good aviation colleges?

[Guest Piperpilot2004]

anybody attend Embry-Riddle (Daytona Beach FL Campus), and then later went on to become a pilot for the AF? I am thinking about applying there, but it sounds expensive, for mostly people that want to go to the airlines, and no girls.. but I hear the flying is some of the greatest you can find because of the weather..any suggestions..? Anybody else know of any other colleges that are near a beach, and are great for flying? (well the beach isnt that important actually, but it would be nice... lol)I have done my research but cant find any schools that sound des, maybe Kent but not sure either.. Any help will be appreciated!! Thanks!

[ellsworb]

Dude,

Go to Purdue.. its a REAL school, with REAL sports teams, and plenty of girls. And you get to fly too.

[Guest Piperpilot2004]

hmm ill have to check into those, I think Purdue is pretty hard to get into, but again i will have to check into it, and Saint Louis is a real nice city too- so thanks Ill have to do some research on both schools now..thanks again!

[go_cubbies22]

University of Illinois has a real nice aviation program. Best ROTC Det around too and probably hotter girls than Purdue. Also #1 ranked basketball team.

[Guest Slye]

I went to ERAU in DAB. The flying and the classes in general were expensive when I went there and are even more so now, I don't think I could afford it now if I went there today and I have a massive amount of student loans to repay. They are mostly oriented to preparing you for the airlines but I think their AFROTC program is pretty good at getting people pilot slots, although I wasn't in AFROTC. The lack of girls will prepare you for UPT but it seems that more girls were being imported as the years went on.

I wouldn't say that ERAU directly helped me get into UPT but I will say that I wouldn't change anything. I really enjoyed college there due to the people, the flying, and the experience. Spring break wasn't that bad, either.

Figure out what your main priorities and goals are for college and find the best place that fits those. You'll get yourself to UPT no matter where you go if you want it bad enough. Good luck! I wish I could go back to college...

[Sneedro]

I went through Saint Louis' aviation program and did ROTC as well. Nice thing about SLU is they pay for all of your flying!! It is very nice to not have to shell out a bunch of money to get your ratings!!

[wacky]

I second Illinois as an excellent choice. I have my human factors engineering degree as an Illini as well as all my ratings. I loved being part of a big school, but still having a small flying community.

wacky

[Guest pinko]

Ditto to Slye's message... I also went to Riddle and it's pretty expensive.

I didn't do ROTC, and yes, there aren't many girls there. Although the ratio was 15:1 my freshman year and when I graduated in 02 the ratio was around 6:1. Playboy voted it as one of the worst schools for something... (probably for chances of getting any action).

Anyways if youre looking for a "true" college experience, Purdue or IL might be a better choice for you. PM me if you have any specific questions.

[Guest AirGuardian]

Better Women, better beaches (45min), go skiing (2hrs), go gambling (2-3hrs), aviation program at the international airport = San Jose State University = Priceless!

And why pay more (except for rent) for a useless school name which gets you NO where in the Mil flying, except in the same state as an ANG unit of course!

[ 11. January 2005, 01:02: Message edited by: AirGuardian ]

[Guest Piperpilot2004]

Sneedro, are there any catchs since they are paying for my training? How does that work? Also, thanks everyone for responding, I am going to start looking into those schools a little bit closer now that I know it offers aviation, and also an ROTC. Thanks

[Chuck17]

Well, there are a few. Since Aviation Science is not recognized as a 'technical' major (such as engineering of some sort) you may have to settle for only getting two years on scholarship as an upperclassman. When I went through (1998-2002) at SLU, I was lucky enough to get a scholarship categorized as 'other' than technical and skated in under the radar.

Secondly, SLU pays for all of your flight hours; it's included in tuition. Back in the day, Parks College (the aviation school at SLU) had a cheaper tuition than the rest of the school, but studs had to pay for all of their flight hours. Its a much better deal now, trust me.

Third, just because you are an aviation science major and spend the 4 years you have of college learning how to fly airplanes, how airplanes fly, engines, aerodynamics and the airlines and air transportation system, there is no guarentee whatsoever that you will get a pilot slot and go to UPT via the AF, no matter if you are in ROTC or not, a pilot major or not. There were several dudes in classes before and after me that didnt get selected despite being aviation science majors.

4. The standard catch is that if you get selected and complete UPT, you will owe 10 years of service to the Air Force once you graduated from UPT, making your total service commitment about 12 years give or take. So, if you are like me and know what you are going to be doing for the next 10 years and that doesnt bother you, go for it!

