Question for professional pilots

[crazyme5kids]

We are starting to look into colleges for my son. He wants to become a pilot, the military is not an option at this point. What 4 or 5 colleges would you suggest looking into. So far we will look at Embry-Riddle and Dowling (here on LI). Any advice you can give will be appreciated.

 

[Mom21]

Not much help. I am a graduate of Embry Riddle. I am not a pilot. I graduated with a MBA in Aviation. I also have a BS in Professional Aeronautics from them. My husband has a BS in computer science from them. They are a good school with a good reputation. Hubby is an air traffic controller and I was one for 12 years. Good luck to him.

 

[Pinnie]

Western Michigan University has a program and I think Purdue has one, too. I remember being on campus at Prudue with my DS for a "look see" weekend and there were a ton of little planes buzzing around the campus. The guide told us it was near final exam time and they were getting in their practice.

My DS's friend teaches aviation at WMU.

pinnie

 

[crazyme5kids]

Mom21 did yougo to the Daytona campus or the Arizona one. What did you like about the school and what didn't you like?

 

[crazyme5kids]

Pinnie my son was just looking on-line at both of those schools. Do you know if WMU a good college and if the aviation program is any good?

I honestly don't know what I should be looking for in a school for aviation flight.

 

[Mom21]

My husband was at the Daytona campus. He isn't here right now for me to ask, but I think he considers it the best 5 years of his life....... . I attended classes they had in Ft lauderdale. No campus. It mainly was for professionals and people already in the industry. I went to school with lots of pilots and maintenance people that worked around the FLL/Miami area. Since I worked my classes were 4 hours a night 1 day a week. I liked that. Once I graduated in 95-96 (can't remember), I went back in '97 when my dd was 6 weeks old for my Master's. Took about 2 years. I loved that I could do lots of classes online since I was also working full time. of course any pilot courses couldn't be done that way. Maybe he could do some online and some at the campus to cut down on cost. That is the bad part....not a cheap school. Hope that helps. Let me know if he has any specific questions about the FL campus as I can ask hubby. Of course, he is old........ Things have changed.

I will say they do have a very good name and reputation in the aviation industry.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

If he just wants to be a pilot check out the Delta Connection Academy in Sanford, FL. They guarantee a job interview after you complete their training.

 

[crazyme5kids]

Thanks Clarabelle. I looked at the site, they also have a program in conjunction with a few colleges. It's worth looking into. Jacksonville University is one of them. Anyone know anything about JU?

 

[Barb D]

I have no answers for you, but I want to be able to find this thread later! DS15's first choice is the Air Force Academy, but he needs back-up suggestions. Embry-Riddle is already on his list.

 

[Pluto2003]

a graduate of Embry-Riddle, Dayton Beach campus. He graduated in Dec of 2002 and got his first job as a commerical pilot in Sept 2005. He was a sophmore when 9/11 happened. That changed the aviation industry a great deal. You need to know that you graduate with about 300 hours of flight time and need 1500 hours (or there about) to apply for a job in the commerical airline industry. Those flight hours are expensive and so is the school. His minor was in air traffic control.

Embry-Riddle holds flight competitions against their campus in Prescott,AZ and University of North Dakota and Florida Tech in Melbourne (the three I was told about, mind you).

The lack of girls was a factor. 95-97% guys. Dayton Beach is a busy city right after Christmas with spring break, the races and bike week to name a few.

He made life long friends there and keeps in touch with many to this day.

We visited Jacksonville, Embry-Riddle and FL Tech and a local college in KY.
We let Ryan chose and there was no question it was Embry-Riddle.

We also went to Disney World after visiting the Florida campuses at the end of his Junior year of high school.

I could ask my son any questions about the Dayton campus you have, if you like........

We are proud parents...........

 

[DMickey28]

I WAS going to go to Florida Tech in Melbourne until two weeks before school started. This was back in 1996. I loved the campus and the programs seemed good (for what I can remember)! I chickened out and regret it to this day....

