Dowling

robzablob

New Member
I've searched and there are a few threads about Dowling...but I would like some fresh info.

How does Dowling compare to the more well known flight schools such as UND, ERAU, Purdue, etc...?? Essentially what I'm asking is what would make me go to Dowling over those other flight schools??

If anyone is from Dowling, I would greatly appreciate anything and everything about it. I'm really considering this school.

Muchas gracias!!
Robbie
 
Like any flight school, collegiate or not, has its ups and downs. Dowling's flight program has alot of potential. They have good equipment (all modern piper fleet) and a good group of instructors currently. Dowling though no longer has a pro pilot major. Apparantly, they want their grads to have a degree in something else on the chance that there are no jobs for pilots...like now. Without the pro pilot major though that makes it very different from UND and ERAU. Also, the management levels at Dowling have undergone a facelift in the last 6-9 months and the transition is far from complete. Now from the downturn in the economy the aviation program is strapped for cash, their pay scale for workers no longer works feasibly, and a labor dispute has begun between the instructors and management. With any luck though this will be resolved soon by both parties coming to a mutally beneficial agreement soon. There is also the possibility Dowling may want to go with a clean slate approach and replace all current instructors with noobs that can be brought in on a different (and lower) payscale thus eliminating the current dispute. When were you planning on starting at Dowling?
 
I actually do like the fact that they don't offer a major in professional flight. Regardless of what aviation college I go to, I would get a degree in something aviation related due to said reason. I like the idea of the school being far enough away from a huge city...but just close enough to get a taste of it, if that makes any sense to you.

I would be going to Dowling fall of 2010 (I'm a junior in HS now). Hopefully within the next year I can do a campus visit and see if it's really for me.
 
Hopefully things will get better over the next few years but now brings dark times for Dowling. They are heavily strapped for cash, selling airplanes, and just layed off more than 50% of their instructors. Morale among students is very low right now as the ones they got rid of were the most experienced (don't ask why the managers chose to do it that way but they did). It appears the labor dispute I alluded to was a means to get staff to quit in an attempt to avoid laying people off. Best of luck to you if you go to Dowling. Personally, I would recommend getting a degree in something non-aviation and do your flying on the side. Your licenses will say the same thing as a pro pilot degree from anywhere.
 
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