Job while attending?
- Thread starter N519AT
- Start date
I was thinking about the same thing, although I wasn't thinking about working, I was thinking about finishing up my bachelor's degree online while I trained...I know ATP said that there was not time to do school while in their 90 day program or even while flight instructing...they told me the only chance was once I got hired in the regionals...I called Ari and they said that their pro pilot program usually takes 4-7 months...So it sounds like its a little bit less hectic than ATP...I would say that the timeline is almost the same as ATP's 10 month self-pace program, allowing me time for school and you time for a part time job..Plus, according to forums on JC and others, it sounds like students don't get to fly as much/often as they would like to..so I take that as you are going to have some downtime (and they don't use simulator's, so weather is always a big factor)..I plan on doing all of my writtens before I go, allowing me even more downtime to do schoolwork
Just info you, When I toured the school I told Mike I was going to do my writtens before I came and he said that I woud need to redo them because of it being a part 141 training center. Maybe that was B.S, but instead he gave me the book list they use and told me to read 4 of the books and know one of them like the back of my hand before coming and I would greatly benifit from it. Especially for my CFI. So, I bought the books and have been reading the Pilot's handbook of aeronautical knowledge every day.
I too plan on finishing up me degree with Embry Riddle while enrolled at Aviator. I figure I can do one class a semester while training.
Hey, thanks for the info..I am doing the same thing with the embry degree..I am going in with my associates from embry first...I am touring the Ari and FSA and ATP at the beginning of march and I will find out about that..That is crazy though..I wish you could just get them done with before you go..I know at ATP you can do all of them before hand..when are you starting there? What did you think when you took the tour?
I don't have a start date yet, but there is a waiting list already. I will probebly start in June. I liked the fact that its a no B.S. school. When you go to FAS and then over to Aviator you'll know what I mean.
FSA is all about everything being nice a foofy with simulators and other stuff you don't need...and extremly expensive. Aviator is all about trying to keep the cost down for the student by spending the money where it needs to be spent...keeping the fleet airborne. Thats what I got out of checking out the schools. I personally dont want to fly a simulator thats why I chose Aviator.
Hope that helped.
FSA is all about everything being nice a foofy with simulators and other stuff you don't need...and extremly expensive. Aviator is all about trying to keep the cost down for the student by spending the money where it needs to be spent...keeping the fleet airborne. Thats what I got out of checking out the schools. I personally dont want to fly a simulator thats why I chose Aviator.
Hope that helped.
fermeh
New Member
hey guys, ive been at the school for abt 2 months now.. everything is wat i expected from the school.. except the delay, it just takes a lil longer than normal. the school is supposed to get 2-3 duchess' in pretty soon.
Im lookin for a part time job too, u can get one at the school if u ahve a vehicle, for 'student pickups', they will pay for the gas and a lil more for ur time. BUT i dont have a car, so im outta luck on that. still lookin around though.
Im lookin for a part time job too, u can get one at the school if u ahve a vehicle, for 'student pickups', they will pay for the gas and a lil more for ur time. BUT i dont have a car, so im outta luck on that. still lookin around though.
Ya, Ive heard that about FSA...you have to pay about 70K, not get alot of flight hours at all, get paid about 7 bucks an hour as an instructor and take 2 years to complete..
ATP is my top choice right now, but I want to go to all 3 schools to get an idea of how different flight schools work and what each offers...
I know ATP is FAST and is recognized in the regionals...It's hard to look past how many graduates have been hired, even in the past month, 23 in January..Ari has 3..so even though ATP is expensive, it must work (the thing that sucks is that I will have to put working on my degree off until I get hired by the regionals.)
ARI is fairly cheap compared to others and offers no simulators..I also LOVE the idea of being able to fly to the Caribbeans! But then you start to think about the no simulators.....If you look at the regionals hiring process, all of the airlines of simulator evaluations early on in the interview process..I just find it hard to believe that I can go 600 TT without touching a sim, jump into a CRJ simulator during the interview process and do good enough to get hired...I think this problem could be solved if you can find a CRJ course or some kind of airline prep course somewhere...I would love to go to ARI, but I think the CRJ course that's a part of the ATP program is essential...
FSA is good because of its professionalism...Yea, its expensive, but if you have hours etc., you fill out a student review form and they give you a "discounted" :laff: price...The nice thing is their nice facilities (a a gym! to stay in shape)...Its bad how long their program takes and their stupid flight instructor pay...I love the idea of the corporate jet track, bc that is where some big money is involved and where you can get alot of contacts for jobs later on in life..They supposedly hook you up with some corporate job after you graduate, they say its a first officer in a corporate jet, but I looked further into it and what it really is, is a job in the right seat of a simulator LAME!!
