Aviator vs. Embry Riddle

Aceninja

Aceninja

Well-Known Member
Hi,

I think my original post got deleted when the server crashed, so here is a repost. Would like to hear from anyone who wants to chip in on the subject :)


I am thinking about going to either Embry Riddle or Ariben Aviator to pursue my flight training. I already have my PPL and do know that this is what I want to do for a living. Flying has been my hearts desire from a very young age and I finally have the means to do it (although you might think I am crazy to do it in this economy). The way it stands, as of right now I have about 16 months of VA benefits remaining that I can use towards either college. I already have a lot of hours (96) going towards the Professional Aeronautics degree from Embry Riddle Online, but if I transfer over into the Aeronautical Science degree, I would only get less than half of that and would take me around 3 years altogether to finish up. Riddle also does not seem to offer a lot of multi engine time, even in their multi track program. But then again Riddle seems to be one of the best Aviation colleges out there, but would I be better off pocketing the change/not taking a loan and going to a school such as Aviator which does offer significantly more multi engine time? On one hand, there seems to be the Embry Riddle experience and taking college classes which I would probably enjoy, on the other hand I can just finish up my degree online with them in 2 semesters and continue my flight training elsewhere, which would be significantly cheaper with less money spent out of pocket.

However, in the long term, would that be a bad decision? Do people prefer Riddle grads to say most others, or is that just successful marketing propaganda?


Just thought I would ask to see what you guys think about it. I am not trying to start a "Riddle bashing" or "Aviator bashing" thread, just wanted to get your opinion on two different modules of training and their costs & benefits etc.

Thanks for your input.
 
I would check with ERAU. I'm a current online student and was looking at attending the Prescott campus. I talked with their VA rep at Prescott and from what I gathered is this:

Use the Post 9/11 GI Bill (you can do this with your remaining 16 months) with that you will get full tuition, monthly BAH, and additional money for flight training.

Basically what he told me is that I could attend ERAU Prescott for four years, not pay a dime out of pocket, get paid BAH, and get all my ratings paid for. Now you have to qualify under the Post 9/11 GI Bill to get some of the benifits but I believe that the flight time is paid for out of another chapter of the VA as long as it's through someone like ERAU. My best suggustion is to get in touch with the VA rep and figure out how to max out the bennies.

Hope this helps
 
I've checked with the VA rep at ERAU, since I have 16 months remaining I can get all my flight training plus tuition covered under Chap 33, however on the flip side of the coin, since I only have 16 months remaining that means everything else is out of pocket. Under the Aeronautical Science degree program I was awarded 41 credit hours (out of 96 earned under Professional Aeronautics online). So that leaves me with 79 credit hours. The VA will pay 16 months or 4 semesters so that's another 48 credit hours (assuming I complete 12 credit hours per semester) plus flight training during those 4 semesters. Normally I know that completing your flight training all the way to MEII should be a cinch if you go to a dedicated flight school, but since this is a university program I would be pushing it. At the end of the day I am looking at 31 credit hours self funded if I go to ERAU plus some flight fees if I do not wrap up everything in 16months.

On the other hand if I go to Aviator, I can have everything paid for, debt free etc and come out with a bunch of multi hours. Just wondering if forsaking all that for the "ERAU brandname" is worth it in the long run. Any suggestions?
 
Aceninja said:
On the other hand if I go to Aviator, I can have everything paid for, debt free etc and come out with a bunch of multi hours. Just wondering if forsaking all that for the "ERAU brandname" is worth it in the long run. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

I'm sure there are some that look at the "brand name" but not that many.

For most its about the hours and experience (and as of late type ratings):D. Don't know what you'd come out of ER with, but with Aviator its 500+. Plus, if you do a good job during the two semester Internship you'll have a job coming out, if nothing is shaking yet.

(For those wondering, "YES" its a paid internship)
 
The paid internship does sound good and 500 hours even better! After the paid internship, you mentioned the possibility of a job, instructing I take it? That doesn't sound like a bad deal either. Either way in this climate, I think more hours = better. Are there usually a lot of vacancies for CFI's in Aviator?
 
Aceninja said:
The paid internship does sound good and 500 hours even better! After the paid internship, you mentioned the possibility of a job, instructing I take it? That doesn't sound like a bad deal either. Either way in this climate, I think more hours = better. Are there usually a lot of vacancies for CFI's in Aviator?
Click to expand...


Not too much movement here, a few have gone on to bigger and better, but CFIs work for $20 per flight hour, which means, if you don't fly you don't make money, if you fly your students you make money. Its not necessarily the amount of instructors that means anything, or the amount of openings, its the amount of students per instructor.
 
As an instructor at Ari-Ben, you're still required to provide free ground instruction. The pay has doubled since I was a student there, but it's still well below what it should be.

Nothing stops you from working part time as an instructor while going through the later part of ERAU's program, and you'll certainly make more money. The only instructor I know at Ari Ben flew 30-50 hours per month last year, with less this winter. Some 14 hours in January. It's slow everywhere right now.

The difference a degree from a well known school makes will depend n the rest of your resume, but I'd say at the start of your career it's critically important. Training at a school with a bad reputation can be a real negative when looking for your first job.

That said, the easy choice here is to finish your degree and do flight training locally. You'll have more chance of getting a better job afterward, you'll get better training than at Ari Ben, and you'll save a tens of thousands of dollars.
 
Actually Nick, they have a ground instructor here now as part of the college so there's not as much of that required anymore. I suppose you'd still have to make sure your student is ready for the check ride, but lets be real, some instructors here (or any school for that matter) care about making sure their students are prepared and some don't. Ninety percent of the studying for the written is self study out of the Gliem book or King videos anyway. Most of the flying is prep for the check ride, and the rest is preparing for a particular DPE. Hopefully, most instructors want to make safe and able pilots as well, unfortunately that's not always the case, for some its all about the money and nothing else.

Fact is, if your looking at flying for a living because of the short hours, high pay, and the admiration of your peers, you may want to look at other career options:D
 
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