The Results are in...

[Swen]

for 50-60k I will have my 4 year and PPL-CFI.

There are a lot of smaller universities with flight programs, you just have to know where to look.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Any university will take your money. Some will just take more. In my experience with going to an FBO and a tech school, I got everything I would have at a larger school, except the 4-year degree, which I had other plans for.

From what I've seen, every school has their share of ineptness, even the one I went to. I'm just glad it didn't come at the cost of $150/hr in a Skyhawk.

 

[fitpilot14]

I attended Florida Tech and I loved it. The campus is beautiful and they just spent a bunch of money on their flight training program. The teachers are extremely helpful as are fellow students. It was worth every penny

 

[Jpax]

I attended Florida Tech and I loved it. The campus is beautiful and they just spent a bunch of money on their flight training program. The teachers are extremely helpful as are fellow students. It was worth every penny

Are you a current FIT pilot, or not?... query the "attended" and "loved"...Profile info is misleading to that, as well.

 

[Douglas]

for 50-60k I will have my 4 year and PPL-CFI.

There are a lot of smaller universities with flight programs, you just have to know where to look.

Bingo

 

[murphfly]

Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, OK!!!

Great aviation program with excellent staff...Airplanes are nice and the flight training will prepare you for your career. Only 1.5 hrs from Dallas, TX which women from TX are WOW (Bone Daddy's) I spent roughly $60K for a 4yr degree and all my flying up to my MEI.

You should look further than the few schools you have in your poll. There are A LOT of colleges/universities with aviation programs out there. The AOPA magazine (the one that comes out for students/instructors) has a listing of all the schools out there that they publish once a year. Check that out and keep in mind that just b/c it costs so much doesn't make it better. People I worked with at my first job got paid the same pay BUT they spent 3 times as much as I did on their degree and flying. Just wanted to put that out there...

GOOD LUCK!! :nana2:

 

[JaceTheAce]

My vote is your local flying club and freelance instructor or small flight school at your local airport.

 

[AngelFuree]

for 50-60k I will have my 4 year and PPL-CFI.

There are a lot of smaller universities with flight programs, you just have to know where to look.

+1.........GO THE CHEAPER ROUTE. I don't mean to preach, but I'm on 1st year FO pay right now....and having the amount of debt I have right now while doing this job SUCKS.

 

[FlySooner9]

what about University of Oklahoma?

 

[liveupthere]

How good is Kent State? Anyone go there?

Yes. Great school. You'll get to fly in real weather...log some actual IFR. Pay it a visit. Largest training fleet in Ohio.

 

[pilot's mom]

I am a parent of a child that just graduated from Embry-Riddle with a major in Aeronautical Science and a minors in Air Traffic. I have no aviation experience, so bear with me.
Tuition, room & board – $74,000 for 4 years or $18,500 per year, this was the cost after scholarships, no financial aid was included.
Flight training – Private, Multi, Instrument, Commercial, Single engine add on, CFI-1 & 2, Total $54, 105
Total Cost for 4 years, tuition, room, board, and flight = $128,105
I’m not going to defend Embry-Riddle but these are some things to consider.
Many parents send their children to private colleges that cost $35 - $40,000 or more per year. A friend’s son just graduated from Clarkson with $140,000 debt, another from RIT with $120,000, another from Vassar with $95,000 in student loans.
A New York state college costs $17,500 per year and give very few scholarships, add flight from your local airport and the cost would be about the same.
I’d like to see all pilots go to an aviation university or the military for their education and flight training. I know many pilots won’t agree with me but look at it from my point of view. Maybe if all pilots had standardized educations and training, plane crashes like the one that took place in Buffalo would be decreased or eliminated.
At an aviation university when you major in aeronautics you not only learn to fly a plane, you learn about the aircraft, the physics behind the aircraft, aerodynamics, etc. Not only do you learn a skill ,you learn the theory involved. Think of any job, an teacher has a teaching degree, an engineer an engineer degree and so on. So why can a pilot have a degree in art and still fly a plane? Ground labs can not begin to cover what you learn in 128 college credits.
Looking back, as a parent I feel my child got an excellent education on and off the ground.
Now, to find a job!!

