You get what you pay for!

[FlyinScotsman]

It all depends on what you want to do. If all you want to do is fly airplanes as quick and cheap as possible, go to your FBO or other outfit that will get you through quickly. If you want to actually get an education go to an aviation college UND, Purdue, or another college that offers an aviation program. You will get a college education that will benefit you for the rest of your life. Also, you need a college degree for most major airlines. They are looking for a well rounded person, educated, proficient and interested in things other than aviation. Once you get your degree and all of the ratings get out there and get some expierience flying boxes, traffic watch, whatever you need to do to get some real flying in. Make your own decisions on WX, routing, approaches etc. If all you want to do is be a pilot go to Gulfstream or AllATPs or someother outfit, they will get you through, but what do you really have?

 

[Whiskerbizkit]

It all depends on what you want to do. If all you want to do is fly airplanes as quick and cheap as possible, go to your FBO or other outfit that will get you through quickly. If you want to actually get an education go to an aviation college UND, Purdue, or another college that offers an aviation program. You will get a college education that will benefit you for the rest of your life. Also, you need a college degree for most major airlines. They are looking for a well rounded person, educated, proficient and interested in things other than aviation. Once you get your degree and all of the ratings get out there and get some expierience flying boxes, traffic watch, whatever you need to do to get some real flying in. Make your own decisions on WX, routing, approaches etc. If all you want to do is be a pilot go to Gulfstream or AllATPs or someother outfit, they will get you through, but what do you really have?

I think you need to think of what you will do IF you cant fly. More pilots medical out before retirement. A degree in aviation is as useful as a degree in phs-ed. Go to a school where you can get a education in something other than flying and train at good flight school...FSI, PanAm..etc.

 

[Dufus1]

There are two types of "airline pilots", in my opinion. Flyers, which love to fly, and money makers, who are in it for the $$. The latter of which are in the wrong place. No money here.
Flyers tend to come out of local FBOs.
Money makers tend to come out of high priced places. (UND, Gulfstream, ERAU, etc.) That has been my observation, whether quite limited or not.
Those I have talked to that go to the pilot mills say they "never had time" to go out and enjoys burning gas. They were too busy doing stalls or shooting approaches. The were sooo happy the day they flew their last single engine airplane. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
I trained at the local FBO, spent weekends "building time" going to pancake breakfasts(usually free for the pilot), etc. Did it cost me more? Not from what I have been able to figure so far from those I speak with.
Keep in mind, my observations are limited and somewhat overgeneralizing, and just that, my observations.

 

[Whyzitsokold]

There are two types of "airline pilots", in my opinion. Flyers, which love to fly, and money makers, who are in it for the $$. The latter of which are in the wrong place. No money here.
Flyers tend to come out of local FBOs.
Money makers tend to come out of high priced places. (UND, Gulfstream, ERAU, etc.) That has been my observation, whether quite limited or not.
Those I have talked to that go to the pilot mills say they "never had time" to go out and enjoys burning gas. They were too busy doing stalls or shooting approaches. The were sooo happy the day they flew their last single engine airplane. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
I trained at the local FBO, spent weekends "building time" going to pancake breakfasts(usually free for the pilot), etc. Did it cost me more? Not from what I have been able to figure so far from those I speak with.
Keep in mind, my observations are limited and somewhat overgeneralizing, and just that, my observations.

This can be true. If you go to a flight school and you enjoy flying, make friends with your fellow classmates that have a more positive attitude. The ones that are there because mommy and daddy told them to be there may have a bad attitude. I had a great time at a flight school being a student and instructing.

 

[T-REX]

I was a Riddle grad. I felt I had a good education, but I could've had the same education anywhere else for 1/4 the cost. If I had to do it over again I wouldn't go back to ERAU nor will I send my kids there. I felt I had no "edge" against any other candidates in an interview nor did I have an easier time in any systems class I've been through.

I shake my head anytime I get those letters in the mail asking me for alumni donations. The best education I've has was flying checks, human waste, and radioactive stuff in heavy lead containers at AirNet.

Same story here and still learning more everyday. Currently flying for a 135 on-demand jet cargo operator. BTW there is at least 10 ERAU alumni here so we are definately not all 500 hr gimme my RJ job for $20K/yr types.

ERAU DB AERO SCI '01

PS I still enjoy flying pistons but now land too fast and flare too high.

 

[T-prop]

I almost laughed at some other guys in my class when I found out that I got hired for the same job/pay when they paid 3-4 times as much for training and college. Then I felt sorry for them after I found out that this was what they had been looking forward to since they were student pilots.

I learned to love aviation before I looked at it as a job. I went to the local flyins. Talked to the old timers, learned how to deal with Ice and TS from hanging around the FBO, and not from 3rd or 4th hand experience from a textbook. Even learned what it was like to fly a B-24, and B-17 from a guy that I did a BFR with. That's right, 85 and still flyin the sh*t out of a 182. I got to help out in the mechanic's shop occasionally with 100hrs and even helped dismantle a beautiful AT-6 (for shipping) that had been ground-looped by a Delta pilot on his way through to Oshkosh. I droolled when I saw a classic airplane come in for fuel, and talked the ear off the pilot when he/she came in. If I saw a brand new GV, E-190, 777, and beat-up freight DC-3 on the ramp I would walk over to the DC-3 as though the others didn't exist. I almost fainted when I saw a P-38, all original, on its way to its new owner, piloted by Steve Hinton. The super chargers are so powerful it sounded like a B-1900 taking off.

I went to FL to do a fast-paced CFI at an academy. My instructor couldn't tell the difference between a saratoga and a bonanza, or how well a plane would recover from a spin, by just looking at the tail. That made me sick. In his defense though, he taught me enough to pass my checkride the 1st time.

