Who Is Going Or Will Be Going To Embry Riddle

[Murdoughnut]

A few questions for airforceusaf:

1. Where in the frick did you learn how to spell?
2. Are you foreign?
3. What does "Dad" fly for United? How long has he been there?

Look man, I am not trying to pick on you. I suck at writing, but it seems that you can't write for shoote. I am also trying to figure out if you are a Flamer...

My thoughts exactly - I admire the kid's eagerness, but ERAU is still an accredited four-year degree granting institution, right? So that means at some point you'll have to take English Comp 101 or something similar, right? Does anyone ever pay ERAU the 100k and fail out for academic reasons? This kid might want to take some community college classes first to see if he's cut out for college. If not, there's always the FBO route.

Sorry, I'm not trying to be insulting, but I used to advise high school students. I had my fair share of kids who were "sitting on a pair of two's" academically speaking, but were certain they'd breeze through college.

Regardless, best of luck to you.

 

[J.C.Airborne]

Hmmm...You hated this place so much that you...decided to become a full-time staff member. Boy, if that ain't just hypocrisy, I don't know what is. Go somewhere else, please. I'm begging you. God, I hope you don't work for me...Anonymity is a pain.

I've been here for a number of years as a flight instructor. Yes, the place has its drawbacks. Yes, some people hate the sims. However, some people think that flying is too expensive and they'd be bitching about that instead. Are we perfect? Nope. Are the people at Financial Aid helpful? Nope. Cheap tuition? Nope.

However, we're working on it. The problem is turning around a corporate culture that has expected others to conform to their idea of what is good and what is not. In the past year alone, ERAU has done the following to its Daytona Beach campus to address your concerns:

- ousted the top management (chairman, Chief CFI, and one Asst Chief CFI) of the Flight Department and streamlined the management structure

- ousted the President of the university and replaced him with very down-to-earth, no-BS guy intent on redirecting the $ to campus improvements and not to misguided programs like CAPT

- appointed a new Chancellor to the DB Campus (Dr. Tom Connolly - former Associate Dean of the College of Aviation and a really nice guy)

- redesigned the flight curriculum to offer more choices in curriculum; expect to see a single-engine AND multi-engine track available to all students, along with an option to fast-track your training (if you qualify, you'll fly 5-6 days per week instead of 3)

After all of this is said and done, we typically hire many of our own students as CFIs, where the pay is much better than your average flight school for the predictability of work that you get (you don't have to find your own students). Our CFIs start at $14.72/hour and top at about $22/hour with full faculty benefits, including free tuition. I got a graduate degree from ERAU free of charge. Not bad for a CFI. Can UND offer the same? I'm actually curious, as I don't know...

Don't discount the fact that ERAU graduates are everywhere. Somewhere else on this board someone mentioned pilots at interviews being ERAU grads. This is certainly true east of the Mississippi for DAB grads. West is true for PSC grads. Everywhere you fly you hear an ATC controller talking about how he attended back in '85. You'll meet pilots everywhere that will help you get a job. Again, perfect? Nope. Perhaps we need to work on managing our expectations...

Everyone on this campus is eerily aware of how poor customer service has been for too long and the leadership in place now has the attitude that you either will go along with improving the student experience or you will be slowly worked out of the system. It's gonna take a few years to fix it, but we're on our way. Yes, we're actually doing this.

As far as DB itself is concerned, it's much nicer now than it was when I got here...which isn't saying much. Still plenty of not-nice places, but you can avoid them quite easily. It's not as if you have gangs rolling down International Speedway Boulevard during the races. I lived in town for 5 years before moving north and am glad to be out, but I never feared for my safety when living in town. It's just a little too crazy with the bikes, races, and tourists. Like it or not, it's a tourist economy here with a ton of small colleges. It grows on you...unless you're homesick, in which case you'd even hate nice places like Denver, Minneapolis, DC, NYC, etc.

In any case, the bashing here is a little exaggerated but founded at least in some fact. Just know that we're doing our part to try to improve things a bunch. Not just a little. It needs to be more affordable with better service and a better experience. Period. It'll take some years to get there, however. In the meantime, really a pretty good school. And the AS degree can be worth it, if only for the internships (which help you get jobs at lower mins later).

Have fun and flame away.

