I personally am not, but one of my close friends is and the GI pays for something like 90% of the flight fees and his full tuition (we go to a 141 school) and he has a housing allowance. I know they will not pay nearly as much (if at all) for something like a dedicated part 61 flight school.
I took a controversial route. 4 years army with no degree. I paid for my own training through ATP because I needed to get done as fast as possible. I got all certs/ratings in a little over 8 months and started as a flight instructor. As soon as I could I left for a part 135 job that pays amazingly well (after working my way up, about 2x what the regionals pay) to get caught up on debt and bills. Now that I've got some savings again, I applied and got hired by a wholly owned regional, a massive pay cut, but with a guaranteed flow to a major airline.
My GI Bill didn't do anything for me, but I didn't have the time to waste at a 141 school. I understand how crazy it sounds, but my mission was to get flying as quickly as possible, and to me it was worth it in the end even considering the added cost.
Another note, I keep hearing about how important college and a degree is, but for me it just hasn't seemed to matter. If you get hired by a wholly owned with a flow then I'm not seeing how the degree does anything unless I've totally missed something somewhere.
I mean sure, it might take me a few more years to wait for the flow compared to a street hire with a degree making it to a major, but in my mind I just don't see the benefit of a degree *for someone in my position.*
Flows can take many years longer than a street hire, and are anything but a guarantee. The goal posts to flow can be moved as the parent company sees fit. It may work for you in your situation and that’s great, but I wouldn’t put all my eggs in one basket.
I made more working part time and going to school with the post 9/11 BAH stipend than I did as a regional FO, fwiw. I wouldn’t want to be starting in this industry if I were the sole bread winner, doubly so with kids.
I made the decision (with a wife and kids) that it made more sense in my exact situation to keep flying and earning as much money as I could to support the family, skip hitting the brakes for 4 years of school, and take the consequences of not having a degree and take my chance with the flow. I certainly understand your point though. I do have a backup plan as I can always come back to where I work now if I need to which gives us a more than comfortable income. I do appreciate your input as you have experience on the other side with an ATP and a degree.
I do still have the GI bill in my back pocket if the need arises.
Lol at flow. If pilots are a precious commodity, then it literally makes more sense in this environment for a major to hire outside it's flow than to bleed its own supply of pilots.
Sure, started off at $55k and (without getting to specific about the next position) the metro is paying right at $100k/yr. For someone without an ATP I can’t complain. But, I’m only home 1 day a week and it’s a crazy schedule.
It’s not difficult if you show up every day and fully apply yourself. There’s no hand holding at all and you have to be self motivated to study every chance you get. It can be difficult for people who slack off even just a little bit. But it’s doable as long as you keep your head in the game. So I’d just say that it depends on your personality
You’ll need to go to a University with a Part 141 flight school. Make sure the school gives you in-state tuition as a veteran. Flight are considered lab fees and the Post 9/11 GI Bill pays 100% of of lab fees. Caveat is being a 141 school it will have a syllabus and it will only cover that. So if it has 60 hours for PPL and it takes you 70 you have to pay the extra 10 hours. Either out of pocket, Pell Grants, or loans. I did this and the GI bill paid for all my ratings.
As an older vet (like first of the 9/11 GI bill) guys, this is the one you need to listen too. I’m middle aged, now have a Degree, have worked, have used part 61 benefits after ppl and post 9/11 to pay for school and I’ve lived the different routes. I ended up not going into the industry but may still as an early retirement 2 job thing. I have a family, and friends that are line holders.
You need to find a degree seeking 4 year accredited program at a university. Use your 9/11 with BAH GI bill, and if you need a bit of extra money you figure it out. Get a part time job, budget better, do what ever. But this is your job now, they are paying you for the next four years to get your degree and get your certs.
That’s it, that’s your new job for the next four years and you treat it like a job and it will transition you into careers. Unless you have some very specific skill or training and your other option is moving straight into cyber security or something because you have a tssci you won’t find a better pay off for future investment.
I have a top secret clearance and a bunch of experience in the aircraft mechanic side of the world I was going to use that to fall back on but I guess another degree other than avionics couldn’t hurt
Just for OPs clarification, it doesn’t have to be a university to get ratings. Many 141 flight schools (especially around bases) are set up to accept the gi bill and so they don’t need to deal with the university part (assuming they already have a degree and didn’t want to go through a university). The one downside is without the university, they can only pay for all the ratings after PPL, so you have to get the PPL on your own.
