What Universitys Are Good for Future Pilots?? - Merged

[pilotyip]

95% won't listen

95% will not listen to me, I am routing for the 5% who had no intention of going to college. So do not worry Bobby without college they will never figure out subliminal. So maybe I am only 5% subliminally irresponsible if anyone figures out what subliminal is

 

[bobbysamd]

Mr. Subliminal

95% will not listen to me, I am routing for the 5% who had no intention of going to college.

They can go to work for you, then, Yip. The 95% has pragmatism, common sense, the realization that credentials are important, and understands that why it may not really "wanna" go to college it needs to, should and must to improve its chances for success.

So do not worry Bobby without college they will never figure out subliminal. So maybe I am only 5% subliminally irresponsible if anyone figures out what subliminal is

"Mr. Subliminal" was a Saturday Night Live bit some years ago with Kevin Nealon. Here's an example.

 

[pilotyip]

It is hard to find pilots without a degree, almost everyone has one. But the few non-degreed pilots are indistinguishable from the degreed pilots in their performance.

 

[BoilerUP]

I will graduate from Purdue in December 2005 (if not earlier, in May or Summer).

In my time at Purdue, I have not only immersed myself in aviation, but have had many opportunities elsewhere within the university both academically and socially. I've joined organizations from the Flight Team to Silver Wings to a swing dancing club and everything in between. I've gotten in the best shape of my life in one of the nicest student fitness centers in the country, and I've made friends in majors from liberal arts to engineering that I hopefully will keep for life. I spent 3 semesters in Air Force ROTC (a great way to go, BTW) until I got medically DQ'd, and I loved it! I got to fly a 120+ hours in a 727 sim (soon to be 737NG FTD), 13 hours in a King Air 200, and they sent me (and 3 of my friends) to FlightSafety for Beechjet school. I'll have around 1000 total, well over 100 multi and 500 dual given when I get my degree. I'll have done an internship with a fast-growing regional and a co-op with an extremely profitable major airline. I have worked hard while in school, but I have had a blast and I would not trade my experiences for anything.

Obviously I'm partial to the Boilermakers, but I would suggest getting a minor in something outside of piloting if you attend a school for a flight/aeronautical science degree, regardless of where you go. Finance, Economics, Management, Labor Relations, Computer Science, or even Air Traffic Control would all provide you with a foundation for a fallback career in the event of furlough or medical issues.

If I had it to do again, I would have done everything the same, but probably taken more of a management/econ slant towards a minor, as well as taken the CTI courses earlier in my academic career.

At 14, you have 3 or 4 years until you have to make a decision. Visit everywhere you are interested and compare the pros and cons to all. Also, consider the military route (ROTC or Air Guard or OTS) if you are interested. Good luck with your decision and future career.

Regards,

BoilerUP


EDIT: PS - West Lafayette isn't Auburn or Austin, but the women here ain't half bad either..plus you'll have 15,000+ to choose from. FYI

 

[U-I pilot]

West Lafayette isn't Auburn or Austin, but the women here ain't half bad either..plus you'll have 15,000+ to choose from. FYI

Yea and you'll be lucky if 0.1% of those are in any of your aviation classes if its anything like it is here in Champaign.

U-I has been great for me.....just hard to get used to classes again..... ugh... intern life was great!

 

[KPTPK]

Anything but these "accredited" aviation schools. They would love to take the money you don't have. Whatever they tell you...even if there is some supposed hiring boom in 07' and your timing couldn't be perfect scenario. You best bet is to get an non-aviation degree and when that opportunity arise when you do get that interiew and you tell them "look at me I went to.....und,erau,pudue....and so on You might as well go to the casino put down 100k without looking at your cards and ask the blackjack dealer if he'd kick you in the jewels.

 

[fastandlow]

It's very, very simple. Just get a 4 yr degree from a state university. Preferably something you can actually make money with - business (finance, accounting), engineering, anything medical. State schools are still the best bang for the buck for general college education.

Then you can go fly, be a tennis pro, run marathons, continue being a professional student, start a business, work for a Fortune 500 company, teach, etc, etc, etc.

I am still so amazed at all the people who insist on (and have so much money to burn) wanting to go to an "aviation" university. IMO, its kind of the same line of thought that having the $200 leather flight bag, $450 headsets and $250 electronic whiz-bang E6B make you a better pilot. One day I'll get a clue and start a school myself!

 

[smellthejeta]

Air Traffic Control would all provide you with a foundation for a fallback career in the event of furlough or medical issues.

