Where do I start?

Also quick question, Is the ASU flight program really that bad? The CFI spent a good part of the flight minutes telling me to never approach the flight school as he went and regrets it everyday and to just apply to Purdue.
 
aviationgeekatsfo said:
Also quick question, Is the ASU flight program really that bad? The CFI spent a good part of the flight minutes telling me to never approach the flight school as he went and regrets it everyday and to just apply to Purdue.
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ASU is a college that has a 4 year flight (aviation) degree. I believe they contract their flying out to a flight school called Aeroguard. You might do a search for that. I don't personally have any knowledge but the facebook page I opine at often "raising aviation teens" has some negative comments. I'm sure some PHX area folks on here know more about it.
 
aviationgeekatsfo said:
Just got home from the flight and it was a great experience. While I couldn’t take off (Which I didn't expect to), the Cfi let me handle most of the flight and was a great guy and for most of the flight we talked about flying and how he got there and what to do to pursue aviation. We flew around the Golden gate which was great at 8 am, and then made our way back flying around the SF area and the Bay. The flight lasted about an hour and I walked away with some training brochures for if I wanted to continue training at that specific academy and a log book. It was truly a great experience and It definitely confirmed my interest in pursuing flying as a career. Thank you to all for the great advice and how helpful this community has been.
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Awesome. You mentioned having an "in" or relatives involved with a flying club. If it's local, I'd take a look at that as well. Flying clubs tend to have instructors that teach for fun on days off of their real job which is often airlines or corporate flying. Networking is key and getting to know the right people will take you a long ways. Flight academies often have CFI's who just graduated from that same academy and don't have the real world experience the real world provides. There are exceptions to the rule and having an instructor you gel with is most important.
 
Some of the advice needs to be tailored to your specific circumstances. Being halfway into your sophomore year, you have some time yet before you need to decide on a university. I think in the interim, find a school (perhaps the one you just went to ) that you like the instructor well enough and you can complete your private pilot at. If you get your private, (get in some XC time would be a extra bonus) you will be ahead of the game as you enter college. Some colleges will be restrictive on what you can get prior credit for, so something to think about as you get further down the line. In other words, I dont think its that critical where you get your private at, just whatever works best for you. College and their aviation program will be a more important decision.

I also would take a look at some military programs. Others can speak much more to it, but I think there are some good opportunities out there and you can rejoin the civilian ranks at the major airline level.
 
I’ll be working towards my Ppl in the coming months. I’m a competitive swimmer so my schedule is very full with it being six days a week, both mornings and nights. My parents believe I’m too far along in swimming to quit if I could, but I’m committed to pursuing my Ppl and have signed up for a program at a flight school today that allows me to work around my schedule as its hybrid. Thanks to everyone who gave me advice, and I’ll likely be back with more questions later.
 
aviationgeekatsfo said:
I’ll be working towards my Ppl in the coming months. I’m a competitive swimmer so my schedule is very full with it being six days a week, both mornings and nights. My parents believe I’m too far along in swimming to quit if I could, but I’m committed to pursuing my Ppl and have signed up for a program at a flight school today that allows me to work around my schedule as its hybrid. Thanks to everyone who gave me advice, and I’ll likely be back with more questions later.
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A couple thoughts on the swimming. If you're good enough to get a full ride at a 4 year school, I'd agree with emphsising swimming and fly on the side as able. For flying, you don't need an aviation degree. If a full ride isn't in the cards with swimming, I'd make sure the parents are aware of the potential upside income potential with flying. Are you ever going to make money with swimming is the question. Not having to pay for college is like making money, too, but I'd put the career first. That was how I looked at it but I was no athlete, either.
 
aviationgeekatsfo said:
Just got home from the flight and it was a great experience. While I couldn’t take off (Which I didn't expect to), the Cfi let me handle most of the flight and was a great guy and for most of the flight we talked about flying and how he got there and what to do to pursue aviation. We flew around the Golden gate which was great at 8 am, and then made our way back flying around the SF area and the Bay. The flight lasted about an hour and I walked away with some training brochures for if I wanted to continue training at that specific academy and a log book. It was truly a great experience and It definitely confirmed my interest in pursuing flying as a career. Thank you to all for the great advice and how helpful this community has been.
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Awesome! You'll remember that day forever.
 
