Decisions decisions decisions...

O

Oddjlunar2

New Member
Hey everyone!

I have been having really bad headaches since I have been racking my brain with big questions and I was wondering if there was anyone who was willing to help. Oh and if this is in the wrong section, and forum mods exist, please move this thread. Anyway...

I know that there are many options to become a commercial pilot, I just am not sure which one I should use that I have available to me. Here are my options:

  1. I have been accepted into Georgia Tech, and was wondering if I should get a degree from Tech and just go to a respected FBO and get my ratings there. I have heard that the Airlines view your ratings the same no matter where you get them from. Is that true? I say this because I can go to Tech nearly free on scholarships and use loans for the pilot training.
  2. I have also been accepted into Embry Riddle. My father says it would be good for me because of the structure, but is the "Riddle Experience" worth over $200,000 dollars in debt? Will I really have an edge over other people trying to get into a regional carrier?
  3. I have been accepted into Middle Georgia College as well. Basically, Middle Georgia College offers a structured program similar to Riddle for nearly a 4th of the cost. However, Middle Georgia is basically a community college and does not offer very good degrees. I also am worried about how my flight training will be viewed if I come out of Middle Georgia College with my ratings.
  4. I was thinking about going to a flight academy like Aerosim. It seems that you can get a job quickly from such a place, but it almost seems to go to be true. Anyone have experience with these types of places?
I am a senior in my last semester of high school, so I will have to make a decision soon. I really want to be informed about the choice I make! Thank you for any help you can provide!
 
Oddjlunar2 said:
Hey everyone!

I have been having really bad headaches since I have been racking my brain with big questions and I was wondering if there was anyone who was willing to help. Oh and if this is in the wrong section, and forum mods exist, please move this thread. Anyway...

I know that there are many options to become a commercial pilot, I just am not sure which one I should use that I have available to me. Here are my options:


  1. I have been accepted into Georgia Tech, and was wondering if I should get a degree from Tech and just go to a respected FBO and get my ratings there. I have heard that the Airlines view your ratings the same no matter where you get them from. Is that true? I say this because I can go to Tech nearly free on scholarships and use loans for the pilot training.
  2. I have also been accepted into Embry Riddle. My father says it would be good for me because of the structure, but is the "Riddle Experience" worth over $200,000 dollars in debt? Will I really have an edge over other people trying to get into a regional carrier?
  3. I have been accepted into Middle Georgia College as well. Basically, Middle Georgia College offers a structured program similar to Riddle for nearly a 4th of the cost. However, Middle Georgia is basically a community college and does not offer very good degrees. I also am worried about how my flight training will be viewed if I come out of Middle Georgia College with my ratings.
  4. I was thinking about going to a flight academy like Aerosim. It seems that you can get a job quickly from such a place, but it almost seems to go to be true. Anyone have experience with these types of places?
I am a senior in my last semester of high school, so I will have to make a decision soon. I really want to be informed about the choice I make! Thank you for any help you can provide!
Click to expand...

Go to GT and join the flying club to get your ratings on the cheap. http://www.yjfc.org/wb/

Edit: The CFIs are going to be better at the flying club then Riddle.
 
Option 1.
If you will go to college for nearly free then this is the absolute best way to go! Stay dedicated to flying and you will come out ahead most of the riddle guys with hundreds of thousands of dollars less debt.
 
Oddjlunar2 said:
Hey everyone!

I have been having really bad headaches since I have been racking my brain with big questions and I was wondering if there was anyone who was willing to help. Oh and if this is in the wrong section, and forum mods exist, please move this thread. Anyway...

I know that there are many options to become a commercial pilot, I just am not sure which one I should use that I have available to me. Here are my options:


  1. [*]I have been accepted into Georgia Tech, and was wondering if I should get a degree from Tech and just go to a respected FBO and get my ratings there. I have heard that the Airlines view your ratings the same no matter where you get them from. Is that true? I say this because I can go to Tech nearly free on scholarships and use loans for the pilot training.
  2. I have also been accepted into Embry Riddle. My father says it would be good for me because of the structure, but is the "Riddle Experience" worth over $200,000 dollars in debt? Will I really have an edge over other people trying to get into a regional carrier?
  3. I have been accepted into Middle Georgia College as well. Basically, Middle Georgia College offers a structured program similar to Riddle for nearly a 4th of the cost. However, Middle Georgia is basically a community college and does not offer very good degrees. I also am worried about how my flight training will be viewed if I come out of Middle Georgia College with my ratings.
  4. I was thinking about going to a flight academy like Aerosim. It seems that you can get a job quickly from such a place, but it almost seems to go to be true. Anyone have experience with these types of places?
I am a senior in my last semester of high school, so I will have to make a decision soon. I really want to be informed about the choice I make! Thank you for any help you can provide!
Click to expand...