5. There are other perks about SLU and ROTC. Of course, once you are on scholarship and in ROTC, you get payed. When I finished up at SLU, I was making 400 bucks a month, just to go to school and fly and do ROTC. Pretty cake! More than ample beer money when supplimented by my two roommates who worked for Anheiser-Busch and got all the free beer they could carry home... AND, once you are on scholarship and in ROTC, the USAF sends you a check each semester for books, again somewhere around 400-500 bucks. AND, if you go to SLU and are in ROTC and on scholarship, they will give you free room and board every semester, free. Not a bad deal. Lots of schools are starting to do that.

For a short list of schools with nationally acredited, kick ass aviation programs...

1. Purdue

2. ERAU - Prescott or Daytona

3. Saint Louis University

4. Louisiana Tech

5. Southern Illinois Univeristy - Carbondale

6. University of Illinois

7. San Jose State University

8. University of North Dakota

If anyone can think of any others, feel free to drop a line...

[Guest WMU-DChi]

Look at Western Michigan University, better girls then all other schools mentioned, and the aviation program is not bad either.

[Sneedro]

ChuckFlys17s pretty much hit the nail on the head about SLU. There are many benefits that SLU does offer when it comes to ROTC, as well as downsides. Getting a pilot slot there is probably just like anywhere else. It isnt just given to you, rather you must earn it. Dont expect any school to just hand you a pilot slot just because you are an aviation major.

[ellsworb]

AHHAHAHAHA. . i think its arguable that WMU does NOT have better women than some of the other schools mentioned. Based on the "Girls of the Big 10" issue of Playboy (Oct '03), I thought Purdue had a better showing of girls. Although I was intrigued by that Illini that was wearing the parachute with pierced nipples.

[FUSEPLUG]

Originally posted by Mike P:

Look at Western Michigan University, better girls then all other schools mentioned, and the aviation program is not bad either.

I have to agree with Mike P. I went to Purdue but my girlfriend at the time went to WMU. I was always floored by the women in Kalamazoo compared to West Lafayette.

Regarding your question: Purdue has a great flight program. I've been out two years now and head to OTS in April. Many of my classmates and friends have since gone on to the regional airlines, but several of the more intelligent graduates have, or are working on, careers in the Air Force. Of the approximately 60 pilots that I graduated with, I can think of at least 7 that are, or will be, flying either Active Duty or with the Reserves.

[Guest Crash22]

Don't forget Central Missouri State Univ. in beautiful Warrensburg, MO. Great program, cheap tuition.

[Guest theflyboy1]

When I went looking for schools I was interested in becoming a pilot, so I looked at Embry Riddle and Daniel Webster (in NH), as well as other schools. I was discussing this some pilots and they told me a great piece of advice...

Suppose you successfuly graduate from a flying school and begin a great career as a pilot. Then, God forbid, something happens to your vision or some other medical condition and you can no longer fly. You have spent a lot of money on tuition for an Aviation Science degree, plus paying for flight time. Now not being able to fly, not only is your flying career done, but you have a degree that is practically worthless.

I would suggest a different approach if you are interested in flying for the military. Go to a school and get a technical degree, like in engineering (I'm biased). Do your flight training at a small aviation school at a local airport where they are not just concerned about pumping out students. I think that if you ask any recruiter, if you had a 4.0 in aviation science up against a 3.4 in Mechanical Engineering, and all others being constant, the Mechanical Engineer would be picked over the Aviation Science major for a pilot slot. Plus, unless flying for an airline (I'm not sure how the industry is), then you should go that route, but if you want to be a military pilot (and still have fun in college) then do something you know is going to be worth something if flying doesn't work out.

tfb1

[Guest Broncopilot943]

About Western Michigan University...its a top-rate aviation program...not as big as ERAU or UND, but much bigger than a lot of the other ones, and at a reasonable cost when compared to the big schools. Go to Western and get on the flight team...you'd be surprised how good it looks on a resume, and how much some of these guard unit interview boards like to talk about it. Of course, i'm biased and really, if you're looking at the military, any aviation program will do just fine! Good luck!!

[Guest 135Driver]

I don't know what your current status is militarily, but I know many guard units pay 100% in state school tuition. Plus you get a pay check, and as far as summer work goes they pretty much have you covered. If you are worried about getting deployed there are many units that just don't deploy. Most of the units getting called up for the long deployments are the units with short legs (130s, and the fighter units) There is no obligation to stay in the guard after you graduate, and the best part is that a lot of guard units prefer to hire within the unit if you decide to go that route.

