My name is Austin and I am currently a Marine in the Marine Corps and was wondering what the best path is ultimately to obtain all the licenses I need and start at a regional airline, preferably Endeavor as I would like to eventually end up flying with Delta Airlines.
I have a wealth of aviation experience, as well as have done 1 flight lesson towards my PPL so far out of pocket with 2 other flights not with an instructor and to be paying out of pocket there has been expensive. I did impress my instructor with my ground knowledge and coordination in flight for it being my first actual lesson, therefore I assume I must be a little further ahead than most, I have no idea.
With me being active duty in the armed forces I do have a very limited schedule consisting of mostly only evenings and weekends, unless we have a 96 (4 days of liberty) due to a holiday. That being said, military pay is not the absolute best and I don’t make a lot of money.
If anyone has any suggestions or advice, that would be greatly appreciated. I am out of Camp Lejuene in Jacksonville, North Carolina which puts me about 2 hours and 30 minutes from the closest ATP Flight School, it being in Raleigh. I also am currently paying off another loan on my car and my military GI bill won’t cover my PPL as you can’t get a job with a PPL. Thank you all and have a wonderful day.
How long until you’ve completed your service? Flight training should not be done part time. You’ll spend more time and money taking two steps forward, one step back due to the lack of consistency. We recommend you wait until you’re free of any commitments so you can dive in full time to an accelerated flight training program.
ATP does not accept the GI Bill for their flight training program, so if you want to go to ATP for training you would have to secure a loan or other form of payment.
Look into RTAG Nation on FB and Aviation Career Mentorship. RTAG Nation is literally thousands of Vets who transitioned into Aviation. Probably the best mentors for your situation.
I think almost all of us would suggest waiting until you have more time to commit to flying. 3-4 flights per week is usually the recommended amount (which also requires hours of studying each week too).
I have 3 years left of my contract and will need a job set up before they let me leave. I was told by some instructors in my area that they offer multiple classes in one day for military members, so I could spend 3 hours in one day rather than just 1. I personally would go this route however you pay per session and it is estimated at $10,000 for the PPL.
The idea of three classes per day sounds great, but that is not really effective learning. There is only so much one can process at one time and three flights would be way past that.
Iw Ould recommend waiting until you are out of the service and then going to an ATP location as that is by far the most efficient path to the airlines.
I have been told by instructors around the base that for service members they do multiple hours per session to help speed up their process to obtaining their license.
The way that at least the Marine Corps works in regards to the end of your contract is you are required to have a job in place ready to go before they will let you discharge out of the military, and working somewhere for at most 1 year then quitting is against my values.
My main concern is funding. Regardless ATP is a 2 and a half hour drive from me and therefore not a realistic option given my little pay. If I had an idea on funding and a good route to Endeavor, I’d continue with my lessons at my local airports.
It sounds to me that the real question is how do we suggest that you use your GI bill, and not what we think the best route is?
If you haven’t noticed, this forum is sponsored by ATP. So, it should be no surprise to you if we say that ATP is the best.
As the others have mentioned ATP does not accept the GI bill for training. It can only be used to cover the cost of written exams and checkride fees.
If you are looking for a way to use your GI bill, you will need to continue searching for those avenues.
To answer your original question, I am with the others. One thing at a time, even if that requires that you hold a job that you know that you will not keep. I think that you are putting too much emphasis on your reasons. Against your values or not, if you are truly searching for the best path, we believe that ATP is the way. They have the stats to prove it.
Flight training is expensive and most people don’t have the means to pay for it. Sure there may be ways to utilize some of your GI bill benefits but it will most likely be attached to a university part 141 program which are extremely costly and require years of training.
ATP has created the most efficient path to the airlines, provided a means to finance that training plus job opportunities and tuition reimbursement with pathways to dozens of airlines. Your GI benefits can go towards examiner fees and you could be well on your way to the airlines within 2 years of starting the program.
You’re entitled to your own values and how you want to go about things but if you’re looking for the most cost effective and timely transition from service to becoming an airline pilot, this is it.