Hi all, my name is Jack. I am 27 years old and currently at the end of my second year of medical school. The reason I am writing is because I am in desperate need of advice. For as long as I can remember I have had this urge deep down inside me to pursue a career in commercial aviation, but I suppressed it to take up a career in medicine because I felt it would make my parents happy and eventually make me happy. Although I am good at medicine, I have lost the ability to suppress this burning desire deep inside me. I have decided to follow my dream even though I know my family will not agree with my choice, but I currently have 300k worth of debt. My question is how hard will it be for me to finance this goal of becoming a commercial pilot, and does anyone have any suggestions on who to borrow from?
Jack,
I will be honest, $300k in student debt is a lot of debt. I am not sure how that will affect your ability to get more student loans, but I do know that certainly will not make things easier. I would recommend calling the admissions department and speaking to them as they are the experts in all such things.
ATP generally works with Sallie Mae for financing. https://atpflightschool.com/financing/
Chris
I’m also having a really hard time finding anywhere who would approve a loan for flight training. I’ve tried Sallie Mae, Wells Fargo, and so many other banking and lending companies. I don’t have very much debt…about 6000 left on my other student loan and my credit is in the 700s. I’ve even tried AOPA thinking for sure they would finance the training but even with a cosigner I’m still getting declined. Is there any advise as to where there would be a place that would finance flight training?
If you’re even getting declined with a cosigner something is wrong somewhere (bad credit, debt to income etc.). Try and find out the issue and then you can address it.
Adam
That’s the thing my credit is great I checked, and I’m currently employed as a flight attendant. I know I don’t make as much as pilot but it’s a decent paying job plus I don’t have much debt
AOPA is not a bank, they are an association for airplane enthusiasts.
You will probably need a co-signer, that is standard for many applicants. Remember, these are unsecured loans, so they are hard to get.
Thank you for the advice Chris, I will contact the admissions department to get some more information.
Yes but AOPA offers financing for flight training if you become a member. And I have added a cosigner and even joint cosigner through Wells Fargo and still no luck.
Just to clarify, AOPA actually does not offer the financing themselves. They have simply partnered with a bank that provides the financing.