UND also hires many of its students as CFIs which are eligible for comparable pay and full faculty benefits (not sure about free tuition though).

 

[Alex429595]

Of all the rips, cutdowns, and smart mouth remarks being made to the young guy who started this thread, there is one thing to remember. This career choice that you have made WILL become a job. Like every JOB it will have it's complaints. Especially, when you have 3 or 4 hours to sit in a plane to think about what pisses you off.

Welcome to our world. No matter what route we all took to get to where we are, most of us now have jobs, not paid hobbies. I hope this makes some since. We are pilots. We complain. We pick on each other. Those who cannot take the ribbing....well, they don't last long in this business.

I know what you are saying, and agree. I still think we should be able to respect each other as (future) professionals. A little professional courtesy is all thats asked.

And yes, if you are going to solicit the advice of experienced pilots, it makes it a lot easier for them to read your post if you try and write it in english. No one is going to pick on you for misspelling a word or two here or there, but it is annoying to have to pick through something with non existent sentence structure, lack of punctuation, and words with VERY creative spellings. Put a little more effort into your question, and you will find people put a little more effort into their responses. Just a little bit of constructive criticism.

 

[Turkey Shoot]

Never mind.

 

[J.C.Airborne]

I know what you are saying, and agree. I still think we should be able to respect each other as (future) professionals. A little professional courtesy is all thats asked.

And yes, if you are going to solicit the advice of experienced pilots, it makes it a lot easier for them to read your post if you try and write it in english. No one is going to pick on you for misspelling a word or two here or there, but it is annoying to have to pick through something with non existent sentence structure, lack of punctuation, and words with VERY creative spellings. Put a little more effort into your question, and you will find people put a little more effort into their responses. Just a little bit of constructive criticism.

Hmmm, ok. (anyone else seeing the hypocricy in this?)

 

[maaxfly]

as of right now i am planning on attending riddle to major in aviation business administration. anyone know anything about their business department? also i am planning to have my commercial and multi by the end of the summer and then by the time i get to riddle i would like to go into thier cfi program with the hope of becoming an instructor for them. any input would be greatly appreciated. and if i did become an instructor my tuition would be free (just want some clarification)? thanks!

 

[gkrangers]

I don't think theres one single person that could answer those questions, because everyones gonna tell you something different.

I highly doubt they just let you start working on your CFI. They are prolly gonna want you to redo a lot of stuff. But, these are questions you need to get answered...so call the school, take a tour, try to find someone competent in the flight department to talk to about what credit they'll give you for your licenses. Also, no, I don't see how you could get tuition for free. Maybe a little, but think about it...if you instruct, thats 15/hr plus 30k a year in tuition? Thats a whole lot of compensation. I just don't see it.

If you have your multi comm by the time you start here, just get your CFI at one of the other flight schools here in Daytona or nearby...then instruct at Riddle, if they hire you, or one of the other many flight schools in and around Daytona. You would probably be best off bypassing any Riddle flight training whatsoever...

 

[J.C.Airborne]

I don't think theres one single person that could answer those questions, because everyones gonna tell you something different.

I highly doubt they just let you start working on your CFI. They are prolly gonna want you to redo a lot of stuff. But, these are questions you need to get answered...so call the school, take a tour, try to find someone competent in the flight department to talk to about what credit they'll give you for your licenses. Also, no, I don't see how you could get tuition for free. Maybe a little, but think about it...if you instruct, thats 15/hr plus 30k a year in tuition? Thats a whole lot of compensation. I just don't see it.

If you have your multi comm by the time you start here, just get your CFI at one of the other flight schools here in Daytona or nearby...then instruct at Riddle, if they hire you, or one of the other many flight schools in and around Daytona. You would probably be best off bypassing any Riddle flight training whatsoever...

Embry-riddle is an excellent school for aviation and i would say go there for aviation if you can afford it. Obviously i am naturally biased towards UND because i go there but if your doing aviation buissness administration go to UND, our buisness school is highly recognized throughout the nation, in fact our entreprenuer program was recently ranked by forbes and the princeton review higher than Boston University and Standford University. You get your degree from the buisness school at UND which is much better than getting a buisness degree from an aviation school. It will be aviation buisness administration just like at riddle only from a fully accredited buissness school.

