UVSC in Hawaii

[Unchilled]

Can anyone give some advice about the new Bachelors degree in Aviation Science that Utah Valley State College is now giving online? I'd love to move to Kona, Hawaii and do my flight training out there and still get my degree over the net. check out http://www.fly-hawaii.com and see the degree program they're offering. Does it seem like a good idea to you? Anyone have experience with the satelite degree programs? Living in Kona would be awesome!! Anyone know about Hawaii Flight Academy (Formerly sporty's of hawaii)

Thanks!

 

[Freight Dog]

I used to work there. I gotta say, it was a fun job. I was not a CFI there, I was a tour pilot so my options were somewhat limited. The problem with the job were as follows:

- no advancement opportunity into twins unless you are an MEI checked out in his twin.

- no tours at night, so no night time.

- since the outfit has VFR only certificate, you can't log or fly any IFR unless you ferry airplanes between Kona and Hilo, which you won't do that often.

- Phil (the owner) can be a real pain. He is not in touch with reality. He wants lifers. If you have ambitions beyond CFI-ing or flying his tours, he will give you hell when you try to leave.

As far as courses go... dude.. do you really want to spend $10,000 for a private pilot ticket?! His prices are unreal. $99/hr for a beat up C-172, or if you want to fly his 1998 Cessna 172, it's $109/hr.

If your goal is to get your ratings while getting college degree, I strongly suggest Embry-Riddle extended campus. You can get financial aid, you can get your degree just about anywhere, you can either attend a class at a resident center (just about in any large city), or you can take classes through the Internet. At the same time, you can really cut the cost down quite a bit by going through a cheaper FBO than Phil's Flying Circus in Kona.
Other options in Hawaii are Moore Aviation, Anderson Aviation, Oahu Aviation. These are all here in Honolulu. If your wallet really itches... I'd suggest UND satellite program here - they even have airplanes here.

Good luck and aloha!

 

[avbug]

You can do better than UVSC. You'll probably find that they won't recognize your pilot certification, and can't enroll you in the program unless you already have flight experience and a minimum certification and number of hours. When they do, they'll credit you for your private pilot certificate, and require much more work than most other well recognized programs.

There are much better programs available, and they're much more professional and organized.

 

[Unchilled]

Thanks for your input.

So, would you both recommend using ERAU or UND as a satellite school? I wasn't aware UND even had the program available. The thing I like most about UVSC is their price. Only $68/credit hour. I'm not sure what Embry Riddle costs, but I'm sure it's more.

The Hawaii Flight Academy definitely isn't something I'm set on. I just checked out their website and the thought of living in Hawaii really sounded nice. FreightDog, I'll definitely check out those other schools you mentioned.

BTW, what do you guys think of satellite schools in general? Maybe I should just bite the bullet and attend an actual campus. Gotta save $$$ though.

Thanks!

 

[hawkdriver]

At the same time, you can really cut the cost down quite a bit by going through a cheaper FBO than Phil's Flying Circus in Kona.

ROFL!!! Now THAT is a peach. Phil has been "retired" for too long and hence lost touch with us simple folks.

 

[dash8driver]

phil and other options...

phil is a piece of work alright. i stopped by the school there once to check out their operations and talk to people when i was on the big island for vacation. i was looking for a place to instruct and kona is a nice place to hang out for a couple years. needless to say, after about 10 minutes in phils office, i had decided i didnt want to work for this guy. worked out in my favor.

as for other options. HCC (Honolulu Community College, a part of the UH system) has partnered up with UND here in hawaii. you do your flying at the airport and your ground school and related aviation classes in the classrooms at the airport. you take the rest of your classes (gen. ed., meteorology, etc) on the HCC campus. because of HCC you save on the per credit cost for a lot of your classes. the only thing about the program here is you only get a 2 year degree, its designed to set you up to go to the main campus for the last two years to finish it off. one draw back to the program is they dont give you any of your certificates until you are done with the entire program. so after you finish your instrument rating, you cant fly imc til you are done with their whole flight program... kinda stinks i think.

i would at least call to check it out.. keep all your options open. you can always get a regular degree at a regular college while you do your flight training (in hawaii or anywhere). you dont need an aviation degree to be an airline pilot.

if you come to hawaii, you'll definately be proficient at landing in crosswinds by the time you leave. and if you come to hawaii you can move in with freight dog. haha

 

[Unchilled]

Dash8:

Thanks for your input on Hawaii. Since that post, however, I've decided on attending Cochise College in Douglas, AZ. I think it's the best thing for me. Ever heard of it?

Thanks!

 

[dash8driver]

Unchilled,

no i havent heard of it.. i have done some flying in AZ tho. you'll have lots of fun.

best of luck to you...