after i graduate

[dan741749]

Ben,

UND has a great ATC program as well.  I'm taking courses in that in addition to my commercial avit. major.  

It's tough up here but I'v put so much time/effort/MONEY into it to back out now. At times it can be really discouraging and quitting is very tempting, but I love flying too much to quit.  

Yes, it's very expensive but that's what student loans and gov't grants are for.  

Will I be prepared for the airlines? Not right after graduation.  By the time I graduate, I will only have about 200-250 hours logged, not quite what airlines are looking for.  I plan on sticking around here for a few years as a CFI to build up time.  I hope to get hired as a corporate pilot or I'd settle for a regional airline out west, like Horizon and Alaska Air, both are constantly hiring UND grads! I'm lucky enough to have a fabulous fiancee who is willing to live anywhere I need to go to fly.

--Dan

[Ben_M_K]

Thanks a lot Dan. That was helpful!

[dyfly]

Ok #1 make sure you find a good patient flight instructor.Try to find one who has been instructing for a long time this will tell you he loves to teach. There are instructors out there who only instruct to build time and go to the airlines. You don't need this kind of instructor The airlines can be a back stabbing

[beefhole]

Try to find one who has been instructing for a long time this will tell you he loves to teach. There are instructors out there who only instruct to build time and go to the airlines. You don't need this kind of instructor

I heard the opposite.  If an instructor has 1,500+ hours instructing, it's a bad thing because it means he/she can't get hired for some reason.  So I asked my CFI, "well, not unless they want to be a CFI."  He said "NOBODY wants to be a CFI.  I make 15 ****ing K a year.  Nobody wants to be a CFI."

So, basically, if they have a ton of hours and are indeed looking for a job, don't go with 'em. Bad sign.

And honestly, I've never heard of anything wrong with having an instructor whos looking for an airline job.  You're not going to find many who aren't.  Nothing wrong with an instructor who's just building time.

[Ben_M_K]

I'm going to have to side with beefohole on this one. An instuctor thats just building time will show you thats he's enthusiastic about aviastion. And he's most likely young. Those are the next generation of people who are going to shape aviation. We want to encourage them, not turn away from them.

Just my opinion...

[dyfly]

RC/Ben,Come and ride with me and the Student and I will show you a student who was dumped by a low time Flight Instructor for the airlines and he did not receive good Flight training.The point that I was making was I feel sorry for the new student getting dumped by a Instructor before he can finish the check ride.  ;D

[Saratoga]

Ya look at any modern flight school. They are going through pilots incredibly fast as they earn the necessary hours, then apply for and recieve and airline position.

[Craig.]

I dont mean to be rude, but why do you people have a problem with them doing that? In most cases these days its the only way to get the hours so why not?

[beefhole]

I dont mean to be rude, but why do you people have a problem with them doing that? In most cases these days its the only way to get the hours so why not?

My argument on the "Questions" thread.

[Saratoga]

And Craig, if I'm included in that statement, I don't. Most of the guys I work with did that very thing to get hours, just a regular part of the industry.

[Flt.Lt.Andrew]

Mostickity, if I can offer some advice.
Be careful!
Always have a backup career you can fall back on.


A.

[Saratoga]

Ya with the airline industry the way it is, your career could dissapear in an instant. No airline I can think of requires you to major in aerospace or any other flying aspect, so it's a good idea to get your degree in something else. While they may not like that as much as an aerospace degree, it will definetly help you if something goes under. (I majored in Airline Pilot. That's actually what it was called, not much to fall back on but I ain't worried. )

[dyfly]

Hey Tacit Blue check out Sallie Mae or try this one
Key Bank
www.key.com/educate
1-800-key-lend this might help a lower rate

not much info on Sallie mae but type it in google for search

[JackieAdkins]

Spartan Flight School here in Tulsa, OK is a really good flight school and people world wide come to fly at the school here is the web-site if you wanna check it out.

www.spartan.edu

[lintonam]

Check out MSU Mankato. And Take High-level Math Courses just in case you find out you want to do aeronautical enginering which also pays good.