 

[gkrangers]

Embry-riddle is an excellent school for aviation and i would say go there for aviation if you can afford it. Obviously i am naturally biased towards UND because i go there but if your doing aviation buissness administration go to UND, our buisness school is highly recognized throughout the nation, in fact our entreprenuer program was recently ranked by forbes and the princeton review higher than Boston University and Standford University. You get your degree from the buisness school at UND which is much better than getting a buisness degree from an aviation school. It will be aviation buisness administration just like at riddle only from a fully accredited buissness school.

Sounds like a good idea.

 

[maaxfly]

Thanks for the responses! My instructor actually went to UND and has praised their program very much. He is now instructing at St Louis University and says that they have a very nice aviation program there. St. Louis also happens to be my home town so that is an attractive option. They have a very goof business school. I was at one point in time going to so for a AS major, but soon realized that it's such a restrictive degree and business was a better option. I think I may agree that a business degree from a regular university may do more for me in the long run so I still have more options to explore. If there are any more takes on the topic I would love to hear them. The more info I can gather the better.

 

[THUGLIFE]

Real smart. Spend 80k on your flight traning soon you will make 15k as an instructor, then 17k as a regional new hire. Hope your parents are rich. Just wondering what they are telling yall you get you to spend so much. You will be fifty if your lucky flying an ATR. Word of advice turn and run!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kf4amu]

Hmmm...You hated this place so much that you...decided to become a full-time staff member. Boy, if that ain't just hypocrisy, I don't know what is. Go somewhere else, please. I'm begging you. God, I hope you don't work for me...Anonymity is a pain.

LOL think a bit, and google my screen name. Anonymity on the internet is a myth.

If you are a CFI, does anybody work for you?

As I said, I believe in finishing what I started. Also as I alluded to (but didnt come right out and say) the education and degree is excellent. The flight training is top notch. It's not the education I'm slamming. Its everything but.

I've been here for a number of years as a flight instructor. Yes, the place has its drawbacks. Yes, some people hate the sims. However, some people think that flying is too expensive and they'd be bitching about that instead. Are we perfect? Nope. Are the people at Financial Aid helpful? Nope. Cheap tuition? Nope.

You just provided testimony backing up my previous statement you had problems with.

However, we're working on it. The problem is turning around a corporate culture that has expected others to conform to their idea of what is good and what is not. In the past year alone, ERAU has done the following to its Daytona Beach campus to address your concerns:

- ousted the top management (chairman, Chief CFI, and one Asst Chief CFI) of the Flight Department and streamlined the management structure

- ousted the President of the university and replaced him with very down-to-earth, no-BS guy intent on redirecting the $ to campus improvements and not to misguided programs like CAPT

- appointed a new Chancellor to the DB Campus (Dr. Tom Connolly - former Associate Dean of the College of Aviation and a really nice guy)

- redesigned the flight curriculum to offer more choices in curriculum; expect to see a single-engine AND multi-engine track available to all students, along with an option to fast-track your training (if you qualify, you'll fly 5-6 days per week instead of 3)

You make a great point about corporate culture permeating just about every office on this campus not directly related to education.
I agree with every point you made (except the last), and Dr. Johnson is doing a helluva job and has alot of student support. I dont know why they are still looking for a president, he kicks ass. Any employee can schedule a meeting with him on a Wednesday afternoon to talk about anything. Work, planes, weather, Iraq. How many other university presidents offer that?

To your last point, I had a great instructor for my instrument and got it done in 3 months, including a couple financial hiccups, lesson redos (whatever the name for them is), and a week long vacation all putting temporary holds on training. My instructor put me on the schedule as many times as I wanted, and I didnt even push myself to the limit. Anybody that tells me they are taking too long for a rating, I ask them what they have done to help themselves.

But "working on it" refers to the future. The question was about the university now, and right now it sucks outside of education quality.

Don't discount the fact that ERAU graduates are everywhere. Somewhere else on this board someone mentioned pilots at interviews being ERAU grads. This is certainly true east of the Mississippi for DAB grads. West is true for PSC grads. Everywhere you fly you hear an ATC controller talking about how he attended back in '85. You'll meet pilots everywhere that will help you get a job. Again, perfect? Nope. Perhaps we need to work on managing our expectations....

