trying to deside between mesa, airsafety or d

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xavier0002

New Member
Hello:

I am trying to decide which school/academy would be a better choice for me. Basically, which one would give me a relatively better shot at working for the airlines.

I already have a BFA degree on Design and Technology, so a 4 year college is out the question, leaving me 3 choices: a 2 year program with an associated degree like the one offered by Mesa, an academy /fast track or a local FBO

A local FBO probably wouldn't be the choice for me, since I don't have that much cash and would rely on loans to pay for the training, plus I would like to do it in the shortest possible time.

Therefore I am considering as my first choices

FlightSafety Academy (http://www.flightsafetyacademy.com/main/index.php)

Mesa Pilot development (http://www.flightcareers.com/adegree.htm)

Delta Connection Academy (http://www.deltaconnectionacademy.com/html/home.html)

Pam Am Academy (http://www.panamacademy.com/career.asp)

Which of the above schools would be the best choice to get an airline pilot's position? Or, if there is a better alternative, please inform me
 
If we didn't have other things stopping us from Flightsafety we'd go there, and looking back at the last several years at the FBO we wish we had gone to FS in the first place. Whether or not it's best way to get to be an airline pilot, I really can't say and I don't think any one can. But for the value of your money, after having toured the schools, and looking at all those soptions our selves, FS would have been a great place to get the training.
 
Curiously, what's stopping you guys from Flight Safety? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
Well we had our for sale, and then found out that none of the homes in our neighborhood were selling for what we paid, some had been on the market for 6+ months, and after 2 months we had NO one looking at ours, and it just didn't "feel right" for us to sell our house, especially at a loss, and move every thing to FL. If we do go w/ Mesa or something, it's close enough that I could handle Corbin being gone for like 2 weeks at a time and then coming home. We couldn't have done that w/ FS because there is no way we could have afforded constant flights back and forth every couple of weeks, and at the time, where he was at, he would have needed about 9 months at FS. Since giving up on that route, he has gotten up to his commercial in ratings but really hasn't gotten many more hours because of the FBO crap. But UVSC is about to start some full time acceplerated programs for ME and CFI in a few weeks so he will do those while waiting for the April Mesa class. If we had known about FS pre-baby and pre-home ownership we would have definitely gone down there together and I could have worked while he did his training. Financially it also worked out better to have him here so he could work while getting those ratings. And luckily our neighborhood value seems to be improving so we want to hang on to this house for a few years so we can get our moneys worth out of it.
 
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because of the FBO crap.

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Such language, Michelle! For shame!
 
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Basically, which one would give me a relatively better shot at working for the airlines.

A local FBO probably wouldn't be the choice for me, since I don't have that much cash and would rely on loans to pay for the training, plus I would like to do it in the shortest possible time.



Which of the above schools would be the best choice to get an airline pilot's position? Or, if there is a better alternative, please inform me

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It would be stupid to do ab initio at Mesa if you already have a degree...and the other schools you listed are waaaaay overpriced.

Check out Ari Ben Aviator, and Airline Transport Professionals( ATP), they have the fastest and best programs/prices in my opinion, and you end up with a ton of multi engine time...you'll learn that multi time is golden when your looking for an airline job!
 
thanks guys for posting and helping me out. I don't know much about ari ben aviator...

would they allow me to take out a loan and use that to pay the tuition...?

whould i get flight instructor training there as well...?

when i finish that program, what would my choices be...(i mean what should i do next etc)...

thanks for everything... i really don't know much and any advice will help...
 
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thanks guys for posting and helping me out. I don't know much about ari ben aviator...

[/ QUOTE ] There is a ton of information in the Ari Ben Forums...read up and most of your questions will probably be answered. Their website is http://www.flyaviator.com/

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would they allow me to take out a loan and use that to pay the tuition...?

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Yes you can get loans for their programs, thats what I did.

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whould i get flight instructor training there as well...?

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Yes, in the Pro-course or 200 hr multi course you are trained to be a CFI, CFII(instrument instructor) and MEI(multi engine instructor)
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when i finish that program, what would my choices be...(i mean what should i do next etc)...

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Flight instruct for them until you build up enough hours to apply at the airlines.
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thanks for everything... i really don't know much and any advice will help...

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Check out the Jetcareers homepage, there is a lot of info there and FAQ's for people just starting out, and the forums have lots of info as well /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bandit.gif
 
thanks for the help guys. RPM I really appreciate it

One more question. what have your guys heard about american flyers, do they compare to ari ben aviator and...could they be a better choice(price/training wise)...

so far i am leaning to ari ben aviator, but

otherwise it seems like flight safety or mesa would be the next choice
 
Are the FSI and ATP Professional Pilot Programs considered PFT?

