I am going to get my private license and then use my GI Bill to get my commercial license. I am looking to become a pilot and fly small corporate planes. I have spent 20 years in the Army and am looking for the best approach to start my next career.
Thanks
Ray,
I recommend you take a look at our FAQ section as it outlines the process and answers many common questions. Keep in mind after you earn your Commercial you’ll still need to build time, even to get hired by many small corporate jobs. Instructing is the most common way (and sometimes the only way) low time pilots can build time so you should consider getting your instructor ratings as well.
Adam
Ray,
Great. Let us know how we can help you.
Chris
Ray, I’m military retirement eligible too. Getting your PPL first is something that is brought up a lot on here (type PPL in the search box and four of five topics will show up). The common talking point is that it will almost always take longer than if you did it in conjunction with ATP’s pipeline program, and if you go with a shaky or small-potatoes flight school that drag it out and bleed you, it can cost a lot more. That said, I’m doing it because it happens to fit my personal situation. I don’t want to exit my military job yet and using the remaining year in the military to fly my way to my PPL is a way to keep my appetite whetted and not sit idle. Having read this website has helped me be aware of locking-on and just getting it done and not spending too much time and money.
As to the college thing, if you are retiring you likely already have an associates, bachelors, or even your masters, correct? It may seem crazy, but you might want to seriously do the long-term math. Using the GI Bill seems smart because it’s benefit money (not cash out of pocket), but the college route to the cockpit is much, much longer; and time in an aviation career, is money. In a situation where you don’t need another degree anyway (which might be your case) why spend more time in college if you just want to start flying commercially? ATP gets you into the cockpit with all your required hours in two years and you actually earn a little money as a flight instructor while building your hours…and college takes you four years plus possibly some extra time to build more hours. Let’s estimate that the college route drags the process out by three extra years. If you had those three more earning years at the tail end of your career (the most lucrative) that could be worth $400,000 in salary.
Anyway, I’m a long-term planning geek and though leaving GI Bill money on the table seems counter-intuitive - it might be financially the smart thing to do. I used the Montgomery GI Bill back in the 90’s so I only get one year of Post-9/11 GI Bill…but I’m going to leave it on the table for now and maybe pick up other aviation certificates with that in the future or something. Embry-Riddle or some of those other college flight programs are very rigid, lengthy, and expensive.
My $0.02. Good luck on your journey!
Thanks!!!