Whaatttt??? You know you have to have a medical to be an air traffic controller, right? The medical standards for ATC are slightly more restrictive than that for second class. Honestly, if I have medical issues, I'm more likely to be able to get a job as a pilot than as an ATC'er.

And good luck getting hired at the age of 31 when you finally get furloughed. From my understanding of the process, *they* call *you* presumably within two years of graduation and before your 31st bday, and if you pass up one job offer, I'm not too sure you'll get another one.

 

[BoilerUP]

smellthejeta

The way you quoted what I wrote took the entire point out of context. To do so is misleading, at the least.

ATC is a viable option (especially since the announcement that the FAA is *finally* going to start hiring again) and could provide somebody who is young
(such as the person in this case) another option. Yes I know you need a medical, and yes I know there is a maximum age at which you can be hired, but for the 21-23 year old coming out of school with 250-400 hours and a CFI ticket attending a CTI school could be just what they need to get started in a great career while being able to pay the bills. I wish I had structured my academics to allow me that option.

Flying is fun, but definately not the end-all of aviation. Especially in this day and age.

 

[smellthejeta]

The way you quoted what I wrote took the entire point out of context. To do so is misleading, at the least.

ATC is a viable option (especially since the announcement that the FAA is *finally* going to start hiring again) and could provide somebody who is young
(such as the person in this case) another option. Yes I know you need a medical, and yes I know there is a maximum age at which you can be hired, but for the 21-23 year old coming out of school with 250-400 hours and a CFI ticket attending a CTI school could be just what they need to get started in a great career while being able to pay the bills. I wish I had structured my academics to allow me that option.

Flying is fun, but definately not the end-all of aviation. Especially in this day and age.

This is the paragraph that I quoted, in its entirety:

Obviously I'm partial to the Boilermakers, but I would suggest getting a minor in something outside of piloting if you attend a school for a flight/aeronautical science degree, regardless of where you go. Finance, Economics, Management, Labor Relations, Computer Science, or even Air Traffic Control would all provide you with a foundation for a fallback career in the event of furlough or medical issues.

I guess what you meant and what you actually wrote are two different things. "Even air traffic control would all proivde you with a foundation for a fallback career in the event of furlough or medical issues." Sure seems to me that you're advocating that ATC would be a good fall back career (or option, as you say in a follow up post) in the event of furlough or medical issues (again, your words). For the reasons I listed above, I think it's not. Can't hold a pilot physical (two or one)? You won't pass an ATC physical either. Get furloughed from the airlines? Better hope it happens before your 31st bday! Good thing the feds got rid of the two year limit "in the pool" for the time being, otherwise I'd say you'd better get furloughed within two years of graduation as well.

As a CTI student who really did his homework before enrolling in CTI courses, I really can't advocate that ATC is a good fallback career or option... I think that you have to choose to do it and go full steam, because by the time a flying career craps out (it takes so long to get it started), it probably will be too late to go crawling back. Do you really think that a student can pass on an FAA phone call, and two or three years later call them back and say they want a job? I don't think so. If you're advocating that a kid be a controller while building his flight time, that's a different story, but that was in no way the perceived meaning conferred by the post I first responded to.

An ATC career is work. Hard work. Among other things, you have to pass a tougher medical than pilots do, have not a lot of choice in initial facility assignments (expect five years at a minimum from the time you show up at your first facility to the time you transfer). There's no way to even know when you'll get an OKC academy date (will be several *months* after graduation). You also have to take an aptitude test that they won't give you until *after* you've started your CTI training, and I won't get started on the crappy schedule. Your first assignment is not a guaranteed slam dunk pass either.

What's the point of this banter? It's not about splitting hairs. It's to help all the young kids reading this trying to decide on an aviation career path to pick the *best* career path options available to them. The things worth knowing most you can't learn from faculty, advisors, or recruiters.

And frankly, I believe that your institution of higher education is very good at what it does, and has a unique combination of strong programs that you can't find anywhere else. Had I known then what I know now, I would have selected Purdue for my undergraduate studies (for all kinds of reasons... I could have done the engineering thing, flew, and got my CTI training). Heck, I would have selected it for my CTI training as well most recently (in conjunction with a Master's degree), but you know what Prof. Nolan (the guy who runs your CTI program and wrote a $100 text book I had to buy) told me? If you want to go be a controller, go be a controller. Don't come here and do a Master's degree. It's like PilotYIP says about being a Pilot -- if you wanna be a pilot, go build flight time. Don't horse around with an aeronautical science degree thinking it will make you a better pilot or get you hired faster than PIC time.