Hi, my name is Jed, I am 21 and I am from Mississippi. I have been researching flight schools for a while now and I believe I am ready to take my first step towards the direction of becoming a pilot. I have took a break from college to pursue my dream. My major was meteorology so I have an amazing understanding for weather and the atmosphere. Thankfully, I am not in too much debt so I believe I would get accepted for a loan from Sallie Mae. My plan is to finish flight school and then finish up the few credits I have left through an online college while being an instructor. I’m not looking at starting school for at least another 6 months so that I can work and save up money to cover things like gas and food while in school.
I am looking into a few different ATP schools but the closest schools to me would be an hour and 15 minute drive without traffic. So, my question is, would ATP school be right for me or should I possibly look into a smaller school? If it would be, should I consider commuting or going with the student housing option and choosing a school at a location I would really enjoy?
Welcome to the forum, you pose a couple of different questions, so let’s get to them.
I think an hour and fifteen minute drive is too long for an accelerated, or any other, flight training program. You need to be able to arrive at the training center very early, stay late, and be well rested. You also need to have flexibility to fly on short notice as the weather can and does change very rapidly. We recommend being within thirty minutes of the training center.
I would recommend against smaller flight schools. I got my private license through a smaller flight school and it did not go well. Yes, I eventually got the license, but it took way too long, cost much more than I was quoted and was not very well organized. Smaller schools are usually pretty decent at helping the recreational type pilot get their licenses, they tend to not do well at producing professional pilots. If your goal is to fly for a living, I recommend a large school with a proven track record of producing airline pilots.
Given all of this, I would recommend you look into the housing options that ATP offers.
Meteorology would be a nice major to have under your belt in aviation. There is a lot of weather factors that play into flying and could be beneficial in making decisions when you get to the airline, after all, it’s up to the PIC and dispatch to launch.
While we sound in familiar cases, I had roughly $30,000 in school debt prior to attending ATP, getting approved for my $80,000+ loan to attend ATP. It is doable, you will more likely need a co-signor, so just be prepared. It never hurts to try on your own, see what the underwriters come back with, then adjust your gameplan from there. While at ATP, you could theoretically take an extra couple hundred dollars a month on the loan for living expenses such as food, gas, clothes (etc.). There will be sacrifices, you won’t be buying the new EA Sports College Football 25 video games, or going to Olive Garden every night for dinner.
I don’t think the hour and 15 minutes is feasible, you’re talking nearly 2.5-3 hours round trip and there is a LOT of studying that needs to be done, plus if you get a phone call saying you got a flight, it could cause disruptions in scheduling. The only reason I would suggest looking at a smaller-scale flight school would be if you’re unsure flying is for you. Obtaining the PPL can make it or break it for the desire to becoming a career pilot. Sometimes you just feel it’s not the career path for you and you ultimately want to have the luxury of renting or owning your own airplane.
^On that note, what makes you want to become a career pilot? Do you have any flight experience in a smaller trainer aircraft?
I have taken a few discovery flights in a Cessna and enjoyed every second of it. For me, being surrounded by something I have studied for most of my life is probably the main reason I want to make my career in aviation. I also believe in helping people in my own way and this is another way I will be able to do that, and being able to do it while making a career out of it makes it ten times better in my book.
I am aware that I am going to have to work very hard to obtain this dream of mine. I also understand and am willing and ready to make the financial sacrifices needed to go to flight school. I believe over the past few days I have come to the conclusion that ATP is where I want to go moving forward.
Thank you for answering my questions Brady and Chris. If y’all have any more questions for me I will be glad to answer. Most of the forums have answered most of the questions I have had thankfully!
If this is what you want to do, what’s stopping you? Go change your dream into reality (below is the link for enrollment steps into ATP if you haven’t started the process yet):
Hello Jed, Welcome to the forum, I am delighted to hear that you are from Mississippi too. As of now we are kind of in the same page. I have been looking for school as well however, I am leaning more on attending ATP but I have 2 choices, the other one is Flight Safety International.
I was supposed to have a discovery flight today at Madison Flyers but it was canceled due to the weather condition and the availability of the instructor.
To the Pilot Mentors here that answers all the questions and gives advice, thank you all so much for your help. Aviation industry is very welcoming. I am loving it.
We’re happy to help wherever we can and to one day make a wonderful change in someone’s life, it’s a great feeling. Thanks for the positive feedback for all of us.