If I go to flight safety academy .....

747

New Member
reading all these post I decided to go to flight saftey acadmey but I have a couple of questions.
If I start at age 18 and I get all my ratings including all the CFI ratings, at what age would I finish?

and out of 100 % what are the chances of me getting hired by an airline and getting hired as an CFI by flight saftey acadmey?

How much time would I have when im done?
 
The average age of a new hire at the Majors is litterally twice your age. You have PLENTY of time. If you want to be an airline pilot you'll need a 4 year degree. You should really consider going to college before FSI. It is so much easier to get the degree out of the way while you have no other ties. Besides to answer your question about time, it will probably take you 1-2 years to get your ratings, and then you'll probably instruct for about 1-2 years to build time to become a competative candidate for the regionals. So if it takes you 4 years, you'll only be 22 when you're done with the process, and you won't even be old enough to hold an ATP rating.

You could get started on your training part time while you get your degree and possible even begin instructing while still in college, then be ready for the regionals shortly after. You could go to a university with an aviation program and get your training done there, but its a good idea to get a degree in something non-aviation related so you have a fall-back career. The airlines don't care what your degree is in as long as you have one. Major in anything that interrests you, that you could see yourself having a career in if flying dosn't work out.

Good Luck
 
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reading all these post I decided to go to flight saftey acadmey but I have a couple of questions.
If I start at age 18 and I get all my ratings including all the CFI ratings, at what age would I finish?

and out of 100 % what are the chances of me getting hired by an airline and getting hired as an CFI by flight saftey acadmey?

How much time would I have when im done

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Whoa Whoa Whoa slow down. I ve seen your posts in the other schools too. First off you NEED a 4-year college degree (doesnt matter what its in) to work for a major airline. no ifs and or buts about it. Also the airlines dont care one bit where you went to school all they care about is your ratings and experience. Any school that guarentees you a job at an airline is full of [expletive deleted]. You should research into schools a little more before making such a rash decision. FBOs also provide good training too. This is not as easy of a business to get into as all the schools ads make it out to be.
 
Now how do you expect anybody to take you seriously with a disheveled James Brown as your avatar???
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I agree with going to college and getting the degree out of the way before heading to FlightSafety. I went to Ohio State for 2 years then left for FSI. Stupid Stupid move. If I had to do it all over again I would've finished college first. Now, I graduated the CIME program at FSI 4 months after 9/11, the instructor pool there was growing by the minute and I was running out of money. So here I am, no flying job, no degree, working a minimum wage job. Please take our advise and get the degree out of the way so you have something to fall back just incase the flying thing doesn't work out. I would also recommend going to a nearby FBO and doing a couple flights. You didn't mention if you have any time in an a/c yet, if not, go get a few hours maybe even your private ticket to see if it's really what you want to do. If you don't love it, don't do it. This is a very tough occupation to get into and if you don't give it your all you will hate it.

Just some food for thought. Good luck with your decision.
 
To answer your question about being hired as an instructor at FSI.......Honestly you'll have a very difficult time. I have seen very few students right out of high school be successful in this type of program. I haven't done a formal survey but I would wager that every instructor at FSI has a college degree. Some may have an associates degree but that is probably a minority. I'm not saying it can't be done but you would have to be a mature 18-19 year old.
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That said your post seem to reflect that your looking for someone to "give" you a job. Nobody in this industry is going to give you anything. Jobs just like flight ratings are earned.
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btw, no airline that is hiring today requires a four year degree (Delta and AA are only airlines that require them.)
 
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btw, no airline that is hiring today requires a four year degree (Delta and AA are only airlines that require them.)

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yeah, but most use the 4 year degree as a method for screening out the applications when there are thousands in front of them.
 
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btw, no airline that is hiring today requires a four year degree (Delta and AA are only airlines that require them.)

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I remember when United was hiring a few years ago before the downturn, their minimum requirements were 300 multi-engine hours. That's it. How many pilots with nothing but 300 ME do you suppose they hired?