Agreed. I refuse to wear ERAU apparrel in Daytona but I'm proud to wear it anywhere else. It starts many conversations with alumni or people interested in attending. If I take a Riddle plane somewhere and park it on the ramp, more often than not it starts a conversation with a random guy at the FBO, curious as to how a lone "student" has a Riddle plane all to himself. Its funny, the same opinion I have and iterated on this board is the same opinion many of the people I talk with hold. "Riddle Runaround" is not a recent term.

Perhaps I came across a little too strong, but there is no excuse for the way this school is and has been run. Too many people on power trips wield it in a way that is detrimental to the students. Unfortunately there is little I can do in my capacity to help. I am trying though.

I was elected to the council (WEQC) that represents staff concerns to the brass at Spruance, but that does little to help students...or faculty or flight instructors for that matter. You guys have your own unions. However any abuse of power by a staff member, I have no problem bringing to the attention of the board. I've done this in the past, and hopefully it will serve as a reminder to the A-hole who treated a student poorly that people are watching who can do something about it.

 

[RockbrigadePC1]

They do produce the best videos though.

 

[merikeyegro]

Alright, fair enough. Riddle Runaround has got to stop. It's as if only the critical points are staffed by idiots. It isn't as prolific as some say, but still quite aggravating. I agree.

I think Dr. Johnson will likely be retained, as the BoT is giving him a ton of leeway to cut excess costs, etc. They still want to search to see if someone else might be better. However, he's pretty much the kind of guy they need right now. I have no doubt that, under his leadership, the ship will be righted, fat will be cut, and tuition might have a prayer of becoming more reasonable.

Financial Aid is the next target, as he has put Dr. Connolly in charge of that. Couldn't be in better hands. In my opinion, this is our Achilles' heel, especially in flight.

Anonymity is great, I agree. Allows us to say whatever we'd like with impunity. However, I sincerely doubt you'd say the same things about your employer using your own name or in the face of questioning. So, you curse ERAU anonymously, create ill will for potential customers to ingest, yet still show up to work at the very place that is dependent on the customers you alienate. It's no different than starting a nasty rumor by saying "so, some people are saying that..." when you know full well where the source is. I see sincere hypocrisy in hating your job and cursing the person that cuts your paycheck, yet showing up to profit from their existence. Call me nuts.

If you are a CFI, does anybody work for you?

Yes. I am a supervisor and a CFI. I supervise about 25 employees.

Sorry I haven't updated the profile in a long, long time. Don't really care to, either. Just as I enjoy the anonymity of the Internet, some people like to go on power trips and rat out bad actors. Happens on this board all the time. I'd rather leave misleading info up. Easier that way and harder for you (or anyone else) to find me. It's the same reason I will never try to figure out for which department you work. I'd like to preserve free speech when possible. If we start ratting out everyone, then no one will speak what's on their mind. I guess it's a Catch 22, but one I'm willing to live with.

Anyway, I guess I just see things getting better here. I mean, it isn't hard to imagine life where the runaround quits. It just takes someone to grab a few people by the balls, squeeze, and then watch as they comply. I think Dr. Johnson (or whomever is chosen) is going to be that person. It's about time.

Have fun. Later...

 

[pgcfii2002]

Don't forget your personalized license plate: 737DRVR

 

[pookie]

The cost to attend Stanford University is approximately $23000 per year. I dont know the exact cost to attend riddle but i would imagine the same. When i graduated from Stanford, i was offered multiple jobs ranging from 80 to a 100k per year at these dot coms. When you graduate from riddle, you will be making around 15k per year.

I know that riddle doesnt exactly have high academic standards, but the costs remain the same. If you are looking at costs, then i would take the earlier recommendations of attending a community college first. If you are looking for prestige, riddle is not very prestigious and many people outside of aviation never even heard of it. If you are looking for an education, then i would not attend either und nor riddle. Both of those programs dont exactly stimulate the mind.

I am not saying that you have to attend Stanford, but what i am getting at is that many people on this board are involved in aviation and know what is best and riddle is not it. When i interviewed at my present position, they were really impressed that i went to a bona-fide university as compared to a pilot school.

There are many things that will make you a better, more professional pilot and riddle is not one of them. Its really life experiences and how you relate to others.

 

[pookie]

Oooosp, i forgot to mention...

