pilotscafe.com

[Bohdan :)]

Hy, im new to this site. My name is Bohdan. Im from ukraine, but i live in U.S. i have read that to work as a commercial pilot, company is going to require from you a four year college degree. is this true?
and another question: Which flight school do you recommend for the people who want to be a pilot?
I was thinking about PEA or DCA, but im not sure. And i heard about Embry Ridle Aeronautical university.
where you can get for year college degree and pilot licence, ATP. or something like that.
I would very appreciate if you guys could help decide which school to enroll to. Because i have only one year on deciding.
Thank you in advance.

[Bohdan :)]

Anyone??????

[Guest]

A four year degree is required by some airlines, mostly the major ones. The entry level into a regional first officer job does not require a degree, although it will give you some points in the interview.
Right now airlines are rarely hiring, but who knows, by the time you finish all of your ratings, the industry may improve and you may enter your first job.
If you decide to get a degree, remember that the airlines usually don't care what exact degree you have so you can study something that can give you a backup profession.
I was a student at PEA and would not recommend it. Scheduling is a big problem over there and it may take you a long time to finish. This is only my opinion of course. If you can, you should travel between the flight schools that you are considering and talk to the staff, students, and look at the facilities and airplanes.

Good luck! If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

[Bohdan :)]

Thanks for the reply.
You are the second person that says that PEA is a bad school. So i guess PEA is out of my plans.
What about Embry Riddle Aeronautical university? I heard they have united with Delta Connection academy, and i can get four year college degree and pilots license and all that stuff ( to work as a commercial pilot ). But i still dont know how long its gonna take me to finish that school, and how much its gonna cost me. Maybe someone on this website knows?
And i was wondering, after i finish the school, and go on the interview with Delta, do you think i would have a good chance gettinginto Delta and working on the international races if i know three languages, and have a four year college degree?

[Guest]

DCA is owned by Delta but the only benefit of that fact is that they guarantee you an interview with a Delta connection carrier as far as I know. Anyway you will not be able to get into Delta Airlines itself as an entry-level job. You may be able to get into one of the Delta Connection carriers such as Mesa, Republic, and others. For that (once they start hiring again) you will need some jet experience and probably 121 PIC time. The only reason I can think of for going to one of these big schools (which are a lot more expensive usually than small schools) is to work as a flight instructor for them once you finish your courses and build many hours in a short time.
The four years degree is from ERAU and not from DCA. PEA publishes the same thing, but in fact the deal is that your pilot licenses (private through ATP) can count up to 36 credit hours (1 credit year) for the ERAU Bachelor of Science Aeronautics degree. It does not really matter where you got these licenses as long as you have them. They usually won't mind where you got your licenses after you have some flight experience.

[Bohdan ;)]

how long is it going to take me to finish DCA? if its like 2 years, then i would go to ERAU right away.
because if do 2 years in DCA and then go to ERAU and do 3 year. its five. if i go there right away its going to take me only four years. But still dont know how much is DCA going to cost me, and how much ERAU going to cost me. Do you know?
And how much is FAA medical exam is going to cost me? Is it hard to get first class medical?
lets say i finish ERAU, do they hire graduates as instructors? So i could get the flight hours quickly.
Shall i have a big plus at the interview with a company if i have been to army or marines.etc?????

[Guest]

Although I'm not experienced with DCA, how long it will take you in any school is very individual. It depends on a few factors such as your motivation, ability to learn fast, school scheduling, weather, and more.
Riddle and DCA are very expensive for flight training. I'm not sure how much they currently charge but it is much higher than what yo will find in a small school.
If you want prices, try contacting the school itself, it can give you the most current info. Just remember that you should add at least 20% of the published price since training usually takes more flight time than the minimum hours required by the FAA. Published course prices are bare minimums for meeting the FAA requirements.

A list of FAA medical examiners:
http://www.faa.gov/pilots/amelocator/
It usually costs around 80-100 dollars. The examiner can issue you a student pilot certificate together with the medical. You must have a student license before your first solo flight.

[Bohdan :)]

Thanks for the info.
And what exactly is going to be at the FAA medical exam? so i was ready, you know?
And one more thing, how often does Delta company hire pilots. Do i get a plus at the interview if i can speak, read, and write in three different languages? And if i finish ERAU on exellent? Do you i have a good chance? or they dont look at that?

[jet]

The Doctor will make sure you can breath and see. Seriously, for some reason the level of medical tests varies a lot from one AME (Aviation Medical Examiner) to another. It should not be a big deal. If you are afraid you can call one of them and ask on the phone for what they are looking for. There is no need to be afraid to ask them directly about any specific issue that you may have, especially if its on the phone and you did not sign any form yet.
As someone said before me, don't count on Delta as your first job. It will simply not happen. They want EXPERIENCE. This does not mean Cessna 172 or Piper Seneca time but real airline experience. You can, however start from the regional airlines who fly for Delta Connection or Continental Express or USAir express etc. When you do get the experience and try to go to one of the mainline airlines, they would usually not care much about what specific college degree you have or where you got it. It can even be a degree in gardening. An aviation degree and three languages are nice, they can make a tiny little bit more of an impression in the interview (or not), but they are not critical.
They DO want to see:
-Experience (preferably airline or jet)
-decision making skills
-basic requirements (certificates and documents)
-flying skills (if they test you in a simulator)

[Bohdan :)]

Oh... So i could go to any cheap (i mean very cheap) college, get a four year degree there. And then just go to DCA, finish it.
And then get a job as a pilot at some airline and get good money.
What if you were in my shoes, what would you do? The way that i said above. OR go to ERAU and get everything in 4 years.
but its going to be much more expensive.

[jet]

dont worry about the degree too much for now. Go get the pilot certificates first, as they are much more important. you will most likely not need a degree for your first airline job.

[Bohdan :)]

So you are saying To go to flight school. When i get my pilot certificates, start working at some airline company (that do not require a 4 year college degree). And while i work as a pilot, start going to college and then get a degree. And then when i get my 4yr degree, try for some major company like Delta. That way i shall have 4yr degree, experience, and pilot certificates. thats what you are trying to say?

[jet]

sort of. All i'm saying that you should be worried more of getting the certificates and experience. get the degree whenever you can afford it it could be now, it could be later. Bottom line is that it is not critical when you get it.
By the way, if you are locked on ERAU, check out their extended campus programs. They are about 5 times cheaper than the main campuses in Daytona and Phoenix. They do not offer flight training in the extended campuses but as was mentioned above in this thread, they give you up to a year credit for your pilot licenses and ratings. (that means your 4 year degree is completed in only 3).
This is what I did and now I work for a regional airline (the college degree, however, was not a factor in my hiring).

[bohdan :)]

Wait.. so you went to ERAU? How was it? Were you in Daytona, or some other extended campus?
Did you get a 4 yr degree in 3 years?
How much money did you pay for the whole education? (3 or 4 yrs).
Did you have fun going to ERAU?
Do they pay you good money at the regional airline? What is the avarege a year?

[jet]

I went to the extended campus in Orlando. it was about $6000 a year X 3 years.

Did you get a 4 yr degree in 3 years?

Yes.

Did you have fun going to ERAU?

Not really. An extended campus is just an office with 2-3 classrooms. There are no activities in school other than studying. The extended campuses were designed to accommodate working people, normally older than college age, who are working on their degrees part time. So no, it is not fun, just school.

Pay rates are very bad for new pilots in the united states. I got paid 23 an hour first year, and now paid 30 and hour on my second year.

This website will show you pay rates for pilots.