DE727UPS said:
A couple thoughts on the swimming. If you're good enough to get a full ride at a 4 year school, I'd agree with emphsising swimming and fly on the side as able. For flying, you don't need an aviation degree. If a full ride isn't in the cards with swimming, I'd make sure the parents are aware of the potential upside income potential with flying. Are you ever going to make money with swimming is the question. Not having to pay for college is like making money, too, but I'd put the career first. That was how I looked at it but I was no athlete, either.
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I’m currently competitive enough to be considered by most colleges if I stay on track with swimming, but it’s a sport where things can change quickly. A single bad season = horrible recruiting chances, especially in swimming when timing is your life. It’s hard to predict where I’ll be even just a month from now. Right now, I have coaches reaching out to my parents based on my current times (which almost any year round swimmer gets), but it’s still uncertain whether they’ll actually recruit me when the the end of the 2026 season comes around. That’s why my parents don’t want me to quit just yet because they see there are still opportunities and they want me to keep going to see what happens (Even though we all know we hate the 4 am mornings 6 days a week). My grades are solid enough for state schools and even without swimming. It’s a tough decision, especially since my 2025 winter season has been rough. I’m still considering my options, but for now. A lot to weigh in especially with SAT season coming around.
 
DE727UPS said:
ASU is a college that has a 4 year flight (aviation) degree. I believe they contract their flying out to a flight school called Aeroguard. You might do a search for that. I don't personally have any knowledge but the facebook page I opine at often "raising aviation teens" has some negative comments. I'm sure some PHX area folks on here know more about it.
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If you have any questions about AeroGuard, formerly known as TransPac and prior to that known as Pan Am flight academy. Ask questions here. Several active folks here have gone through their programs, including my self.
 
aviationgeekatsfo said:
Just got home from the flight and it was a great experience. While I couldn’t take off (Which I didn't expect to), the Cfi let me handle most of the flight and was a great guy and for most of the flight we talked about flying and how he got there and what to do to pursue aviation. We flew around the Golden gate which was great at 8 am, and then made our way back flying around the SF area and the Bay. The flight lasted about an hour and I walked away with some training brochures for if I wanted to continue training at that specific academy and a log book. It was truly a great experience and It definitely confirmed my interest in pursuing flying as a career. Thank you to all for the great advice and how helpful this community has been.
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I literally was smiling while reading this...we were ALL in that position at one point.

Hope to see a necro* post in about some years when you post about you landing your dream flying job!
 
Another quick question, do y'all recommend attending a dedicated aviation university or pursuing a standard college degree while completing flight training on the side? I know that an FAA-approved aviation degree offers R-ATP eligibility, which lowers the requirement to 1,000 hours. This is a good way to reach the airlines sooner. However, I also want a solid backup plan in case life happens. I feel that a degree in Engineering or Economics offers better career security outside of flying compared to a specialized aviation degree. Is the speed of the R-atp worth the trade-off in degree versatility?
 
The Bay Area is one of my favorite places to fly. The scenery is incredible. Glad you got to experience it.

I missed earlier when you mentioned swimming. A friend of mine was on the swim team at Purdue and is now an Airbus A320 first officer at my airline. She'd probably be happy to answer any questions you have about their flight program or the team. PM me with your contact info (phone or social media) if you'd like me to get you in touch with her.
 
aviationgeekatsfo said:
Another quick question, do y'all recommend attending a dedicated aviation university or pursuing a standard college degree while completing flight training on the side? I know that an FAA-approved aviation degree offers R-ATP eligibility, which lowers the requirement to 1,000 hours. This is a good way to reach the airlines sooner. However, I also want a solid backup plan in case life happens. I feel that a degree in Engineering or Economics offers better career security outside of flying compared to a specialized aviation degree. Is the speed of the R-atp worth the trade-off in degree versatility?
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You’re going to get a variety of answers to this question, and none will completely wrong or right. First, you don’t need to go to Embry Riddle to be an airline pilot. You can, but you don’t need to, and won’t be a golden ticket anywhere. Many universities offer an aviation program just like they would “business”, but aren’t “aviation universities”. There are many that fall into this category. I’d go somewhere you can afford. Best case it fits with a swim scholarship or something. I do think going to a university with aviation is wise, and will give you the right connections to succeed.
I think this is the path I would take rather than going to school and flying everything out of a “mom and pop”. As a university student, structure is good. Even some community colleges have some aviation programs that you could later turn into a 4 year. Don’t go into big time debt with school, flying is expensive enough without adding in the expense of a private university IMO.
 