I dont know, sorry, I am getting off on a tangent, this isn't even what this topis/forum is about! lol..
Thanks for the info though! (I am still pissed about the written exam thing)...but I look forward to visiting the ari campus...And if I like it, I guess I'll see ya down there (looking at late June start...might as well wait until Im 21!)
ATP is my top choice right now, but I want to go to all 3 schools to get an idea of how different flight schools work and what each offers...
I know ATP is FAST and is recognized in the regionals...It's hard to look past how many graduates have been hired, even in the past month, 23 in January..Ari has 3..so even though ATP is expensive, it must work (the thing that sucks is that I will have to put working on my degree off until I get hired by the regionals.)
ARI is fairly cheap compared to others and offers no simulators..I also LOVE the idea of being able to fly to the Caribbeans! But then you start to think about the no simulators.....If you look at the regionals hiring process, all of the airlines of simulator evaluations early on in the interview process..I just find it hard to believe that I can go 600 TT without touching a sim, jump into a CRJ simulator during the interview process and do good enough to get hired...I think this problem could be solved if you can find a CRJ course or some kind of airline prep course somewhere...I would love to go to ARI, but I think the CRJ course that's a part of the ATP program is essential...
FSA is good because of its professionalism...Yea, its expensive, but if you have hours etc., you fill out a student review form and they give you a "discounted" :laff: price...The nice thing is their nice facilities (a a gym! to stay in shape)...Its bad how long their program takes and their stupid flight instructor pay...I love the idea of the corporate jet track, bc that is where some big money is involved and where you can get alot of contacts for jobs later on in life..They supposedly hook you up with some corporate job after you graduate, they say its a first officer in a corporate jet, but I looked further into it and what it really is, is a job in the right seat of a simulator LAME!!
I dont know, sorry, I am getting off on a tangent, this isn't even what this topis/forum is about! lol..
Thanks for the info though! (I am still pissed about the written exam thing)...but I look forward to visiting the ari campus...And if I like it, I guess I'll see ya down there (looking at late June start...might as well wait until Im 21!)
Don't count on having a job while flying at any of the Part 141 schools. Wait until you get there, and get a feel for how things work out. Flying can be very sporadic, so you'd have to find an employer with a very flexible schedule; especially considering that your training increases in intensity until you after finish your Instructor Ratings. Furthermore, after finishing Instructor Ratings, it would better behoove you/your career to work in the aviation industry. Also consider, that flying should be your first priority. So the the responsibilities of having a job can not always be met.
Working on College via the internet is entirely possible, even as a "full-time" college student. You just have to be flexible and well disciplined.
A word to the wise: as a low time pilot, actual flying time is a whole lot more important than Sim Time. Flying a Sim, even a full-motion Sim, robs you of all of the senses you use during flight. Flying a Sim is a whole different ball game.
Don't choose a school simply because they have "reciprocal" agreements with airlines. That is Kool-Aid, plane and simple. Sure, it is nice to know that certain airlines seem to have a "preference"; but in today's market, anybody with a Class I Medical, a Clean Record, and 300 hours can be an airline pilot. It is not worth paying $20,000 or even $10,000 for "preferential" hiring. (Keyword is "preferential", going to ATP doesn't guarantee you a spot at an airline.)
Lastly, if you get into this career for the money, you'll never be happy. The name of the airline career game is "security". What use is great pay (take American Airlines for example), if there is no pay protection, mediocre QOL, and a shaky future? AA is probably one of the most secure of the Legacies, but everybody thought that about Pan Am back in the 80s. Back in the 80s, FedEx was considered a second rate job; now those pilots have the most secure future and some of the best pay.
In Vero Beach/Fort Pierce the opportunity for part-time jobs is sparse, at best; especially at the three airports within a thirty minute drive. As was previously mentioned, if you have a relatively nice car you can pickup/drop off students at Orlando or Miami. I believe the current rate is $0.29 per mile, plus $10 per hour.
Another word about school selection: ATP is a huge company. They have a lot of students passing through. Aviator is considerably smaller. Consider setting up a ratio to better compare the schools. Also consider how many pilots leave each school and either go corporate, cargo, or non-flying.
Working on College via the internet is entirely possible, even as a "full-time" college student. You just have to be flexible and well disciplined.
A word to the wise: as a low time pilot, actual flying time is a whole lot more important than Sim Time. Flying a Sim, even a full-motion Sim, robs you of all of the senses you use during flight. Flying a Sim is a whole different ball game.