 

[etflies]

The Captain of the flight in Buffalo went to an "aviation school." Anybody can make a mistake, regardless of where they trained to fly. Tragically the mistake of that flight crew caused the loss of several lives.

I am one of those pilots who disagrees. You learn about aerodynamics, the hows and whys of flight no matter where you learn to fly, not just at a university. A university covers the same material but spaces it out so that it takes up XYZ credits over so many semesters. We cover the same information but often condensed, depending on how often our students want to fly.

Standardized training in the manner I think you wish to see might be nice, but very impractical to implement. Theoretically we do have "standardized" training, we must hold all students to the standards put forth by the FAA, and often times, we as instructors hold our students to an even higher standard. No matter if you fly through a university or an FBO, etc. you must still demonstrate proficient knowledge of the subject and skill towards the task at hand to earn your certificate or rating. I understand this does not mean that everybody who holds a pilot license should be in the air, but nevertheless, everybody must pass.

Many, many pilots have degrees outside of aviation, and many have degrees in aviation. Some of the best pilots I know did not have any desire to major in aviation and are in fact engineers, teachers, or business majors but can out fly, and know more about knowledge than those who majored in aviation. It depends highly upon the individual.

I went to a four year university, majored outside of aviation, flew outside of my classes and wound up spending less than an in-state aviation student. I achieved all of my ratings in the same amount of time as any student and do not feel like I missed out on any opportunities by not flying in the aviation program.



I'll vote for the local flight school or FBO, and not a college or university program.

 

[JustinA]

:yeahthat:


It doesn't matter if you go to Riddle or an FBO in a very small city, all pilots are held to the same Standards. Some pilots bust their ass and study a lot and some just slide right on by. I've seen it happen on both sides, FBO and the 2 part 141 collegiate programs I have been associated with.

Also, pilot's mom stated that if all pilots had standardized educations and training, plane crashes like the one that took place in Buffalo would be decreased or eliminated. Sorry to say but Education had nothing to do with the Buffalo crash. A pilot can be a genius and still make costly mistakes. As can a Doctor, or anybody else.

As for the standardized training, that is already implemented, PTS.

 

[Kestrel452]

Anyone have any input on Indiana State's aviation program? For only 70k all said and done, that sounds like a great deal!

 

[Kestrel452]

Anyone have any input on Indiana State's aviation program? For only 70k all said and done, that sounds like a great deal!

One other question. Are the planes at THAC glass or analog gauge? I would prefer analog because I dont want to get drugged/stupified by fancy GPS systems that only belong in commercial aircraft.

 

[Jpax]

I dont want to get drugged/stupified by fancy GPS systems that only belong in commercial aircraft.

GPS only belong in commercial aircraft?

Lets try this out. Go on a 400 mile flight during solid IMC in..say a Skyhawk. Go one way IFR using needles and dials, and the other way using a GPS. Come back and tell us what method you think is more efficient, effective and safe. I'll pick GPS everyyyy singggleee time. It is an invaluable asset in the cockpit.

BTW, if it makes any difference to you, I learned on both needles/dials and GPS.

 

[Kestrel452]

GPS only belong in commercial aircraft?

Lets try this out. Go on a 400 mile flight during solid IMC in..say a Skyhawk. Go one way IFR using needles and dials, and the other way using a GPS. Come back and tell us what method you think is more efficient, effective and safe. I'll pick GPS everyyyy singggleee time. It is an invaluable asset in the cockpit.

BTW, if it makes any difference to you, I learned on both needles/dials and GPS.

Sorry, but these kinds of glass panel systems have no place in primary trainers. Others have touted this countless times as well. Starting out in a glass panel aircraft will create a dependency for them. Good luck having any kind of situation awareness when your GPS system malfunctions in inclement weather and you never learned to fly instruments in a six pack. Many instructors right here on JC post about how pissed they are when their students have almost no :sitaware: without a glass panel display and moving map.

I am not saying that down the line GPS is a bad thing. It only becomes a bad thing when that is the kind of setup a beginner learns on.