I know your point though and I'm sure we're on the same page. Although the airlines might not technically require a degree, in order to be competative you'll need one.
 
I quess my point is FlightSafety doesn't require a college degree to be an instructor, but every instructor I know here has one.
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You can knock out some of your GE classes at a community college to save money, and then finish up with ERAU's extended classes or online while at FSA. I knew several guy's when I was there who would drive up to Patrick AFB in the evenings from Vero to go to Riddle classes.

As for the amount of time to get through MEI, that is solely up to you. I know a few guy's who finished up at safety in 12-14 months (rare, but possible). It is up to you.

As for your age and the success rate of someone your age at FSA...When I audited the instrument ground before starting my CFII, there was an 18 year old in my class. He failed most of the exams the first time around. What does this mean? Was he unable to keep up because of his age? I don't think so. I don't think he was serious enough about what he was doing. He had admitted to me that he was still in the high school mode/mentality. He did wise up and go on to complete his CFI ratings. Once again, it is all up to you.

When you do go, enter the program focused and with a clear mind. You will have alot of money on the line and review flights can get costly. Most importantly, have a good time and absorb as much as you can while you are there. FSA is a great school and you will learn a lot.

As for FSA gauranteeing you a job, I don't know where someone got that idea. If you focus and work your butt off, then you should do just fine in the CFI interview.

Any questions about FSA PM me.
Good luck...ILS
 
Having gone through college first will certianly help you here as far as learning the materal and studying. However, if you get your ratings first, you could then goto college and be an instructor part-time. I know of one person planning to do this and it does seem somewhat more time efficent, heck my part time job durring college was as a delivery driver, it didn't help me much other than turn me into a walking street directory
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The tough part about the reverse route is that you will be in school and only working part time. Making the payment for an aviation training loan is hard enough working fulltime as a CFI, I’m not sure how it would be done working part time and also paying college expenses. If you have the resources to do it this way then I would consider it. It does make sense to be building time through the college years.
 
Bump on the degree, best advice anyone gave me cause it gets it behind you, then you can focus on the airlines. While your getting your degree, get your private at your local airport in your spare time.
 
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I remember when United was hiring a few years ago before the downturn, their minimum requirements were 300 multi-engine hours. That's it. How many pilots with nothing but 300 ME do you suppose they hired?

I know your point though and I'm sure we're on the same page. Although the airlines might not technically require a degree, in order to be competative you'll need one.

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There almost the same. These are the requirments as a first officer for United. A United Pilot emailed me them.

* Meet FAA requirements to obtain an Airline Transport Certificate
Airplane Category Rating as specified in FAR part 61.153 (a) through
61.153 (f) and 61.159. This includes the requirement to have the
written test completed, but does not require completion of the
practical test.
* 300 hours of Multi-Engine Airplane or 300 hours Turbojet Powered
Airplane.
* FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate (ASEL or AMEL) with instrument
rating.
* FCC Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit.
* Current FAA First Class Medical Certificate.
* Able to effectively manipulate the controls of all aircraft United
Airlines operates.
* Vision correctable to 20/20.
* High School graduate or GED.
* If you are not a U.S. citizen, you must be a registered alien with a
legal right to accept employment in the U.S.
 
Yeah ok...

I wonder what the lowest time pilot United has hired in the last 2 years is??? Wait a minute. Has United hired any pilots in the last 2 years???
 
747,

My point was that although they advertise their minimum requirements as 300 multi-engine and a few other things not including a degree, they have thousands of applications on file and the top 99.99999% have probably have a degree and ten times the required 300 ME hours.

Unless there is a severe and I mean severe shortage of pilots (there will never be a shortage of pilots) you will not get hired at United or any other major, and probably not even any regional, with only 300 ME and no degree. If you have about 10,000 turbine PIC, and there is a shortage of pilots (there will never be a shortage of pilots) then they might look at you without a degree. But why put your career on that chance when all you have to do is get a dergree? Four years in a classroom verses the amount of time it would take to build 10,000 turbine PIC, seems as if the degree route is a lot faster.
 
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