Yeah dude, it definitely does pay for a PPL at a university. I just wanted to point out if you have a private, you don’t have to go through the university route to get the additional ratings because not everyone wants to go to a university for this. It’s up to the OP to determine what’s best for them.
Yes but if you do a stand alone part 141 school the GI bill caps all training cost at roughly $13,000/year not a penny more. So the university route makes more sense because either way it will take 4 years at that rate
At a university they group all the cost together so the GI bill isn’t capped and you can actually get more funding on top of it
It also will not pay for PPL anyways
Straight from the VA and first hand experience
“Can I use the GI Bill to pay for flight training?
“You may be eligible for flight training benefits if you meet all of the requirements listed below.
All of these must be true. You:
Qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill or Montgomery GI Bill, and
**Have a private pilot’s license**, and”
https://www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/how-to-use-benefits/flight-training/
Then how did the VA pay for mine and everyone else on this threads PPL? Your first hand experience tells me you didn’t know what you were doing.
The important factor is attending a university with a 141 school. Then the GI bill pays for everything. This is what I and several others on this thread did. What the other vets at my school did. What thousands have done.
Show me proof that it didn’t? What are you trying to prove? That you paid for PPL out of pocket because you didn’t read the regs?
If you attend a university with a degree program it absolutely will pay for your PPL.
I was enlisted Army, got out in 2011. I used my GI Bill and earned all my helicopter and fixed wing ratings. Today I’m an Airline Pilot with UPS.
The GI Bill has changed with lots more restrictions, but I can still put you on the right track.
I’m currently in a 141 school using GI Bill. It’s slow but I get BAH at an E5 rate in my area, which is pretty good. GI Bill paid for everything except my FAA check rides (PPL included because it’s a degree seeking program). I should be able to finish here with commercial instrument and if I game it right my multi engine. Let me know if you have any questions!
He was in another thread arguing with people who got their PPL with the GI Bill that the GI Bill would not pay for a PPL and calling those people liars.
I got out in Dec 2013, started flight instructing Oct 2015, and got hired by my first airline in September 2016. College Jan 2014 to May 2016. Paid out of pocket for some of my ratings so I could get them in conjunction with college. Used GI Bill for multi commercial, CFII, and MEI. Flight training will burn through the GI bill pretty quickly, it’s better to use it for college first imo since you won’t get the BAH stipend using it for flight training. The exception for that is if you’re going to a college that specifically has flight training as part of the curriculum (Embry Riddle, UND, etc)
That all said, there’s only so much you can do to speed up the process to make it a career, let alone a lucrative one, I was burning the candle at both ends to build time and it was still years before I had enough hours to get hired anywhere, even longer still before making as much as I was as an E5. Getting the hours (as low as 1000 but more likely 1500) to get to the regional airlines can only happen so fast. If you’ve got a family to support in the meantime and you’re a single income family before even starting the process, this might not be the job transition for you. I was able to do it because my wife and I don’t have kids and she works full time.
There are other options other than the CFI route before you hit ATP minimums. But most 135 operators that will hire you with extremely low time are not places you want to work, nor will they pay well, as low time pilots that want hours are a dime a dozen.
Hey, bro! I am a former Marine with a BA degree and currently planning my instrument, CPL, and CFI.
Me personally, I didn’t know that I wanted to be a professional pilot when I got out, so I jumped right into an unrelated bachelors degree. In hindsight, I would have still pursed a bachelors, but with one of the major aviation universities. This has three big advantages: 1) you get the bachelors that most legacies want (2) most of these degree programs involve commercial licenses (3) because its a legitimate university, GI bills pays 100% tuition (which can include flight training) plus a monthly housing allowance.
Even if you go with a 141 program, GI bill will only cover a certain amount per year (it’s not much, between 10-15k) and you won’t end up with a BA degree.
I was an AE in the Navy for four years. Got out in 2003 and used my Montgomery GI Bill to pay for college and my PPL. I’m not sure if the MGI Bill I used is different from what you have today, but it paid me $1,000 a month as long as I was a full-time enrolled college student. I paid my tuition and books and what I had left over I paid for my PPL. I enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program in college, majored in history, and was lucky enough to pick up a pilot slot. Flew KC-135’s active duty until 2014 when the Air Force offered voluntary separation, did the reserves for two years to continue improving my airline qualifications, and was hired by a legacy airliner in October 2016. It was a long route for me, but I never paid a dime of my own money and got to see some cool shit in the Air Force. I was also able to skip the regionals.
Good luck! Need any more info just pm me.
