Hello,
I am currently 23 years old and I am enlisted in the Navy, I am also currently a student at Embry-Riddle taking online classes pursuing a bachelors in aeronautical science. I am wanting to someday become an airline pilot but have no idea where or how to start. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Does the Navy pay for flight training?
Is it possible to get my pilot’s license while still working full time?
Cole,
This forum is primarily for civilian pilots seeking a career in aviation.
Being that you’re in the Navy I need to believe there are people also in the Navy who are best equipped to answer your Naval related questions.
For other information I suggest you visit our FAQ section.
Adam
Well, l you’re off to a good start considering that you need a degree whether you pursue the civilian route or you commission as an officer, hopefully get a pilot slot, do your 8 years after winging and transition to the airlines. I am also doing my degree through Embry-Riddle Worldwide and it is really efficient online program IMHO.
Here’s a website that you can checkout with recent information concerning this question. I would take time and explore the website further to see if it is useful information for you, I only briefly skimmed through it.
It is definitely possible (assuming you’re not going to do your flight training through ATP). I know plenty of people who have done it, a CFI friend of mine worked 2 jobs and did 18 credits a semester while going through flight training. Definitely not ideal and would recommend it because of possible consistency and schedule flexibility issues. Hopefully these answers are sufficient. The mentors will provide more concrete answers.
I have completed my flight training from zero to CFI while on active duty. I’m currently working on my CFII and plan to start ME/MEI in the spring.
The biggest piece to this is having a work environment that can accommodate your training. I can switch between shifts on monthly rotations to be able to work in flying when I need it. My supervisors have supported my pursuit so I have a lot of flexibility when it comes to flight training.
Luckily, I haven’t had to deploy while I’ve been working on my training. I couldn’t imagine being a few hours of training away from taking a checkride and then having to deploy for any length of time since your skills diminish quickly.
See if you have a Liberty FTA near you so that you can utilize your GI Bill and take advantage of tuition assistance at the same time. I haven’t had to pay anything out of pocket except PPL, which cost me around $10k. The semesters are 16 weeks which give you plenty of time to get your training done. You can also do 8 week semesters but that’s a pretty grueling training pace if you’re active duty while doing flight training. I’ve seen people do it but they looked absolutely miserable and stressed to the max.