot with an MD-90 (or any other large turbojet) type rating expect to find? Absolutely nothing. In fact, to take it a step further, the MD-90 type rating is useless. The only carrier (to the best of my knowledge) still flying MD-90's is Delta, and they are not even hiring.

Also, keep this in mind. Any type rating you have, especially if you are low time, is pretty useless to carry around anyway. The reason is that even though you are typed, chances are you will not be proficient.

So, in a nutshell, the ERAU CAPT program is a HUGE WASTE OF MONEY. You will get nothing out of it. They will tell you how important it is that you will learn crew coordination and procedures in a multi-crew cockpit. That's a crock of BS. It's like showing a person who wants to be a doctor, how to work with others in the operating room when that person has yet to start pre-med!! Guess how much of that he will retain 8 years down the road. ERAU is a business, and they are out to make money.

Here's what you need to do. Go get your private pilot's certificate. When you have finished that, add your instrument rating and then begin training for your Commercial certificate. Once you obtain your Commercial and instrument, train for your flight instructor tickets and add your multi-engine rating after that. Begin building flight time as an instructor and make as many contacts at the airports as you can, all the while keeping your eyes peeled for any better flying opportunities. Don't worry too much about what all the different certificates mean right now. A 10-minute conversation with a flight instructor will answer all of your questions quite easily.

Remember, the airlines want to see a college degree, required licenses, a minimum amount of flight time (realistic numbers: 2500-4000 hours) and a clean record to show no DUI's, arrests, convictions, and FAA violations. The CAPT program more than likely won't even be recognized by anyone doing the hiring, and time between interview and CAPT program will likely be several years. Discussing playing football in high school will get you more recognition than CAPT. Football, or any sport like that, will show teamwork ability. And that is where you learn skills to work with others, not in an MD-90 sim with some has-been pilot telling you stories.

The other optionn is to join the military. Very competitive, but well worth it if you can get in.

Don't mean to sound like I'm being too harsh with this CAPT program. It's that I went to ERAU for one semester, and I found it to be the biggest waste of money I ever spent. When I see them trying to take money from unsuspecting people by making this CAPT program look so rosy by telling everyone how this will help you at the airlines, it makes me sick. They are lying to you, and this CAPT program will do NOTHING for you.

Just my $0.02, give or take a quarter or two.

 

[CBorstein]

The other optionn is to join the military. Very competitive, but well worth it if you can get in.



I am actually currently in the military and trying to go to the aviation side with them. But in order to do that, because it is so competitive, I want to get at least PPL in civilian world. I do not have much time left in the Army, so I figured that would be a great way to build time and transition to the Airlines when I got out.

 

[A Squared]

Not to start a flame war, but just as an observation:


Would it be so much better if some one who did not attend Riddle testify on how great a school it was?

An employer, head hunter, chief pilot, etc.


Just a thought.

JAFI

Outstanding thought, JAFI, although it may be just a shade too subtle for many. For the more literal minded, I'll connect a few of the dots:

I've been seeing thes threads for years, and the one thing that stands out is that the only folks who ever extoll the virtues of ERAU are those who spent 80K (or whatever the number is) on tuition there. Yeah, if I'd sunk that kind of money into something, I'd spend quite a bit of effort convincing myself that it was the right thing to do too. Not surprising in the least that ERAU grads speak highly of their own education. (and of course the ERAU recruiters and administrators)

What you don't *ever* hear in these threads is someone from outside ERAU talking about what a great program it is. You don't hear chief pilots od D.O.s or check airmen (and we have plenty of all three) say yep those ERAU grads are head and shoulders above the rest as pilots. You don't have airline recuiters saying "yep, I wish we had resumes from the entire graduating class at erau"; or "**CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** those riddlers are so good, we put all their resumes at the top of the stack and knock 1000 hours off our minimums for them".

That's what you *don't* hear is people with no connection to ERAU saying ERAU is superior. If it was really as good as they tell thier themselves, others outside the organization would have taken up the cry also, but instead, you have deafening silence from the rest of the aviation commumnity.

This is not to say that ERAU is substandard, or somehow lacking. If you have access to a whole bunch of money, and you don't care that your education has no application elsewhere i'm sure an aviation degree from ERAU is every bit as good as an avation degree from Florida Institute of Technology, Or University of Alaska, or North Dakota. However, it shouldn't go unnoticed that the only ones saying it's better are ERAU grads and admin. This should tell you something.