Is the R-ATP worth it? Not today. Was a few years ago coming out of Covid when there was a surge of hiring. Hard to predict the future but the timing has to be perfect for the 1000 hr thing to make a difference. I like the idea of a degree in a second area of interest as a fall back or side gig. Pilots usually work half the month leaving time for something else productive.
 
DE727UPS said:
Is the R-ATP worth it? Not today. Was a few years ago coming out of Covid when there was a surge of hiring. Hard to predict the future but the timing has to be perfect for the 1000 hr thing to make a difference. I like the idea of a degree in a second area of interest as a fall back or side gig. Pilots usually work half the month leaving time for something else productive.
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R-ATP can make a difference. I currently instruct at a 141 university affiliated flight program - although I did not graduate or do any training in a 141 environment. I see a lot of out students (now instructors) who have the R-ATP and are in some sort of cadet program leaving right at 1,000 hour mark. In some cases, just short of a 1000. Most of our recent departures have been to PSA, Skywest and Republic.
 
Shiftace said:
R-ATP can make a difference. I currently instruct at a 141 university affiliated flight program - although I did not graduate or do any training in a 141 environment. I see a lot of out students (now instructors) who have the R-ATP and are in some sort of cadet program leaving right at 1,000 hour mark. In some cases, just short of a 1000. Most of our recent departures have been to PSA, Skywest and Republic.
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I’m definitely looking into it, but my concern is that if something were to happen, like losing my medical or if life takes a different turn, I wouldn’t want to end up with an Aviation Management degree (Unsure if any 141 programs do regular degrees) from a 141 program that might limit my career options. I’m just thinking ahead and want to make sure I have backup plans in place. I'm still looking into it as of now and reaching out to coaches for the recruiting season that's coming up to see what my options look like, one of the Usafa Coaches had reached out to my team coach inquiring on a couple kids from my team including me so my parents want me to consider that. Thank you all for the advice!
 
aviationgeekatsfo said:
I’m definitely looking into it, but my concern is that if something were to happen, like losing my medical or if life takes a different turn, I wouldn’t want to end up with an Aviation Management degree (Unsure if any 141 programs do regular degrees) from a 141 program that might limit my career options.
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Some Aviation Management (not Flight Sciences or whatever fancy name they call pilot degrees) programs are a few classes away from a business administration degree. The double major isn't that hard and can often be completed in an extra semester at most. While I am personally in favor of getting a degree not in aviation, beware the "do this as a backup because it's in high demand" trap. Most science or engineering degrees become worthless 2-5 years after you graduate if you don't actively work in that field. A computer science degree won't help you get a job if you're laid off from a flying job 10 years after you graduate unless you had a side job in IT along the way. Liberal arts degrees, however, usually don't have this problem. Your degree in history is worth the same in terms of job prospects the day after you graduate as it is 10 years later. College aviation programs can be fantastic for networking, unless like me you're a wallflower and make exactly five friends in the four years you're there and end up only talking to one of them on a less than 3-year gap basis over the next 20 years. I loved college and learned far more in the four years I was there than just what was in the books, but looking back on it, for me at least, it didn't matter a lick that I have an aviation degree in terms of getting me to where I am.

Lots of good advice above and, flying wise, I can't really add much. My biggest piece of advice would simply be to remember that it's not a competition and don't judge yourself and your progress to becoming a pilot based on other's experiences, even someone that starts flight training the same day as you. For every bit of skill and talent you need to succeed there is an equal and sometimes far greater amount of luck and timing involved. It took me over 24 years to go from my first lesson to left seat of a mainline carrier. Thanks to Sept. 11, the global financial crisis, and just life in general it took me well over a decade just to get my first paid flying gig. I was sitting in the right seat of my first regional jet when people I went to college with were upgrading on widebodies at mainline carriers. Your journey is yours and while a little healthy competition among friends is a good thing, don't get discouraged if they get a break you don't.
 
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