Don't choose a school simply because they have "reciprocal" agreements with airlines. That is Kool-Aid, plane and simple. Sure, it is nice to know that certain airlines seem to have a "preference"; but in today's market, anybody with a Class I Medical, a Clean Record, and 300 hours can be an airline pilot. It is not worth paying $20,000 or even $10,000 for "preferential" hiring. (Keyword is "preferential", going to ATP doesn't guarantee you a spot at an airline.)
Lastly, if you get into this career for the money, you'll never be happy. The name of the airline career game is "security". What use is great pay (take American Airlines for example), if there is no pay protection, mediocre QOL, and a shaky future? AA is probably one of the most secure of the Legacies, but everybody thought that about Pan Am back in the 80s. Back in the 80s, FedEx was considered a second rate job; now those pilots have the most secure future and some of the best pay.
In Vero Beach/Fort Pierce the opportunity for part-time jobs is sparse, at best; especially at the three airports within a thirty minute drive. As was previously mentioned, if you have a relatively nice car you can pickup/drop off students at Orlando or Miami. I believe the current rate is $0.29 per mile, plus $10 per hour.
Another word about school selection: ATP is a huge company. They have a lot of students passing through. Aviator is considerably smaller. Consider setting up a ratio to better compare the schools. Also consider how many pilots leave each school and either go corporate, cargo, or non-flying.
Dan said everything I was going to say ... Personally no simulator time is what sold me at Aviator. I want to learn how to fly a plane...nothing else
Embry Riddle has a campus in Melbourne FL. They do excelerated semesters and being that its a worldwide ca,pus tending to Military they are extremly flexable. I am going to try and do 1 class a semester while training and 2 while instructing. I should have my degree before I finish a year instructing.
Bearcat477
New Member
I think the main thing about taking classes, working, whatever it is that one wants to do in their free time, is purely dependent upon the individual. Only the individual can decide if they can handle multiple things at one time. Since we are all paying a whole lot of money regardless of where we go, I'm sure the majority will find a way to set themselves up for success. I plan to finish up my last two masters classes while at Aviator. I have been working full time + as a GE Aviation buyer, working on my private, active in the Air National Guard, and maintaining two classes. I have taken college courses while deployed in high tempo ops in the Middle East and in Antarctica. Just the Pro Course and two classes is going to be like a mini-vacation 
Florida_Flyer
Well-Known Member
Some people do work while training but if you can possibly help it don't. I think the guys that work take a longer time to complete the course and are more likely to need more flying hours as it's harder for them to concentrate on ground training. This escalates the cost of training and completes the viscious circle. Some hard workers had spent years completing the course because they found themselves in this situation.
My advice would be to work as much as possible before the course even if it means delaying training. Make sure that you add an extra 15% of the course costs as a buffer so that if you overun on cost you don't need to work. Those with all of their focus on the next rating tend to do the best.
Simulators is a little off topic but.........we all know Cohen hates them and uses "no simulators" as a selling point. Problem is the airlines kinda like them for checking to see if you can fly before they hire, for training and routine checking. You'll need to get good at flying these things if you want to fly for the airlines. Aviator does nothing to help you prepare for this reality. I did a sim ride a while back on a CRJ-200. I'd never flown one but I prepared myself on Flight Simulator with one of those add on planes. No tricks or pulling engines, just a simple ride. It was still tough and I just scraped through. The guy I was with had no sim time and had not prepped. He was useless even though I'm sure if he'd prepared he could have passed! I don't think I needed the full $10,000 ATP CRJ course but some experience of sims would have helped me.
My advice would be to work as much as possible before the course even if it means delaying training. Make sure that you add an extra 15% of the course costs as a buffer so that if you overun on cost you don't need to work. Those with all of their focus on the next rating tend to do the best.
Simulators is a little off topic but.........we all know Cohen hates them and uses "no simulators" as a selling point. Problem is the airlines kinda like them for checking to see if you can fly before they hire, for training and routine checking. You'll need to get good at flying these things if you want to fly for the airlines. Aviator does nothing to help you prepare for this reality. I did a sim ride a while back on a CRJ-200. I'd never flown one but I prepared myself on Flight Simulator with one of those add on planes. No tricks or pulling engines, just a simple ride. It was still tough and I just scraped through. The guy I was with had no sim time and had not prepped. He was useless even though I'm sure if he'd prepared he could have passed! I don't think I needed the full $10,000 ATP CRJ course but some experience of sims would have helped me.