CAPT Program: Questions and Answers

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The odds of flying at all between about 10 am and 5 pm without getting your head slammed into the roof are pretty slim, too. So, I'd say 300 days a year is good, if you consider 100 of those HALF days. Unless you really like flying through embedded thunderstorms in the afternoon.....


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Same thing in Arizona. Except the thunderstorms aren't embedded.
 
Metro State has a great program. I used to stick my head in on DEN layovers. My favorite thing about their program is you can fly at your choice of a few different flight schools in the Denver area. This choice keeps the overall cost down and allows you the most options. Yeah, Metro State's on campus program is only simulators, but they say they have more sims than any other school. If you absolutely MUST have a degree in aviation, I'd highly recommend Metro.

I have one friend who went to UND that I met because he worked as a teller at my bank and was reading Flying magazine when I walked in. He's not been able to break into full time flying yet. Part of what's holding him back is his need to provide for his family while staying in this area cause his wife has a decent job. He does CFI part time for the UND extension here in Spokane. He got on at Horizon working the ramp part time and between that and the fact that UND has a deal with Horizon, got an interview at Horizon at 750 hours total. He was turned down. I mean really, Horizon is one of the best regionals in the country, why should they hire a 750 hour guy. You can see that the UND name hasn't done much for him. And that school has as good of connections as ERAU. To be fair, success in this business will come fastest to those who can go anywhere, anytime, for the next move up the ladder.

I have another friend who just got on at Ameriflight in twin Pipers. He got hired with 50 multi and 1200 total. He can move into the Beech 99, which will be turbine PIC time, in about six months. His background was little flight schools, to include me and my 152. Some advanced ratings with Sheble's in Nevada. Plus, a degree in business from Eastern WA University.

He's done it cheaper, and just as fast, as you could do it at any big name school, plus he's a fine pilot. He was asked to be in the training department at his new job before he ever finished his own training. He's just a sharp kid and a good stick. He didn't need any internships or special hiring programs, he just networked with friends and moved up the ladder from instruction to a VFR 135 job to Ameriflight.

You do whatever you want. It's just important to ME that young jetcareers members who might not know, understand that there are a lot of options for success besides the big name schools. I think a lot of young people only see the big names cause that's what's in the ads and on the internet. Then they spend a lot of money on a name that really isn't going to make them a better pilot or help them in the industry.

That really bothers me.....
 
You know : "being a better pilot". That's exactly what I'm scared of.
When i came across Jetcareers my eyes were opened (as i said in another post).

I'm going to Embry Riddle not because of it's name but because I hope to become a well trained pilot. And I just can't imagine how getting 120 credit hours about flying airplanes and aerodynamics and whatever will not make me a better pilot (knowing my stuff- not reputation) than if i get 120 credit hours in business. I just dont understand that.

I want to work for airlines period. Reading here at jet careers has got me pulled towards actualy majoring in airline management instead of aeronautical science, but what i'm scared of is
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having a harder time at an airline interview
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or being uncertain in some situations while flying the airplane, and just not having the confidence, and knowledge I'd have if i had persued an AS degree, do you know what I'm saying?

I'm not talking about ERAU in specific but just any AS degree- won't that make you a better pilot in the end? I mean common, why would they have the degree at all if it was [censored]? Too expencive, useless, no back up?
 
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And I just can't imagine how getting 120 credit hours about flying airplanes and aerodynamics and whatever will not make me a better pilot (knowing my stuff- not reputation) than if i get 120 credit hours in business. I just dont understand that.


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i'm betting you could learn just as much if not more about flying from these bad boys and save yourself 150G's than if you went to ERAU

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PLUS alot of these only cost you the paper it takes to print them off of the FAA's website.
 
"i'm scared of is having a harder time at an airline interview"

Completely unfounded. The interview is more about personality than technical. Before you have these interviews, you will have the experience and background to do okay. The hardest interviews, for me, were at the majors...duh. I got turned down by the first two and picked up by the third. A major interview is going to be a pretty stressful thing but by the time you get there, you can handle it. Heck, I went to ERAU, remember. It did NOTHING to make me feel better about my interviews.

"being uncertain in some situations while flying the airplane, and just not having the confidence, and knowledge I'd have if had persued an AS degree"

The knowledge and confidence in being a better pilot comes through experience flying airplanes in the real world. The classroom has it's place but there is no substitute for real world experience.

"AS degree- won't that make you a better pilot in the end? I mean common, why would they have the degree at all if it was [censored]"

First of all, you can stop with the cussing. It makes you look like a moron. Secondly, they have the degree because some people want it. Nothing wrong with that. Does it make you a better pilot? There is nothing I learned at ERAU I couldn't have learned anywhere else through experience and picking up a book. When I was younger, the AS degree was all I was interested in and that's what I got. Now that I'm older, I wish I had got a degree in education, child psyc, or youth ministry, since I enjoy working with kids. Doing this would not only have given me a good fallback, had I needed it, but would have allowed me to pursue more fully a second area of expertise I enjoy.