 

[Jpax]

Sorry, but these kinds of glass panel systems have no place in primary trainers. Others have touted this countless times as well. Starting out in a glass panel aircraft will create a dependency for them. Good luck having any kind of situation awareness when your GPS system malfunctions in inclement weather and you never learned to fly instruments in a six pack. Many instructors right here on JC post about how pissed they are when their students have almost no :sitaware: without a glass panel display and moving map.

I am not saying that down the line GPS is a bad thing. It only becomes a bad thing when that is the kind of setup a beginner learns on.

GPS and glass panels are two totally separate items. A glass panel is the entire suite, such as the G1000, or the Avidyne Entegra (screen wise, anyway...) A GPS is integrated into the glass cockpit in the G1000, and the Entegra is based off of dual Garmin 430 GPS units. I concur, I do not think primary students need glass cockpits/autopilots/pizzazz. BUT, knowing how to effectively and efficiently use a GPS, found in most aircraft nowadays, is definitely a skill worth learning by the time you earn your private.

If you fly in a plane with a GPS and don't want to use it, just turn it off. However, if you are on your first solo cross country and find yourself lost in an area where you know there is restricted airspace, you will sure as hell be thankful to turn that bad boy back on and save your ass.

Part of your training is knowing how to use ALL of the equipment provided to you-- hardware, software, humanware. If you have it, use it.

If you're going to FIT, get here quick. I believe the bare minimum 6 pack and nothing else planes will be gone, or are already gone. Most flight schools will teach you the use of a GPS during the syllabus anyway.

 

[Kestrel452]

GPS and glass panels are two totally separate items. A glass panel is the entire suite, such as the G1000, or the Avidyne Entegra (screen wise, anyway...) A GPS is integrated into the glass cockpit in the G1000, and the Entegra is based off of dual Garmin 430 GPS units. I concur, I do not think primary students need glass cockpits/autopilots/pizzazz. BUT, knowing how to effectively and efficiently use a GPS, found in most aircraft nowadays, is definitely a skill worth learning by the time you earn your private.

If you fly in a plane with a GPS and don't want to use it, just turn it off. However, if you are on your first solo cross country and find yourself lost in an area where you know there is restricted airspace, you will sure as hell be thankful to turn that bad boy back on and save your ass.

Part of your training is knowing how to use ALL of the equipment provided to you-- hardware, software, humanware. If you have it, use it.

If you're going to FIT, get here quick. I believe the bare minimum 6 pack and nothing else planes will be gone, or are already gone. Most flight schools will teach you the use of a GPS during the syllabus anyway.

I should have been more clear about the glass panel vs having just a garmin 430 or something like that. I agree having a simple Garmin 430 or even 530 is a good thing to have available for students who are AT the level where they could navigate respectably without it. But at any rate, I still firmly believe that glass panels should NOT be integrated into the primary trainers. However, it could be a good thing to have Avidyne or G1000 systems in the complex aircraft such as an Arrow during their commercial flight training.

BTW, FIT is a non-option for me since the price tag accompanied with it will be enough to make a grown man cry lol. I mean if I can get the same training for half the price, why not? The airlines don't give a dam whether you go to FIT/Purdue or a small college's program. I can get my 4 year flight degree all said and done from Indiana State for 70-80k! And the opportunities to instruct at Terre Haute Int'l are great. Most students graduate with around 1000 hours from there. It's essentially a hidden gem of a school

 

[Jpax]

BTW, FIT is a non-option for me since the price tag accompanied with it will be enough to make a grown man cry lol.

Cry, gouge his eyes out with a rusty spoon, and lose all sanity.

I've seen it happen...well, the first part anyway.

 

[poser765]

. Most students graduate with around 1000 hours from there. It's essentially a hidden gem of a school

I am going to assume that 1000 hours is IF you instruct there. If not you are probably getting fed a line.

I like where you are going with your thinking though. Don't be dazzled by big name schools that take out full page adds in Flight Training Magazine. They are for the most part no better or worse than a LOT of the smaller schools. The fact a school tops 1st and 2nd at SAFECON doesn not mean they provide the best training...just means that spent an extra week out of class practicing in St Louis.

My point...Someone mentioned Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Good school. Very good environment. If you lived down here i would recomend that. But since you live in chicago I would try to find something smaller and cheap in the midwest.