Florida Institute of Technology

[RM7599]

Does anyone have any information on this schools flight training program. Any input would be appreciated!

 

[flydog]

I graduated in 94 but I switched from Aviation to Mechanical Engineering because it was much cheaper. When I was there the tuition with flight was over 20k a year to do flight training at an FBO. It must be over 25k right now.

Quality of training is probably the same as Humpty Diddle. The instructors are all Juniors and Seniors with 250 hrs in their pocket. Instructors were paid $8.00 hr when I was there. I prefer Warriors to 172s so this might factor into your decision. The flight department is much smaller and probably more personal. I also preferred the fact that the name Florida Tech didnt carry the stigma of Embry Riddle which seems to be the butt of all jokes wherever you go.

The city itself is a lot more laid back and cleaner than Daytona. Not much to do except play miniature golf and roll eggs up the causeway with a soup spoon if you plan on pledging a fraternity

The school is relatively small and the girl-guy ratio is about 1:5 so bring plenty of Vaseline. If you like girls Daytona might be a better choice.

My personal recomendation is go to FSU for 5k a year and spend the rest of the money you save on beer, girls, a used Ferrari and flight training at Uncle Fuddy's Flying School. The airlines wont care and youll be a well rounded young man when you graduate

P.S. I still have $250 in unpaid parking tickets at FIT so keep this conversation betwen us

 

[bobbysamd]

F.I.T.

Very good school. Nice looking flight line at the Melbourne, Florida airport, with nice-looking aircraft. Melbourne is a nice small city. The beach is nearby. Go south on U.S. 1 to Sebastian, which had a nice oyster bar by the Indian River at one time. Go further south to Vero for a real "thrill." Seriously, Vero has a few good restaurants. I've eaten some of the best Italian food in my life in Vero.

Orlando and its amenities is an easy drive from Melbourne.

Aside from the Vaseline, you can be entertained by watching the Space Shuttle launches. You're in prime position in Melbourne for the Shuttle. I never missed a Shuttle launch when I lived in Vero. I watched a night launch once and it was spectacular. I'll bet it was more spectacular to watch in Melbourne. I have no idea if Shuttle landings are open to the public. In any event, you'll see quite a bit of the Kennedy Space Center in your flying.

Good luck with your selection.

 

[flydog]

Space Shuttle is also visible from Melbourne but once youve seen one theyre all the same. The best view at night is by renting a Warrior and parking just outside the restricted area.

 

[flyflorida2001]

Not sure if you know it or not...but FIT is instrumental to the space shuttle program. N614FT is equipped with an extra antenna...when the shuttle is going to launch, FIT14 goes up with one of our instructors and an Air Force guy and puddles around for a few hours off shore. The antenna provides a communication go-between between Houston and the Orbiter as the Orbiter goes past the curvature of the Earth but is not yet high enough to be picked up by satilites or towers in Europe.

Don't believe me....next time you are on the ramp, look at FIT14, check out the extra antenna.

 

[FurloughedAgain]

...flashbacks... all the way to RiverRanch at 150AGL .... 3 Tigers in formation with one of the flight-team guys' Twin Comanche...

whoa!

Run away. Get a degree in anything that does NOT have the word "aviation" in the title and dont give those criminals in MLB a penny.

<--- Bachelor of Science in "Aviation Management Flight Technology" is worthless.

And dont forget what F.I.T REALLY stands for -- "Forget Intercourse Totally"

 

[T-Gates]

And dont forget what F.I.T REALLY stands for -- "Forget Intercourse Totally"

LMAO!

 

[CA1900]

<--- Bachelor of Science in "Aviation Management Flight Technology" is worthless.

And dont forget what F.I.T REALLY stands for -- "Forget Intercourse Totally"

Bud? Is that you?

 

[C425Driver]

I graduated in '93 and overall I was happy with the school. Great place to go to college, although the beach and the fraternity didn't help my GPA very much but I still had a great time. I thought the flight training was good, but I will agree with FurloughedAgain, the B.S. in Aviation Management and Flight Technology will do nothing for me if I lose my job (i.e. medical, furloughed). I don't have much to fall back on right now.

If I could do it over again, I would have gotten an engineering degree and done my flight training on the side or after college. FIT is a breeding ground for NASA engineers. The school was started in the 50's for just that purpose and NASA still hires FIT grads today. I have several friends who got their first jobs out of college on the cape. Some of them are still there, but most have moved on to other private engineering jobs on the cape (like Lockheed/Martin) and make three times as much as NASA pays.

