blaquehawk99
Well-Known Member
So here is my situation: I am going to retire from the Army next June and I am going to be a professional pilot. I am not married and my one and only daughter is in college. I can go to just about any school or aviation academy that I want so long as they are part 141 and VA approved. I'm looking to get the most bang for my (or the Governments) buck. The question is how to go about getting the ratings. I've narrowed it down to three choices:
Option 1: Stay in the PacNW and go to PCC/Hillsboro and get IFR, MEL, CPL, CFI, CFII, MEI, all on the G.I. Bill using 15-18 months of my entitlement. The upside is I won't have to come out of pocket for anything except for check rides, exams, and probably any time over 141 requirements that the G.I. Bill might not cover. I'll finish in December 2016 with about 300TT and will likely start as a CFI somewhere. The downside is I already have an Associates Degree and I don't need another, especially in aviation. Then there's the time, 15 months to finish the program.
Option 2: Go to sunny Florida at Aviator College. I get the same ratings but with waaay more ME time and finish in 6 months rather than 15. I'll end up using 15 to 18 months of the GI bill. The upside is I'll be working a whole year sooner. The downside is I have to come out of pocket for about $26000.
Option 3: Again at Aviator except in their degree program. I'll get the same ratings as above but finish with nearly 600TT and about 250 ME. I'll be out of pocket about $15000 and it'll take about 18 to 24 months to complete.
I know how important seniority is in aviation. I also know how important ME time can be. Aviation can be a fickle master so spending $15000 to $30000 doesn't make good financial sense if I don't have to spend it, unless there is a huge upside.
If you were in my shoes which option would you choose and why?
Are there some other schools you think might give me better/more options?
Option 1: Stay in the PacNW and go to PCC/Hillsboro and get IFR, MEL, CPL, CFI, CFII, MEI, all on the G.I. Bill using 15-18 months of my entitlement. The upside is I won't have to come out of pocket for anything except for check rides, exams, and probably any time over 141 requirements that the G.I. Bill might not cover. I'll finish in December 2016 with about 300TT and will likely start as a CFI somewhere. The downside is I already have an Associates Degree and I don't need another, especially in aviation. Then there's the time, 15 months to finish the program.
Option 2: Go to sunny Florida at Aviator College. I get the same ratings but with waaay more ME time and finish in 6 months rather than 15. I'll end up using 15 to 18 months of the GI bill. The upside is I'll be working a whole year sooner. The downside is I have to come out of pocket for about $26000.
Option 3: Again at Aviator except in their degree program. I'll get the same ratings as above but finish with nearly 600TT and about 250 ME. I'll be out of pocket about $15000 and it'll take about 18 to 24 months to complete.
I know how important seniority is in aviation. I also know how important ME time can be. Aviation can be a fickle master so spending $15000 to $30000 doesn't make good financial sense if I don't have to spend it, unless there is a huge upside.
If you were in my shoes which option would you choose and why?
Are there some other schools you think might give me better/more options?