Many of the people i fly with that attended riddle or und eventually tell me that they graduated from that school in the first or second day. I dont exactly know the reason why they are so proud but i let them swim in their own pool of envy. The people that graduated either from Ivy league schools or other notable schools are humble in their experiences.

YOu guys should really take a course in humbleness and the art of being professional.

 

[Thedude]

Alright, fair enough. Riddle Runaround has got to stop. It's as if only the critical points are staffed by idiots. It isn't as prolific as some say, but still quite aggravating. I agree.

Something to dream for but I dont think it will ever happen. The Riddle Run-Around was in full place in '89 and was still going strong when I left in '93. But then again, its the same way on most college campuses. Something about same circus but different clowns.

Having Riddle attached to my name and trying to break into the flying world worked against me during my first couple of years but then again that was the early 90's and not to many flying jobs were to be had then. After a few years nobody cares where you went to school.

I still cant believe that students have to wear uniforms, how gay.

 

[FlyingPieceOfSt]

ERAU-Yeah If You Like To Wait 4 Years To Become A CFI!!

To anyone considering ERAU, go to a community college the first 2 years, save tons of $$$ for your flying. And if you think ERAU is the only place to learn how to fly, Broward Community College students have taken top pilot from ERAU two years in a row at the NIFA regional safecon. (it wasent the same guy 2x.) They wont tell you that when they toot their flight team on the tour. The ERAU extended campuses are also one of the best kept secrets. Flight instruct by day go to school at night, and you will be a graduate by 21 with the time and degree to get a good job (RJ or corp). With 1/2 the debt or better scholarship money left over! plus no anoying rayban dorks!!!

I agree...

You can achieve so much more in aviation if you do a part 141 2-year program than you would at a 4 year ERAU type program. All this 4 year program does is slowwww you down form accomplishing your goal...To become a professional pilot.

Not to toot the mighty ego horn too much but I did the two year deal out of HS and was flight instructing at age 18 doing the community college thing. At age 22 I had my BA in Bus Admin and my MBA with just over 3,000 hours PIC. Mommy and Daddy paid for the whole deal which I am most appreciative of. The total cost for all my schooling was well under 75K. A friend of mine did the Prescot Branch deal the same year I started the poor boy community college thing. I just finished my MBA at 22 when he got his CFI ratings. He was a hustler when it came to school work so I feel he did pretty well under ERAU's schooling. I am 36 and he is 37. He has been doing the Net Jets shuffle for over 10 years now and is only happy with the new contract, nothing more. I have been working for an excellent corporation for about 11 years and very much enjoy my lifestyle. I fly about 20 hours a month and he does quite a bit more. I am home with the Mrs often which can be a good thing and a bad thing depending on which day it is, but I would rather be home than on the road.

To me, ERAU slows the process down way too much and time wasted in aviation is never a good thing to do. So anyone interested in the fast road to making money flying for a living please see my basic example. An unknown community college is a great way to start your career and save money in the short and long term.

Good Luck And Weigh Your Options Wisely

FlyingPieceOfSt

 

[J.C.Airborne]

The cost to attend Stanford University is approximately $23000 per year. I dont know the exact cost to attend riddle but i would imagine the same. When i graduated from Stanford, i was offered multiple jobs ranging from 80 to a 100k per year at these dot coms. When you graduate from riddle, you will be making around 15k per year.

I know that riddle doesnt exactly have high academic standards, but the costs remain the same. If you are looking at costs, then i would take the earlier recommendations of attending a community college first. If you are looking for prestige, riddle is not very prestigious and many people outside of aviation never even heard of it. If you are looking for an education, then i would not attend either und nor riddle. Both of those programs dont exactly stimulate the mind.

I am not saying that you have to attend Stanford, but what i am getting at is that many people on this board are involved in aviation and know what is best and riddle is not it. When i interviewed at my present position, they were really impressed that i went to a bona-fide university as compared to a pilot school.

There are many things that will make you a better, more professional pilot and riddle is not one of them. Its really life experiences and how you relate to others.

Let me tell you a story about a Stanford graduate. She was bright...brillent perhaps...graduated with a BA from stanford, got her masters at Harvard, and took the time to also mingle at MIT, and Oxford while she was at it. She now works in a job she loves for 40,000 dollars a year...her student loans...over 100K...does she regret it...absolutely not.