I am more excited to finish my tail-wheel than I was when I found out that I was hired at an airline. My honeymoon with aviation ended with my current job, it was a culture shock when I started. The only thing that anyone talked about was the contract. The sim instructor refused to let us hand fly the sim to get used to the characteristics of the airplane. Taught us how to operate a flying mechanical object by mashing buttons.

I wouldn't trade my training background for anything. If I got furloughed, I wouldn't think twice about taking my job back as a CFI/lineman at the small apt FBO that I learned at or even take a freight dawg career path. At least it would provide more stimulation than mashing buttons, listening to everyone b*tch about the industry, naming clouds etc.

 

[Tank Commander]

I attended the school of hard knocks. 6yrs USMC infantry, 12yrs Armored Cav. I had a great education. Tank, airplane a lot of similarities. Procedural task, and trouble shooting. You think CRM is challenging in a plane. You should try it in a tank. During my education I lived in 4 different counties. Waged war in 3 countries. Fell in love with some beautiful women from all over the world. Ya, it was a good education. We all bring a lot of experience into the cockpit from our educations. One is not better then the other, just different.

 

[FlyinScotsman]

I think you need to think of what you will do IF you cant fly. More pilots medical out before retirement. A degree in aviation is as useful as a degree in phs-ed. Go to a school where you can get a education in something other than flying and train at good flight school...FSI, PanAm..etc.

I agree you do need to think of what to do if you can't fly. If you can go to a top notch aviation college like Purdue or UND you have an oppotunity to major in many other things plus get your flight training. UND for example has a buisness degree program tied in with their aviation program also you could tie in a meterology degree or minor in all sorts of other things. UND is a huge campus with many schools (ie law, medical, geology, etc.) the same thing at Purdue and other colleges with aviation programs.

 

[T-prop]

I attended the school of hard knocks. 6yrs USMC infantry, 12yrs Armored Cav. I had a great education. Tank, airplane a lot of similarities. Procedural task, and trouble shooting. You think CRM is challenging in a plane. You should try it in a tank. During my education I lived in 4 different counties. Waged war in 3 countries. Fell in love with some beautiful women from all over the world. Ya, it was a good education. We all bring a lot of experience into the cockpit from our educations. One is not better then the other, just different.

Semper FI !! 6yrs 0331 E-5

 

[I Hate Freight]

The best education I've has was flying checks, human waste, and radioactive stuff in heavy lead containers at AirNet.

And you get the grand prize for hitting the nail on the head. NOTHING you learn in a classroom teaches you better than real, hard, preferably single-pilot all-weather experience. Nothing.

A lot of Riddle or UND guys come to the regionals, walking through the door with 500 hours and big ego. Most are quickly humbled. Nothing prepared me better for this job than my 2.5 years of hauling frieght in the middle of the night in scary, old, ill-eqquipped airpcraft. You can't learn this stuff out of a book.

IHF

 

[acaTerry]

I attended the school of hard knocks. 6yrs USMC infantry, 12yrs Armored Cav.

You show a poor learning curve by leaving the Marines for the army

 

[FlyBarneyJets]

I kicked around JC for about four years after high school, getting some pretty poor marks. Not knowing what I wanted to do combined with watching my dad die of brain cancer really sucked the motivation right out of me. I woke up one morning and decided I was going to go over to the local FBO and take an intro flight. That was it...in less than a year-and-a-half I had my SEL and IA certs. Then I decided I wanted to do this for a living, so I applied at ERAU to finish up my degree. I paid for my education there in a couple of ways: by selling a few 60's era Mustangs I'd bought and partially restored while I was living at home and making good money selling computer equipment, by taking out student loans, and by working.

I thought I knew everything (as a single-engine instrument rated pilot) before I got to ERAU. I was quickly humbled, and I vowed to never act that way again. While I was there, I was exposed to quite a few things that came in handy later on down the road. Things like in-depth classes on transport-aircraft systems helped prep me for my first airline ground schools, but it was just exposure, not expertise that I gained from my education there. The expertise came from a couple of things: 1) learning to fly a tailwheel airplane, 2) being a student of the craft, and loving everything about aviation from the newest jets to the oldest Jenny's 3) busting my hump as an instructor to help some other folks learn to be safe, proficient aviators, and 4) busting my hump as a regional airline pilot to keep myself safe and proficient. The hours I put in as a turboprop pilot are what I consider to be my real learning years in terms of large-aircraft flying.

I've flown with a lot of first-officers, too. And guess what? The ERAU grads (myself included) and UND grads aren't the best I've flown with! Most of them are good, mind you, and humble as well. But the finest, most well-rounded, knowledgeable university-trained pilots I've flown with are University of Illinois grads. I've flown with some good FBO students, military flyers, and freight dawgs. I've also flown with some bad ones of each bunch, too.

I guess my point is that each different route to the final destination has it's own special scenery. Every one of us takes a different path for a different reason. I've never looked down upon anyone who chose differently than I did for whatever reason.

 

[BYUFlyr]

Semper FI !! 6yrs 0331 E-5

Ooh-Rah!!

4th LAR BN

Okie Class of '03

 

[DC8 Flyer]

You must fly for Arrow then. How do you like their new green paint job?

Guess again!

 

[FrozenPilot]

And you get the grand prize for hitting the nail on the head. NOTHING you learn in a classroom teaches you better than real, hard, preferably single-pilot all-weather experience. Nothing.

A lot of Riddle or UND guys come to the regionals, walking through the door with 500 hours and big ego. Most are quickly humbled. Nothing prepared me better for this job than my 2.5 years of hauling frieght in the middle of the night in scary, old, ill-eqquipped airpcraft. You can't learn this stuff out of a book.

IHF

Guess I'm one of those UND grads who learned (and is still learning) in the real world too. Theres a lot more of us than many think.