I transferred in to FIT from another school that was predominantly aviation (not ERAU) and one of the reasons that I chose FIT was because of the diversity of degree programs. I wanted to go to a place where everyone didn't eat, sleep, breathe, sh!t aviation and I ended up liking it better that way.

Good luck on whatever you choose to do.

C425Driver

Oh yeah, the male to female ratio was depressing when I was there in the early 90's, but I've heard that it's gotten much better now.

 

[rvsm410]

Please!!! your Killing me...

Not sure if you know it or not...but FIT is instrumental to the space shuttle program. N614FT is equipped with an extra antenna...when the shuttle is going to launch, FIT14 goes up with one of our instructors and an Air Force guy and puddles around for a few hours off shore. The antenna provides a communication go-between between Houston and the Orbiter as the Orbiter goes past the curvature of the Earth but is not yet high enough to be picked up by satilites or towers in Europe.

Don't believe me....next time you are on the ramp, look at FIT14, check out the extra antenna.

I dont know a thing about this airplane at FIT, or what they might have going with NASA, but I have been around KSC for 30 years...worked for Rockwell at KSC and then as an A/C on C130's at Patrick AFB before I moved out west.....Did you forget the "MILA" tracking station located on Merritt Island???? how about the 3 radoms at Patrick??? HUH? they are all for communication, tracking and Range Safety........for sure, 100% positive.....these are used until the orbiter is in range of the TDRS sats on Orbit.....The shutle uses the S-band anntennas as well as Ku for communications....

One other thing....forget the night launches....they are history after Columbia, the investigation team made it clear that cameras would not be useful to view the vehicle...thay have installed over 30 new high speed cams all around the PAds to view every possible angle of ascent....

NASA is well know for its participation with the countries colleges, I'm sure FIT gets some neat things to study, including flying unmanned aircraft throught the exhaust plume to measure stuff....

 

[sgu]

I graduated in 94 but I switched from Aviation to Mechanical Engineering because it was much cheaper. When I was there the tuition with flight was over 20k a year to do flight training at an FBO. It must be over 25k right now.

Quality of training is probably the same as Humpty Diddle. The instructors are all Juniors and Seniors with 250 hrs in their pocket. Instructors were paid $8.00 hr when I was there. I prefer Warriors to 172s so this might factor into your decision. The flight department is much smaller and probably more personal. I also preferred the fact that the name Florida Tech didnt carry the stigma of Embry Riddle which seems to be the butt of all jokes wherever you go.

The city itself is a lot more laid back and cleaner than Daytona. Not much to do except play miniature golf and roll eggs up the causeway with a soup spoon if you plan on pledging a fraternity

The school is relatively small and the girl-guy ratio is about 1:5 so bring plenty of Vaseline. If you like girls Daytona might be a better choice.

My personal recomendation is go to FSU for 5k a year and spend the rest of the money you save on beer, girls, a used Ferrari and flight training at Uncle Fuddy's Flying School. The airlines wont care and youll be a well rounded young man when you graduate

Posted By Furloughed Again

<--- Bachelor of Science in "Aviation Management Flight Technology" is worthless.

And dont forget what F.I.T REALLY stands for -- "Forget Intercourse Totally"

I agree with all of the above. I graduated in '96. I do have to say that I am in a fortunate position and FIT gave me opportunities that otherwise I would not have had. The company I am with now recruited and hired me. I was lucky enough not to endure hardships like many in the aviation field. If I had to do it over again, I would have majored in a different field as a fallback but I cannot change that now only advise those that still have an opportunity to change their course. And yes getting close with the opposite sex was not existent for many but I know a few that were lucky enough to induldge!
FIT has upgraded their facilities as well as a/c. As far as the male/female ratio is concerned, you will have to scope it out and report back to us!

Good Luck!!

 

[poorFITgrad'02]

Got Money?

Of course any private 4 year school (or almost any college nowadays) will leave you with a big bill at the end. Not sure about your financial situation, but money may not matter for you.

I graduated in '02 and thanks to my connections I made at the school, I was able to get a good time building job and get hired by a regional this past May. The school you go to makes a difference, but it is still all about luck, timing, and who you know for the flying jobs.

I'm thankful for the FIT experience, helped me get to where I am today. I'd check out St. Louis University as well though. Flight fees are included in the tuition (at least last time I checked they were). It was the cheapest of the colleges that I was looking at (STL, FIT, RIDDLE). But FIT gave me a good scholarship that kinda helped reduce the sting of tuition. I chose FIT in the end cause I'm partial to warm weather and the beach.