[ 01. September 2006, 06:26: Message edited by: Toro ]

[Guest HueyPilot]

I'd echo an earlier post that you might want to consider getting a non-aviation degree.

I also wanted an aviation degree, but my father (Army AH-1 pilot) said no, and explained that if I ever lost my medical, I could get other work outside the aviation industry if I needed to. So I got a degree in geology. Aviation degrees are a dime-a-dozen...I know I'm speaking blasphemy here, but it's true. Aside from working in aviation, what else could you do with a degree like that?

There's nothing wrong with getting a non-aviation degree and taking aviation courses at a university and getting your ratings that way. I knew a couple people who did that at my school (LA Tech).

Anyways, just something to think about. For those of you who went to SLU, anyone know a CFI there who was a short Filipino named Paul? I grew up with that guy.

[ 11. January 2005, 19:18: Message edited by: HueyPilot ]

[Guest Piperpilot2004]

hey thanks everyone for helping out!! I know of a lot of these colleges, but didnt know they offered aviation programs. one last question, I read a year ago in one of Embry-Riddles catalogs that you can join a "Naval Aviation Club" and if you hold a solid 3.2 GPA you will be selected for flight training, and if not, there is no obligation..Is there any truth to that? I think not. I have never heard of a program that just gives out slots like that, no matter what branch..but I guess who knows, maybe I am missing something? But again, for everyone that replied thanks for responding!

[Carpetbagger]

To answer a few of your questions Beerman (AirGuardian, correct me if I'm wrong, I'll defer to your experience):

1. Guard in-state tuition = 100% on a first come first serve basis (up to a limit and only until the money runs out) varies between some states

2. AFRC, AD, and Guard have Tuition Assistance, or TA, can be used for any college or vocational credit up to and including graduate work (at 100% or 75% payout depending on the type of program

3. GI Bill = different pot of money, AD pays into the GI Bill and gets more total money, AFRC and ANG get 36 months worth at a set amount (can't remember the exact amount but it is near $10,000). Can be used for any vocational or college program designed to prepare you for any job (yes, this covers aviation ratings beyond an initial private pilot license)

Basically, an individual can use all three types of education money to achieve different goals. The only one you have to pay money for is the Active Duty GI Bill, the others pay 100, 75, or 60% depending on the type of program.

Other big question = yes, there are some rare individuals that will go to UPT with one squadron and then jump ship for another one. All UPT graduates owe 10 years of service to a USAF component, not a particular squadron. It is not difficult to transfer units within ANG or AFRC and not too difficult to transfer from ANG TO AFRC or vice-versa. However, a unit will evaluate you for hire based on what you can do for THAT UNIT. They realize that your job or family situation may transfer you to another area, happens all the time, but don't make a habbit of switching units. That stigma WILL follow a person (The Reserve components are a relatively tight knit community, and everybody knows somebody everywhere.) By the way, I second the advice to get a non-aviation degree in something you enjoy. Most of the folks I know coming off of active duty who are, or at least were, getting aviation related jobs, got those jobs because of degrees and experience in safety, operations, and business management, not because of a B.S. in Aeronautical Science. Good luck in your quest Piper.

[Guest Sundowner]

The Naval Aviation Club is probably related to the Navy's Bachelor Degree Completion Program (BDCP). I don't know the details but I believe it is similar to ROTC but with no obligation after graduation. As for "garanteed pilot slots", I think you are garanteed the "chance" for a slot. I was applying to OCS when I heard about it so I don't know the specifics. Airwarriors.com is the place to look for answers on that.

Also HueyPilot had a good post, a person with a pro-pilot degree and no medical is pretty screwed. I think thats why you see a lot of these folks coming out of school with minors in things like airport management and ATC. At least they have something to fall back on if things don't work out. I've also heard of folks who are flying part time when there is work and working regular jobs part time, so it all kind of depends how things fall into place.

[Guest pilotwannab]

I just got into CMSU a little while ago, but I'm holding out for SLU. I live in St. Louis and everyone I've talked to that goes to SLU says it is a great program. They have a great fleet and an awesome campus. Plus the girls there are pretty damn cute.

[shiznitobam_allstars]

UMR is awesome as long as you're into a big sausage-fest. MU has sports, a healthy social scene, and the academics aren't half bad. That's what kind of well-rounded experience you get with a large university. Go become well-rounded, it will open many more doors than a specialized degree from an obscure aviation or engineering school. Just some food for thought....