Or for it to be considered PFT you literally have to pay the company for your training and fly for essentially nothing for the company, ala, Gulftstream, Comair, and TAB?

Would it be if you did the Pro. Pilot Program and then were hired as a CFI? Are you have your CPL AMEL Instrument, went to ATP to get your CFII MEI and were hired as a CFI would that be considered PFT?

Just curious.
 
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thanks for the help guys. RPM I really appreciate it

One more question. what have your guys heard about american flyers, do they compare to ari ben aviator and...could they be a better choice(price/training wise)...

so far i am leaning to ari ben aviator, but

otherwise it seems like flight safety or mesa would be the next choice

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No problem... I had all the same questions back when I was starting out. There's a lot of crap and trash-talk about flight schools you have to sort through to decide which one is best for you. You just need to decide what you really need from a flight school.

Flight school reps. remind me of car salesmen...trying to sell you on all kinds of crap you don't really need to get to your goal, like fancy simulators, structured environment, jet training courses, new air conditioned planes etc. etc....
While some of those fancy things may be nice, they are certainly not necessary to get to the right seat of an airliner like the big name schools lead you to believe...if you feel you just absolutely must have "the best" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif YOU WILL PAY OUT THE ASS FOR IT!!!


I don't really know anything about American Flyers or what they offer but I don't know of anywhere that can match Ari-Ben's prices for what they offer.


Flight Safety is a solid program and goes more in depth than Ari...but YOU WILL PAY! The cost is appx. double the cost of Ari-Ben...and you end up with less total flight time, and only around 50-55 multi. If your planning to instruct there afterwards...good luck /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cwm27.gif Again...you just need to decide what you really want out of a program.


I'd recommend getting your Private done at a local FBO as cheap as possible before choosing a flight school...at that point you will be able to make a much better decision on what you want/need from a flight school...you may even wanna stick with the FBO. I would have loved to stay at my local FBO but there was no chance in hell of me ever getting any multi-time there, so I moved on. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bandit.gif
 
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Are the FSI and ATP Professional Pilot Programs considered PFT?

Or for it to be considered PFT you literally have to pay the company for your training and fly for essentially nothing for the company, ala, Gulftstream, Comair, and TAB?

Would it be if you did the Pro. Pilot Program and then were hired as a CFI? Are you have your CPL AMEL Instrument, went to ATP to get your CFII MEI and were hired as a CFI would that be considered PFT?

Just curious.

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that was already covered here... PFT discussion
 
"Support the schools that support Jetcareers"!

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Pretty simple!
 
From a simple standpoint of cost, many of the big academy schools can run anywhere from 60K to 80K to get you the ratings and sometimes a guaranteed interview. And of course they always have financial aid. These days it seems like many FBO's offer financial aid as well. (All the federal stuff etc.) Most FBO's will cost far less than the big schools but yield similar results. IMO checkout the various FBO's in your area and see what type of aid they offer. For example, many of the FBO's in the Salt Lake area, where I instruct, have some decent financial aid options. I'm not against the big schools, just know that they can be substantially more expensive.
 
ATP all the way. I went through them and loved it. First class operation run by very good people (who happen to be airline pilots).
 
I agree with Lee on checking out the FBO route. The big schools do a great job of selling a package (such and such ratings in a certain timeframe at a certain price). FBO's do not usually sell their ratings in a timeframe or price, you pay per hour and train at your own pace.

If a student came into my flight school (local FBO) and wanted to do their inst/comm in 90 days in the twin, we could accomidate and the price would probably come in less than schools that sell a package. For example:
For Instrument/commercial:

90 hours dual instruction, BE-95 @$210/hr ($170/hr + $40/hr instructor) = $18,900.
90 hours time building (splitting cost with another pilot) @$85/hr= $7650.
10 hours dual instruction, C-172@ $123/hr ($88/hr + $35/hr instructor) = $1230.

Total hours= 190
Cost = $27,780.
That comes in WAY less than ATP, even if you add a couple grand for the appartment they provide and hotels for the X-C flights.


If the 3 hours in the citation is that important, there is a place in San Diego that does the type rating in 3 hours for $4500, 5 hours for $7500, or a part 141 7.5 hour course for $10,700.

SIC checks would be considerably less.
 
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