Good Luck and Have Fun!! Just remember, all flight schools will have their positives and negatives, don't let a few bad experiences alter your decision. Go with where you think you will get the best deal or have the most fun, whatever you are looking for.

 

[bobbysamd]

Congratulations

I graduated in '02 and thanks to my connections I made at the school, I was able to get a good time building job and get hired by a regional this past May . . . .

I vaguely recall your posts from nearly two years ago. You were writing about trying to find work. Nice to read about your success.

Keep up the good work. Good luck with the first year.

 

[C425Driver]

I dont know a thing about this airplane at FIT, or what they might have going with NASA, but I have been around KSC for 30 years...worked for Rockwell at KSC and then as an A/C on C130's at Patrick AFB before I moved out west.....Did you forget the "MILA" tracking station located on Merritt Island???? how about the 3 radoms at Patrick??? HUH? they are all for communication, tracking and Range Safety........for sure, 100% positive.....these are used until the orbiter is in range of the TDRS sats on Orbit.....The shutle uses the S-band anntennas as well as Ku for communications....

FIT flew that plane for years for NASA. I'm not sure if they still do or not but they did for the 4+ years that I was there. To install all the required radios for the mission the backseat had to be removed. It's my understanding that it is used for aerial relay of communication and telemetry.

As for the MILA and 3 radomes at Patrick, never heard of them but I'm sure they exist.

 

[C-150ETOPS]

I'm sure FIT gets some neat things to study, including flying unmanned aircraft throught the exhaust plume to measure stuff....

They makin' the chicks fly those missions?

 

[rvsm410]

C-150etops....

Cool handle.....trying to figure if you put the other engine on top of the wing in pusher config like the lakes amphibs.....so tell me what did they approve you for on ETOPS trips??? bet you got the 208 minutes didn't ya....cool

Oh yea, instead of a wet wing, you got a wet tail!!! Ha just spoofing...have a good day..

 

[kjjz28]

Well, I'm just now getting back into flying and working on my CFI when I have some extra time and $$$. I'm a '91 grad and my BS Aviation Mgmt/Flight Tech I guess was good enought to get me in the door at a major insurance & financial services company. I miss the flying but am glad to be home with the family 7 nights a week and have 11 yrs tenure. Just a choice I made (plus had too many bills to pay to only flight instruct after school). Getting laid off when Eastern filed Chapter 7 during my senior year was enough for me to get into something a bit more stable.

Last time I was in MLB in Sept '01, it appeared the fleet had decreased in size significantly. One thing I was impressed with was the maintenance done on the aircraft and never having to worry about squawks. As for the girl situation, I brought my own from TX and she worked in West Palm so we saw each other on the weekends. I recommend visiting the campus along with a few other schools and see which one you feel most comfortable with.
Good luck.

p.s Is Satellite NDB still operational?

 

[FlynSuperD]

p.s Is Satellite NDB still operational?

Was Satellite ever really OPERATIONAL????

 

[FlynSuperD]

Not sure if you know it or not...but FIT is instrumental to the space shuttle program. N614FT is equipped with an extra antenna...when the shuttle is going to launch, FIT14 goes up with one of our instructors and an Air Force guy and puddles around for a few hours off shore. The antenna provides a communication go-between between Houston and the Orbiter as the Orbiter goes past the curvature of the Earth but is not yet high enough to be picked up by satilites or towers in Europe.

Don't believe me....next time you are on the ramp, look at FIT14, check out the extra antenna.

I flew a bunch of those flights back when I was an instructor there. There are a few cadets modified for these missions, who we flew for the air force. A couple days before launch, a radio package and a UHF antenna is added to the airplane. We would go up about 3 hours before launch and orbit over the Indian River, just west of the shuttle landing facility and the radio package would operate as a UHF repeater. We would act as a voice relay of messages between the cape and the coast guard falcon patrolling the booster rocket drop zone for any boats out off shore where line of sight VHF comm would not reach the cape. We also had an air force observer onboard, who at the time of launch, would monitor the trajectory of the orbiter above any cloud deck (where gorund observers would loose sight) to a point where the telemetry from antennas on the ground could take over, about 8000'. It was always cool at the air force briefing, when they had the overhead of all the support aircraft, C-130s, C.G. Falcon, various helicopters, G-2, C-90s, and a PA28!!!