1. YES! DO THIS! It's what I did, and I've had no trouble getting work.

2. NO! IT'S NOT!!!!

3. See #2.

4. See #2.
 
The airlines wont care where you did your flight training. The airlines wont care where you did your flight training. The airlines wont care where you did your flight training.

You should get the best degree you can in a field that interests you (non-aviation, if you can), and get your ratings anywhere you want. Once you get your pilot ratings do some interesting things with them to build hours (flight instruct for example) and start applying to the airlines when you reach their minimum hours.
 
Georgia Tech. No brainer. Have fun.

Airlines won't care where/when/how you got any ratings.

KPDK is a nice airport, you'll have better CFI's at a flying club there anyway, like Gonzo said.
 
Oddjlunar2 said:
Hey everyone!

I have been having really bad headaches since I have been racking my brain with big questions and I was wondering if there was anyone who was willing to help. Oh and if this is in the wrong section, and forum mods exist, please move this thread. Anyway...

I know that there are many options to become a commercial pilot, I just am not sure which one I should use that I have available to me. Here are my options:

  1. I have been accepted into Georgia Tech, and was wondering if I should get a degree from Tech and just go to a respected FBO and get my ratings there. I have heard that the Airlines view your ratings the same no matter where you get them from. Is that true? I say this because I can go to Tech nearly free on scholarships and use loans for the pilot training.
  2. I have also been accepted into Embry Riddle. My father says it would be good for me because of the structure, but is the "Riddle Experience" worth over $200,000 dollars in debt? Will I really have an edge over other people trying to get into a regional carrier?
  3. I have been accepted into Middle Georgia College as well. Basically, Middle Georgia College offers a structured program similar to Riddle for nearly a 4th of the cost. However, Middle Georgia is basically a community college and does not offer very good degrees. I also am worried about how my flight training will be viewed if I come out of Middle Georgia College with my ratings.
  4. I was thinking about going to a flight academy like Aerosim. It seems that you can get a job quickly from such a place, but it almost seems to go to be true. Anyone have experience with these types of places?
I am a senior in my last semester of high school, so I will have to make a decision soon. I really want to be informed about the choice I make! Thank you for any help you can provide!
Click to expand...

Go with Option 5) Go to Georgia Tech. Get a good degree in a field that is in demand. Start working in your field. Save money. Pay as you go for your ratings. DO NOT ACCUMULATE DEBT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. Airplanes will still be here 5 or 10 years from now.
 
This is great feedback guys, this community is very helpful. I am reading every post so thanks to everyone that helps, really.
 
O&M said:
Go with Option 5) Go to Georgia Tech. Get a good degree in a field that is in demand. Start working in your field. Save money. Pay as you go for your ratings. DO NOT ACCUMULATE DEBT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. Airplanes will still be here 5 or 10 years from now.
Click to expand...

Best answer yet.
 
O&M said:
Go with Option 5) Go to Georgia Tech. Get a good degree in a field that is in demand. Start working in your field. Save money. Pay as you go for your ratings. DO NOT ACCUMULATE DEBT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. Airplanes will still be here 5 or 10 years from now.
Click to expand...

Work summers and pay for ratings while at GT if you are impatient. Easy to do when you are used to being poor in college. Option 5 is a solid plan too though.
 
drunkenbeagle said:
Work summers and pay for ratings while at GT if you are impatient. Easy to do when you are used to being poor in college. Option 5 is a solid plan too though.
Click to expand...

So if I did option 5, I would be in my late twenties and early- maybe mid thirties. I was reading that at age that airlines no longer want you because after they invest money into training you, they want to make a return on their investment and that the only way to do that is to get pilots while they are young.
 