 

[crazyme5kids]

Pluto2003, how did your son get the additional flight time, through school or somewhere else? I know the school is very expensive. Now that your son is a commercial pilot, would he recommend going to Embry-Riddle or another college, or would he suggest just going to a technical flight school.

My son wants to become a pilot, but he also knows that he needs a back-up plan in case that doesn't work out, or if he finds it really isn't what he wants to do.

I really like the idea of a college in Florida .

 

[lowie]

dowling=yuck!

 

[crazyme5kids]

lowie, did you go to dowling? If so or if not why don't you like it?

 

[katerkat]

My husband's friend went to Embry Riddle (Daytona) and graduated in 2003. He is still working for a small airport, taking people up in the tiny planes and trying to gain the hours necessary for an airline job. All of our Air Force friends who are NOT from the Academy went to Embry Riddle.

May I ask why the military isn't an option? I know it's not an easy life - but my husband had all his training paid for, and since finishing training in Aug. 2003, he has accumulated over 2500 flight hours. We only owe the Air Force 10 years for the training. (Only! ) And he's pretty much guaranteed an airline job when he's eligible to get out.

 

[crazyme5kids]

katerkat, we discussed the military, he would do fine, but I'm not ready for him to take that step .

 

[Barb D]

katerkat, we discussed the military, he would do fine, but I'm not ready for him to take that step .

Yeah, me either, but I figure it's his life and his decision. My DS has been focused on the Air Force Academy since he was 11.

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

Yeah, me either, but I figure it's his life and his decision. My DS has been focused on the Air Force Academy since he was 11.

I'm glad my mom felt the same way you do! I graduated from the Air Force Academy 16 years ago; however, I do not fly. My husband on the other hand is a pilot for the AF and has been for the past 16 years.

 

[Pluto2003]

We proudly took our son to school in the fall of 1999 after he had just gotten his private pilots license. Surely we would be in line with everyone else, right?
Ooops, no way. Almost everyone else can there came with many more hours and licenses and rating and the like than us. So my suggestion is to you and your son is to get any kind of hours, licenses and rating at an airport near you. They are a whole lot cheaper than Embry-Riddle. The year my son started, the college declared you could not fly off campus to get hours but had to spend your money with the college. We protested all the way to the top while we were there for orientation and they agreed to let Ryan fly off campus. (they had more students than instructors or planes to teach in for the new freshman class) In fact because of this, they hoped to allow freshman to fly for some part of their second semester. Not the right answer for us. Ryan did have to fly on campus for the larger planes. E-R now has a CRJ flight sim which they did not have when we went there. You fly those with commuters, your first commerical airline job, usually.

Ryan got extra hours teaching flying at our local airport when he graduated. A friend of his flew banners in Myrtle Beach. Others gave up on flying and went with the air traffic control. I wanted Ryan to take business as a minor and get his graduate degree but he was done with school after 4 years.
At the airport he got connections to work a summer flying for a company that spots NASA hot air balloon launches in NM. He also got to be the co pilot (for free) on a business King Air for over 100 hours. It is the multi engine hours you hope someone else pays for. Your son needs to get his CFI to teach and CFI II for twin engine.

Also the school has a large student population of "older" students and also a group of "foreign" students.

Not sure what else to say at this point but I will answer any questions as to our experience.

Ryan also said the Prescott campus had nothing better to do than fly so they often won those competitions.

I personally like FL Tech but everyone knows the reputation of E-R.

Good luck....

 

[crazyme5kids]

Alright, before you get the wrong idea and think big bad mama has the apron string wrapped around his neck, if he really wants to go into the military he will. He knows my feelings on the subject. He also knows that if that is the way he wants to go, I will support him 100%.

Now, having said all of that, it isn't an option, or would "choice" have been a better word? Geesh, I'm not trying to turn this into a debate. All I'm trying to do is get an idea of colleges.