In the end, if you really have no other interests, then an aviation degree is better than nothing because you shouldn't study something you don't like. I'm just saying a degree in AS doesn't make you a better pilot and a non-aviation degree has advantages over an AS degree. Either allow you to check the important box on the application.
 
My honest opinion, the only thing that can make you a better pilot is getting out there and flying. 120 credit hours in aerodynamics won't make you a better pilot. If that were true, aeronautical engineers could fly circles around all of us. It's good to know the theory of that stuff, but I'd rather spend $100 on a textbook and read about it than $600 on the textbook and the class and still have to read about it. ERAU talks about all the professors they have that are from the aviation field, and that part is true. HOWEVER, you can garner just as much knowledge from guys hanging out at airports, coming to places like this and networking as you can paying tutition to sit in a classroom and listen to old war stories.
 
Do you guys realize/understand that Humpty-Diddle is a joke out in the "real world?" I mean that literally. An absolute joke. You should hear what people have to say about that place, when you get away from the bubble located at 600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd.

Sit around in a pilots lounge, and the only thing you hear about Riddle lately is snide remarks, jokes and negative comments. And more often than not, from graduates. Nine times out of ten, saying you went to Riddle will cause someone to roll their eyes rather than say, "WOW!"

Stop this "Harvard of the Skies" bull$hit and get real. ERAU is nothing more than a money-sucking hole. Their academics are alright (a FAR cry from great), and their flight department BLOWS. Going to Riddle does NOT impress anyone.
 
I neither realise, nor understand it. How should I when I simply get told that their flight program sucks? Thank you for your input man, but if you want to be helpful or a get a point across then put some reasoning behind your statements, because hearing that this school "blows" is not really helping me, or anyone else that's about to start college.
 
Okay, here's one:

Link

Read that thread. That'll give you a feeling of how much Riddle cares about their students. I've heard of people getting totally dissed by the people that run the flight line, having to show up super early and their plane still gets back late, etc. Yeah, this stuff could happen at an FBO, but you have the option of taking your business elsewhere there. At ERAU, you just have to bend over and take it. For the money I would have been paying (I was accepted and enrolled and bailed at the last minute), I'd want top notch service with a smile. But, since the planes have those invasion stripes on the wings, you're paying for the name. You've already had several Riddle grads and former students telling you what it was like and how it's viewed out in the job market. I'm getting my ERAU degree online, and ONLY because they give me credit for my flight ratings. If I had it to do over again, I probably would get a degree elsewhere. It's just not worth the extreme amounts of money. We've got people on here that are over $100K in debt just for their PPL-CMEL and a degree with an eagle on it. One of the instructors at the school I'm at now is a Riddle grad, and he can't say enough bad things about it. I imagine if they didn't charge so much and constantly say that airlines are falling over themselves to hire their grads, there would be much less bitterness. If they gave a straight up run down on things and kept prices in line, they'd have a much better reputation among their alumni. However, enrollment would probably be way down.

There ya have it. You've gotten a lot of comments other than "it blows" on here. If you choose to ignore everyone's advice, that is your decision. I hope it works out for you, but I'm glad it isn't my money.
 
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I neither realise, nor understand it. How should I when I simply get told that their flight program sucks? Thank you for your input man, but if you want to be helpful or a get a point across then put some reasoning behind your statements, because hearing that this school "blows" is not really helping me, or anyone else that's about to start college

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uh EatSleepFly went to riddle, I think he has something to back up what he is saying.
 
Don't make fun of my beloved Harvard of the Skies, when all you people are capable of is attending is your local community college of the skies.......

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BTW, where'd that guy go we had on here that attended PRC, and had the pic in his signature line of the back of his BMW 300-series with the "Embry Riddle Aeronautical University" window sticker, and the California license plate that read "ERAU PLT"?
 
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BTW, where'd that guy go we had on here that attended PRC, and had the pic in his signature line of the back of his BMW 300-series with the "Embry Riddle Aeronautical University" window sticker, and the California license plate that read "ERAU PLT"?

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That was Classic. I thought I broke a rib from laughing too hard when I saw that.

That guy showed up right when some other riddle student was telling me that he was having trouble finding the range rovers and bmws in the parking lot.
 
To be honest, I think we scared him away. Too much talk about how all that money wasn't gonna guarantee him a job or something like that. Wasn't he the one convinced that he was gonna be flying King Airs or something right after he graduated?
 
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To be honest, I think we scared him away. Too much talk about how all that money wasn't gonna guarantee him a job or something like that. Wasn't he the one convinced that he was gonna be flying King Airs or something right after he graduated?

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Yup, that was the one. Currently MIA.
 
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I neither realise, nor understand it. How should I when I simply get told that their flight program sucks? Thank you for your input man, but if you want to be helpful or a get a point across then put some reasoning behind your statements, because hearing that this school "blows" is not really helping me, or anyone else that's about to start college.