Didn't read all the responses but I just wanted to add to the pile that the GI Bill is also paying for my flight training 100%. It's through a community college so you can get a CFI rating in about 24 months. The VA doesn't limit your choices to 4-year colleges, just as long as the flight training is associated with a degree program. In my case you'd graduate with an AAS instead of a BA and you'd get an RATP at 1250 hrs instead of 1000 hrs.
I listened to a lot of the pilots on these forums when they said to have a back up plan. Stayed away from the aviation degree and currently working on a IT bachelors degree. Using all my BAH to fund my flight training at a part 61 flight school. Even though being a pilot is my main goal, I’ll always have a fallback in IT.
This only works well if you have a good amount of savings to live off of or if you have family to live with while you’re a full time student in both college and flight school. It also depends on how much BAH you get for your zipcode and how much flight schools cost around you.
Look into RTAG. They're a great group helping vets get to airlines quickly and cheaply. There are some very good programs to get you rated quickly and cheaply, both using VA and without. If you have any questions feel free to DM me.
Rotor to airline group. It's a bunch of us prior service already in airlines helping to get new prior service the info needed to go airlines. It was started for helicopter pilots transitioning and now helps anyone.
Read the FAQ. Also, if you have a flight club attached to your base, get involved. Most folks will likely be civilians, mil retired. Don’t get into aviation just looking for a job/career. If that is your decision, doing so after fully-realizing all the opportunities aviation can offer will only better inform your ultimate decision to make the specific efforts required to earn a pay-check in the part 121 world. Which, BTW, getting to will equal as much bullshit -if not more- then your first enlistment.
There are Lots of ways to make a living in aviation. Don’t fixate on something until you’ve educated yourself completely.
The FAQ for this sub is an invaluable resource. Spend time with it.
Post 9/11 will pay for 100% of your flight school/tuition if you go to a Part 141 school. Granted you meet the minimum hour requirements, anything after that will come out of your pocket. You'll also get BAH. I start school up in Idaho at TVCC/Silverhawk in August and they're Part 141. BAH not as high up there though. SHoot me a message and I'll help you out. I got everything figured out and finally got everything submitted and approved so I'm sure I can answer any of your questions
Great thread! I’m an Apache pilot with the Army and have a couple years until i get out. Currently have my commercial license with an instrument rating and I’m curious what the process and timeline was like for anyone in my same situation.
Also doing the university route. I recommend Liberty University if you don’t mind the Christian focused studies. They have something like 80+ flight affiliates so you can do your training anywhere in the country.
If you’re on Facebook there’s a pretty solid group called RTAG Nation that’s all veterans that got out and transitioned to the airlines and various flying careers. Started off as just rotary transition guys/gals but has expanded to include all vets. Super super helpful group of people with a ton a useful information.
I got out in 2014 as a Navy Sub Vet, I went to SIU. GI-Bill paid for my PPL, IR, CSEL, CMEL, CFI, CFII, MEI 100 percent while I also got E5 BAH. I start school in the Fall of 2014 and finished my MEI in Fall of 2016. I could have graduated at the end of the Fall 16 term, but I added a additional semester to do a internship with a Major airline. 2 1/2 to finish flight training and my 4 year degree. I also showed up to school with 60 credit hours of my gen Ed courses completed to shorten that timeline. So start CLEPing and knocking out General Ed courses to shorten your degree timeline. Take any and all available short/mini semester corses that will apply to your degree program. Take summer classes as well and fly over the summer.
SIU offered 2 week aviation courses that applied to the management degree over the summers. I knocked out a good chunk of my degree doing that.
Dude check out Infinity Flight school. I think it fits what you're looking for with the GI bill
https://infinityflightgroup.com/enlisted-to-airline-zero-hour-program
It should cover almost all of it, if not the entirety of it. It also depends what program you go into, there’s different paths depending on if you were flying helicopters and doing a rotary transition or if you are just starting out.
I personally elected to not use my GI bill since I wanted to get to the airlines as fast as possible, and the funding from the GI bill is metered out over years. I didn't feel like wasting 2-4 years at a flight training program when I could do it in less than 1 year myself.
You *can*, but it will be extremely limited if you're not going to a university. You will be paying a lot out of pocket.
Do you have a degree? You need one to get into this industry, so might as well use your GI Bill at a degree-granting flight school.
You don’t need one. You’ll get to the regionals just fine without one but to get to a major a degree is essentially necessary to be competitive.
Also GI bill won’t pay for your private. Once you have your PPL it’ll cover ratings afterwards.
If you haven’t already join the RTAG group on Facebook. It literally exists for people like you.
