enlisted veterans who are now pilots

So I'm about to get out of the Navy in April... planning on doing the "enlisted vet to airline pilot." Can you use to post 9/11 GI Bill for flying AND school? I know the old GI Bill just gave you a check each month, but this new one has it sent directly to the school you attend. I never really researched it until I saw someone mention it on here, which leads me to my next question. How hard is it for someone to get financing these days to fly... like a Sallie Mae career loan? That is/was my original plan and to have my parents co-sign. I would use the new BAH payments to pay most of it off once I started instructing and hopefully not have too much debt. I already have my PPL if it makes any difference.
 
OCflyguy88 said:
So I'm about to get out of the Navy in April... planning on doing the "enlisted vet to airline pilot." Can you use to post 9/11 GI Bill for flying AND school? I know the old GI Bill just gave you a check each month, but this new one has it sent directly to the school you attend. I never really researched it until I saw someone mention it on here, which leads me to my next question. How hard is it for someone to get financing these days to fly... like a Sallie Mae career loan? That is/was my original plan and to have my parents co-sign. I would use the new BAH payments to pay most of it off once I started instructing and hopefully not have too much debt. I already have my PPL if it makes any difference.
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Once again, there is no need to rush and take out a loan for flight training. What I did was pay for my PVT and Instrument (Part 61) from savings and then took out loans for MTSU's Part 141 program. In the end, ended up with only $16K in debt for flying. Not too bad. Pay for as much of your training from out of pocket!
 
5 years Marine Corps.
Had license prior to joining.
Using GI Bill for something more useful that airplanes.

Don't want to fly for Mil.
 
4 years USAF. Like Subpilot, I will let you guess what I did.

Used all my GI bill $$ for a B.S.
Did my training at various small flight schools.
Instruct for ATP Flight School.

Too old to go back in the military to fly. I would not hesitate to do it if there were a way though.
 
LoadMasterC141 said:
4 years USAF. Like Subpilot, I will let you guess what I did.

Used all my GI bill $$ for a B.S.
Did my training at various small flight schools.
Instruct for ATP Flight School.

Too old to go back in the military to fly. I would not hesitate to do it if there were a way though.
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Buddy is a 37 year old E-6 (I think...maybe E-7 door gunner/crew chief on a guard blackhawk). After his second deployment to the sandbox he said screw this and they waved a flight slot in his face. He did not take the bait, but at least in the Army, it seems to be possible. I should add that he's also a mid-seniority F/O at SkyWest with a fair amount of 135 time. Just an apocryphal story, of course.
 
I got my PVT my first year in the mil and then two years later went through all the rest of the ratings.

Did it at a local flight school near base when I was around and used the old GI bill. SoCal was dirt cheap at the time for flying so total cost was probably mid 30s or so and of that I paid 15 or so cash out of pocket.

Two days after getting out I had a CFI job back home, did that for a bit and got on with the only place that I applied to and here I rot..i mean sit.
 
Boris Badenov said:
There's some hard-charging Marine around here who was Captain of the Flight Team at some podunk college in Tennessee who could probably give you some good advice. He even has affectations of being a "hard drinker" when he's not busy perming his hair in the vanity mirror of the guppy-killer. I know a number of others out there. Generally, it seems that they were doomed to 141 programs due to GI-Bill issues.
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LMFAO - I'm not sure how I missed this, but it's fairly accurate!:clap:

Well played, Sir!
 
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