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Read Kellwolf's reply and linked thread, that sums it up decently.

I went to Riddle for two semesters, and bailed because their brainwashing was wasted on me and I saw it for what it really was. I'm ashamed to tell anyone that I ever went there. It's been several years since I was there, and from what my few buddies that are instructors there say, it's only gotten worse. I just wanted to shed some light on the way ERAU is viewed on the outside.

Worse meaning more money, more bull$hit.
 
Take the advice you're getting on this thread to heart. There are kids here who actually think they'll be flying ERJs right after they graduate. I joined ERAU as an AS major but quit the flight program after a month because of all of the BS I went threw. I switched to ATC which will not only save me some money, but will set me up for a career and a lifestyle which appeals to me more than an airline pilot. In fact, I had mentally already switched to ATC before I even arrived on campus.

For example, because I was coming in with my PPL already, I was supposed to do 8 cessna flights (to become riddleized i guess) before I would start my AMEL. I was never told about those that before and costed me 3,200 bucks I had never planned for. Also, I was slated to go on a solo XC to Georgia with a check in time by 6am (really 5:30am). Well turns out it wouldn't be bright enough until 730am. So then I was finally about to be authorized to go by the flight supervisor but it turns out the METAR at by destination airport was like 1 knot above my "PQ rating" (A rating which spells about a pilot's solo wx limitations, mine was a xwind up to like 11kts I think and the winds were at 12kts). So at 830am, I am told I can't go. So I go back to bed very angry for having wasted my time. However the final straw was having my first flight in the Seminole which ran me over 500 bucks for a 1.4 hour flight. Complete bullSh*t.

I have friends who've spent all school year trying to get their AMEL, and have spent over $10,000 bucks, and some have still not gotten it. There are Part 61 outfits that will give you your multi addon (only like 10-15 hours flight time) for less than 3,000 bucks. In fact, yesterday I heard that the Chief and Asst Flight instructors, along with the chairman of the Flight Dept, we're canned.

If you are really set on coming to ERAU, be sure to check out off campus flight schools are there are an abundance of them. All cheaper than Riddle. The most popular is Epic Aviation (www.epicaviation.com) which has VERY good rates for Riddle students (PM me if you're interested). I rented their aircraft this past year and will start my instrument with them this fall. I'll stop before I sound too much like an advertisement.

However, if you have a VERY think wallet and don't mind dropping over 45k for you're flight training you will come out of ERAU as a respectable pilot. What gives ERAU the bad name are their rates and those who come out thinking that ERAU is the 'holier than thou' flight school and who think they have leverage over the Part 61 candidate. They will try to sell you alot of BS but you should be thankful you've seen jetcareers.com and know what to look for from those who have been through it.
 
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the METAR at by destination airport was like 1 knot above my "PQ rating"

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Dude, don't get me started on "PQ ratings". I remember wanting to turn the flight supervisor's desk over on him after what seemed like the 50th time I was told that I couldn't do my solo XC because the winds were 1 knot too high. And this was after I had my Private.

I think it's one of the biggest problems with the riddle graduates we see here who want to finish training or get a checkout or something. They had all their decisions made for them throughout their training, then once they get out in the real world they seem lost because there's nobody telling them not to go, or what decision to make. Heck, I'm not even an instructor yet and even I have to give these people the "it's up to you" advice way too much in the planning room.
 
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In fact, yesterday I heard that the Chief and Asst Flight instructors, along with the chairman of the Flight Dept, we're canned.


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Anyone else here this, I'm interested in knowing. Is/Was Ken D. still the chairman?
 
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In fact, yesterday I heard that the Chief and Asst Flight instructors, along with the chairman of the Flight Dept, we're canned.


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Anyone else here this, I'm interested in knowing. Is/Was Ken D. still the chairman?

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Ken Doucette (Chief Flight Instructor) was fired along with Pete Thing (Assistant Chief Flight Instructor). Shortly after they were fired, Richard Theokus (Chairman of the flight department) apparently "stepped down" from his position. Tim Brady (Dean of the College of Aviation) apparently did the firing. Although I am no longer on Riddle's campus, I heard this from one of my buddies there who called me to let me know because he figured that I would be pretty happy about it. I'm going purely off of someone else here. I had discussions about the program with each of these three men during my exit interviews for my withdrawal process. They were firm believers in the new part 142 program, which I now so passionately hate.
 
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The reason I am choosing ERAU PRC is because I too want to be surrounded by aviation. My choices are UND and Embry-Riddle, and after looking into it more...you would be with a lot more stupid people at UND (their website states that any high school grad with a 2.5 GPA who received a 990 on the SAT is still considered for automatic acception...pretty lousy i think).

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Wow. I think you're stupid for making that comment. One of my friends applied to ERAU BA in Aeronautics...71 high school average, 890 SAT...Didn't get into UND, but got into ERAU...

If you're going to make comments like that, maybe you should go to ERAU. I think it's good for people to get exposed people of all walks of life and people majoring in something else...personal opinion.
 
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