Looking for advice/information.

[Wardogg]

Greetings professionals,

I have come seeking sage advice from the wise among you. I have thumbed through most of this thread reading a lot of the "am I too old" threads and cannot thank those people enough for sharing their stories and reading the responses. I am going to present my own, hopefully to be helpful to someone in the future and for my own selfish reasons of getting advice before I totally jump off this cliff that is a career change.

I am a 40 year retired Marine, married father of 5, with 20 years of aviation under my belt. Flew as a flight mechanic for my first 5 years and as a Flight Engineer on KC-130s for the next 15. Amassed around 6000 hours of total time with about 4000 hours of that strictly being in the center seat. I have the FAA signoff to take the A&P test but have not as of yet.

Currently employed full time at a ground(non aviation) job making about 60k a year(absolutely miserable), plus my military pension. Looking at joining the Pro Pilot Bachelors program at the collegiate level next fall. I will be utilizing the GI Bill. So the plan is no debt at the end of school.

Now here is where it gets a little bit sticky. To enroll in the program would require a move and obliviously quitting my current J O B. The family would be moving with me although we would only be bringing along 4 of the young ones with us as the oldest will be leaving the nest. Even though the schooling will be covered I still will have to provide for the family. So here are a few of the millions of questions I have about this leap.

Is the school schedule going to allow me to work at almost full time hours to cover the bills at some minimum wage job(walmart or whatnot)?
What does a typical week at a 4 year pilot program look like?
Can I finish it in 3 years?
What kind of flight time totals can I expect at the end of school?

Now if Ive read 14 CFR Part 61.159 correctly I get to apply 500 hours total towards my ATP rating. Does that move the timeline any for me if I am not applying for any 121 jobs?

One of the biggest questions my so far VERY supportive wife has, is post graduation employment. We would be willing to move after graduation but after moving for the military every threes years we would like to settle down once and for all. What are the chances of having one final move after graduation and securing employment? How many times have you all had to move for jobs?

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated and I look forward to hearing from all of you.

 

[DE727UPS]

Kinda curious what school you are looking at and where it's located. VA will cover a full degree plus flight training?

Did you ever think of using your VA benes to just get through your ratings in a year or so and do the university thing on-line? You could enter the job market much quicker this way. Could you use your VA benes at one of the big military flying clubs?

You got 4000 hour of heavy crew time and certain people that have been there and done that know the center seat in the military is no blow off job. If you can do that you can easily get through any airline type ground school.

I'd almost encourage you to put the university thing on the back burner and get through those ratings. Get a job and start building time. At 40, I most certainly wouldn't recommend a traditional 4 year aviation program (you'll find it to be a joke, academically, compared to what you've already done). At the top end, a degree is an important square to check, but you've got a long way to go to get there and your age is not helping you. I'd tell you to check that square later, if necessary, but do what you can to get into the job market ASAP. I think you'll find the climate good for hiring and you'll get the point pretty quick where your military time will get noticed.

 

[Finny]

Where are you located? I'm sure there is a part 141 school somewhere near you for you to get your ratings done, still use your GI Bill, and maybe even keep your job.

 

[DE727UPS]

"Now if Ive read 14 CFR Part 61.159 correctly I get to apply 500 hours total towards my ATP rating. Does that move the timeline any for me if I am not applying for any 121 jobs?"

I think it would allow you to get a "non-airline" ATP faster, according to my read. Not sure if I can think of a scenario where it's a big deal. Corporate maybe?

 

[Wardogg]

Kinda curious what school you are looking at and where it's located. VA will cover a full degree plus flight training?

Did you ever think of using your VA benes to just get through your ratings in a year or so and do the university thing on-line? You could enter the job market much quicker this way. Could you use your VA benes at one of the big military flying clubs?

The way I understand it it has to be a degree program for the GI bill to pay for the flight training. I am looking at attending K-State due to my proximity. There is a distance learning version of this program offered through KSU and Air Associates of Olathe and JCCC. But due to some unscrupulous scools overcharging each one has to have their program vetted through the VA approval system. The request is apparently in here but who know how long it will take to get the final stamp. Also that version of it would require me to acquire the PPL prior to starting the program.

 

[DE727UPS]

Paying for your own PPL to save yourself a couple years or more of sitting on campus as a 40 plus year old is something to consider. You are already much older than most entering the biz. The last couple years of your career you could be making 150K or more. Paying for your own PPL is peanuts. There used to be lots of flight schools that accepted VA. I guess times have changed.

 

[Wardogg]

Yes sir, therein lies my dilema. It could be 2 years before the distance learning version goes back online. By then i would be halfway done. I agree with you had the program been up and running i would already be enrolled in it. But i don't want to put this off any longer. So preparations are being made for next fall.

I don't think its the flight schools so much as it is the GI bill that has changed.