 

[bobbysamd]

I am actually currently in the military and trying to go to the aviation side with them. But in order to do that, because it is so competitive, I want to get at least PPL in civilian world. I do not have much time left in the Army, so I figured that would be a great way to build time and transition to the Airlines when I got out.

Unless you can build at least 1000-2000 hours of military flight time, do not expect to transition directly to the airlines. You still have to meet airline time requirements. Those requirements generally are at least 1500 total-500 multi (though I saw on the interview board that ExpressJets have lowered to something like 700 total-100 of multi ). Expect to instruct and/or fly 135 or corporate, etc. for a while before you are airline-qualified. And, at that point, do not expect to be hired immediately. The legacy carriers and others have a ton of furloughees to recall before they can consider new street hires.

Once again, there are no shortcuts or guarantees. Once more, good luck.

 

[EDUC8-or]

http://www.captiscrap.com/

 

[Clyde]

The other optionn is to join the military. Very competitive, but well worth it if you can get in.



I am actually currently in the military and trying to go to the aviation side with them. But in order to do that, because it is so competitive, I want to get at least PPL in civilian world. I do not have much time left in the Army, so I figured that would be a great way to build time and transition to the Airlines when I got out.

Not sure if a PPL would make a difference or not. It would definitely give you the advantage of having flown an airplane before, but from what I've been told they treat you like you know nothing and start you from scratch. During the selection process, I don't think that would necessarily give you a leg up.

Are you trying to get into the Army side of flying? Also, have you checked out the Air National Guard or Air Force Reserves? Just my thoughts, but if I had to do it over again, I would have done the Reserves.

 

[SDCFI]

For all those who bag on the cost of going to Riddle, I went to the USC website and it estimates 30,000 a Year just for tuition. That's 120,000 for 4 years. Is this a waste of money too? You don't have to major in Aero Science at Riddle, just off the website I counted 22 BS degrees and 8 Masters programs. I'm sure some of these would transfer to other careers. The price for flight training (aside from the CRAP, I mean CAPT program) is on par with FSI, UND, and the other training academies. If you really want to go to Riddle, I would go to a JC and get your gen ed all done. Get your certs/ratings at your local FBO, then go to ERAU and take the degree-specific courses. It'll cost you half as much and you'll still get a degree that says Embry-Riddle on it. Don't go there to try and get ahead, go there to take classes that you enjoy with people who share the same interests and career goals as you.

Yes, I went to ERAU...No I don't reget it...And I certainly don't think I'm better than anyone else.

 

[j-bird]

CBORSTEIN,
I dont know anything about embry riddle but you might want to check out ATPs website. Maybe they will benefit you better.

 

[Clyde]

For all those who bag on the cost of going to Riddle, I went to the USC website and it estimates 30,000 a Year just for tuition. That's 120,000 for 4 years. Is this a waste of money too? You don't have to major in Aero Science at Riddle, just off the website I counted 22 BS degrees and 8 Masters programs. I'm sure some of these would transfer to other careers. The price for flight training (aside from the CRAP, I mean CAPT program) is on par with FSI, UND, and the other training academies. If you really want to go to Riddle, I would go to a JC and get your gen ed all done. Get your certs/ratings at your local FBO, then go to ERAU and take the degree-specific courses. It'll cost you half as much and you'll still get a degree that says Embry-Riddle on it. Don't go there to try and get ahead, go there to take classes that you enjoy with people who share the same interests and career goals as you.

Yes, I went to ERAU...No I don't reget it...And I certainly don't think I'm better than anyone else.

Which is recognized more outside of aviation? USC or Embry-Riddle? More people (and employers) are going to recognize USC or any other real college. Why get an Electrical Engineering degree from an aeronautical university? If I were going to spend $120,000 on a degree, I would sure as heck rather go to USC than ERAU.

I attended ERAU for one semester. It took less than that time to realize what a joke that school is. Professors were lousy, my academic advisor needed a drug test, and nobody outside of aviation recognized it. The only thing I learned from my academic advisor was that he was deaf from flying lears. When I told him I was disappointed in ERAU and thought that going there would help me get to an airline, his response was "the airlines won't hire you". Well, if only that fat worthless turd could see me now!!