Oddjlunar2 said:
So if I did option 5, I would be in my late twenties and early- maybe mid thirties. I was reading that at age that airlines no longer want you because after they invest money into training you, they want to make a return on their investment and that the only way to do that is to get pilots while they are young.
Click to expand...

No, there are guys here who started their airline careers well into their 40's. Your quality of life by not incurring debt will be more than worth the wait, and their is no meaningful downside.
 
O&M said:
Go with Option 5) Go to Georgia Tech. Get a good degree in a field that is in demand. Start working in your field. Save money. Pay as you go for your ratings. DO NOT ACCUMULATE DEBT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. Airplanes will still be here 5 or 10 years from now.
Click to expand...

You know what, I'm going to disagree. Study something in school that you have an interest in. I spent a year in college studying something that was fun, but I had no serious interest in, and it was a year of hell. College is hard enough as it is, don't make it harder than it needs to be.
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
You know what, I'm going to disagree. Study something in school that you have an interest in. I spent a year in college studying something that was fun, but I had no serious interest in, and it was a year of hell. College is hard enough as it is, don't make it harder than it needs to be.
Click to expand...
So are you saying just do the college thing and drop the flying part? If that is not what you mean, how would you incorporate it instead.
 
Oddjlunar2 said:
So if I did option 5, I would be in my late twenties and early- maybe mid thirties. I was reading that at age that airlines no longer want you because after they invest money into training you, they want to make a return on their investment and that the only way to do that is to get pilots while they are young.
Click to expand...

Doesn't matter. You need to be 23 to get an ATP, so you are looking at mid twenties anyway. Military folks are mostly late 20s/early 30s and don't seem to have a problem either.

As for the "return on investment," an airline is better off hiring you when you are old, stay at the bottom of the payscales, and are forced to retire. In the real world though, it isnt a consideration at all in most jobs.

By all means study something you enjoy, but part of going to college is figuring out what that is. You don't need to decide now!

For what it is worth, there is always option 6. Go to GT. Become Engineer with fat paycheck. Buy airplane/instruct in airplanes/fly whenever you want. Get airline job if it is still that attractive in 10 years (or not) I did option 6, happy with my choices, more than a few airline folks would trade places with me now if they could.
 
Welcome to JC Oddjlunar, let me be the first to great you with "To Hell with Georgia Tech"...haha. :)

In all seriousness, congrats on getting into Tech. Tech is a top notch school and has a very good flying club with solid pilots that come out of it. You can go either way, doing your ratings while you're in school or waiting till you're out of school and working full time. It's great to gather advice and make a well informed decision.

Just remember, you're coming into that part of your life where your world is going to be expanding rapidly with experiences. Make the best of them and do what you feel is best for you. "Being grown up isn't half as fun as growing up".

I'm here in the ATL area, I'll shoot you a PM with my email address and if you ever have any questions or need help with something in your flying career, don't hesitate to ask.
 
Oddjlunar2 said:
So are you saying just do the college thing and drop the flying part? If that is not what you mean, how would you incorporate it instead.
Click to expand...

I'll be amazed if you find anyone here that will tell you not to go to GT ;)

There is always AFROTC/NROTC too, if that is your thing.
 
SurferLucas said:
Welcome to JC Oddjlunar, let me be the first to great you with "To Hell with Georgia Tech"...haha. :)

In all seriousness, congrats on getting into Tech. Tech is a top notch school and has a very good flying club with solid pilots that come out of it. You can go either way, doing your ratings while you're in school or waiting till you're out of school and working full time. It's great to gather advice and make a well informed decision.

Just remember, you're coming into that part of your life where your world is going to be expanding rapidly with experiences. Make the best of them and do what you feel is best for you. "Being grown up isn't half as fun as growing up".

I'm here in the ATL area, I'll shoot you a PM with my email address and if you ever have any questions or need help with something in your flying career, don't hesitate to ask.
Click to expand...

Thanks SuferLucas. Very encouraging words. I do have some questions so I will take advantage of your email offer!
 
Oddjlunar2 said:
So are you saying just do the college thing and drop the flying part? If that is not what you mean, how would you incorporate it instead.
Click to expand...

Not at all. I'm saying, don't spend 4+ years of your life in college studying something that doesn't interest you. It will make your life hell
 
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