Not bashing the students or alumni by any means, but I don't have anything good to say about the school's educational ability. I've seen circuses run better than ERAU.

 

[Rhoid]

The only thing I learned from my academic advisor was that he was deaf from flying lears. When I told him I was disappointed in ERAU and thought that going there would help me get to an airline, his response was "the airlines won't hire you". Well, if only that fat worthless turd could see me now!!

Where are you now? probably at some bottom feeder commuter!!! If you stayed at Riddle you would be at a major by now, not a commuter lifer!!!!

 

[tom1178]

Where are you now? probably at some bottom feeder commuter!!! If you stayed at Riddle you would be at a major by now, not a commuter lifer!!!!

If you look to the left side of the page under his name I do believe it answers those questions for you.

..........I'd have to agree with SDCFI, That's basically what I did, went to a comm college for two years, saved me over $30,000.

 

["TheBigPicture"]

Yup, if I had to do it all over again. I would do the Gen ED. thing off campust along with Flight Training and then finish up with the concentration for the last two years.....woulda been a lot cheaper that way.

Well put post SDCFI

 

[freightdogfred]

Where are you now? probably at some bottom feeder commuter!!! If you stayed at Riddle you would be at a major by now, not a commuter lifer!!!!

Flaming your new buddy Clyde, the one yer begging for a rec to UPS from...

Kid, yer not very bright.....

 

[bobbysamd]

College flight programs

You go to Embry Riddle because you know it's a respected school in the industry, and it carries a certain amount of weight. Thats it... not because they told you it's the best or because you're a dumbass and think you'll be flying something with "heavy" in the call sign within 4 years... but it IS a good education, regardless of what guys like Clyde say. If the school didn't turn out a good product, companies wouldn't hire grads, and the school wouldn't be growing as fast as it is.

I instructed at ERAU-Prescott from late 1988-'mid 1991. The education provided the kids always impressed me. To me, that was reason enough to go to ERAU - though I feel our flight line did a great job teaching our students to fly and equipping them with a solid foundation.

The background given college flight students is a primary reason why I like an aviation degree. To prove that I don't have a Riddle bias only, I also instructed at MAPD, in which students earn a two-year degree from San Juan College. MAPD was not as gold-plated, or expensive, as ERAU, but MAPD students also leave with an excellent educational foundation.

I would bet the same is true for Purdue and UND, etc. I flew with a Southeast Oklahoma State U. grad. She had not flown for several years, but it was clear to me from the beginning that she had received good training.

Last but not least, college flight programs offer internships, which could lead to jobs one day. I don't know if non-Aeronautical Science majors are eligible for the same internships available to flight students.

Once more, it bothers me that a place such as ERAU would stoop so low as to offer quasi-P-F-T.

 

[Goose Egg]

Not all flying is supposed to be fun... it's business. There's nothing fun about shooting partial panel approaches, simulating emergencies, and shooting approches to mins with the fuel light staring you in the face...

That being said, every time I step out of my gear soaked in sweat, and beat to hell, I'm always ready to go out and get back at it again. Not that their arn't joys in flying and fun flights... there's still a job to get done.

I have actually been thinking about this a lot lately. It was sort of a weird transition for me to start doing a lot of instructing. Until then, I'd always done my instructing on the side "for fun." I had loved flying and airplanes as long as I could remember, and I had always looked at aviation that was something that I ultimately did for enjoyment, not to accomplish something--even though I had intentions to make flying a career from beginning. Somehow I thought it would be a career of "play."

So when I looked at flight instructing as a fun hobby that I was getting paid for, it really kind of sucked--I was putting to much work and emotional energy into something that I was in for kicks and giggles, and I was getting pretty stressed out.

Then one day it just sort of dawned on me that this was no longer a hobby, but a job--work, not play. I realized that I needed to leave my frustrations at the airport, and get a life outside of airplanes. Once I did this, I started absolutely loving flight instructing, and I have been having a blast ever since. Flying is a demanding and depressing hobby, but it is absolutely the best job in the world. I just had to change my view of flying from play to work.

A little off topic, but since it came up...

-Goose