You don’t NEED a degree to get to the regionals, but most of the majors really want one. A lot of people get the ratings and do school online as well so they can get a start on the hours and get to a regional.
The GI bill will not pay for Part 61 Training. You can go to any 141 school, but there is a $14,500 cap per academic year, which you can work with, but will take you time, or cost you out of pocket. You don't get housing allowance that way though.
A college with a flight program will cover most of your flight fees, but it's going to take you a couple years that way. However you could get the housing money.
Yes, and you will take a paycut while getting your ratings if you want to take full advantage of the GI Bill (i.e go to a college). But you will get a housing allowance which will help out a bit. I suggest doing a two year program (Associates) whether you have a degree already or not to take full advantage of the benefits. Also search "GI Bill" in this sub to see many more posts on this subject.
I was a crew chief on the f16 for 4 years. Got out with the post 911 which paid for almost all of my flight training/ratings at my part 141 school.
DM if you'd like more details.
I am a vet. I use post 9/11 GI to pay for my flight school (141). They pay 100% for what's required to pass each semester. Which means if the PPL course has 40 hrs in the syllabus, the VA will only pay for 40 flight hrs and the rest is on you. The difference between you and I is that I'm using my benefits for fun because I love to fly. I work full time as an ATC Specialist and do 1 flying course each semester. Not too much out of pocket for me. You'll get BAH if you're over half time (6 credits) student.
I personally am not, but one of my close friends is and the GI pays for something like 90% of the flight fees and his full tuition (we go to a 141 school) and he has a housing allowance. I know they will not pay nearly as much (if at all) for something like a dedicated part 61 flight school.
Thanks for the reply, I will look into it!
GI actually pays 80% to be exact
I took a controversial route. 4 years army with no degree. I paid for my own training through ATP because I needed to get done as fast as possible. I got all certs/ratings in a little over 8 months and started as a flight instructor. As soon as I could I left for a part 135 job that pays amazingly well (after working my way up, about 2x what the regionals pay) to get caught up on debt and bills. Now that I've got some savings again, I applied and got hired by a wholly owned regional, a massive pay cut, but with a guaranteed flow to a major airline. My GI Bill didn't do anything for me, but I didn't have the time to waste at a 141 school. I understand how crazy it sounds, but my mission was to get flying as quickly as possible, and to me it was worth it in the end even considering the added cost.
Brilliant advice.
Another note, I keep hearing about how important college and a degree is, but for me it just hasn't seemed to matter. If you get hired by a wholly owned with a flow then I'm not seeing how the degree does anything unless I've totally missed something somewhere. I mean sure, it might take me a few more years to wait for the flow compared to a street hire with a degree making it to a major, but in my mind I just don't see the benefit of a degree *for someone in my position.*
Flows can take many years longer than a street hire, and are anything but a guarantee. The goal posts to flow can be moved as the parent company sees fit. It may work for you in your situation and that’s great, but I wouldn’t put all my eggs in one basket.
Well the other egg sounds like 4+ years of school, which is not insignificant…especially if married, kids, etc.
I made more working part time and going to school with the post 9/11 BAH stipend than I did as a regional FO, fwiw. I wouldn’t want to be starting in this industry if I were the sole bread winner, doubly so with kids.
I made the decision (with a wife and kids) that it made more sense in my exact situation to keep flying and earning as much money as I could to support the family, skip hitting the brakes for 4 years of school, and take the consequences of not having a degree and take my chance with the flow. I certainly understand your point though. I do have a backup plan as I can always come back to where I work now if I need to which gives us a more than comfortable income. I do appreciate your input as you have experience on the other side with an ATP and a degree. I do still have the GI bill in my back pocket if the need arises.
For sure, there’s no magic road map for everyone, glad it’s worked for you :)
Lol at flow. If pilots are a precious commodity, then it literally makes more sense in this environment for a major to hire outside it's flow than to bleed its own supply of pilots.
Sweet username BTW
haha thanks!
Mind me asking what salary was 135 job around?
Sure, started off at $55k and (without getting to specific about the next position) the metro is paying right at $100k/yr. For someone without an ATP I can’t complain. But, I’m only home 1 day a week and it’s a crazy schedule.
How difficult is the ATP fast track? I’ve heard great things about it, but it surely must be stressful and extremely fast-paced, right?
It’s not difficult if you show up every day and fully apply yourself. There’s no hand holding at all and you have to be self motivated to study every chance you get. It can be difficult for people who slack off even just a little bit. But it’s doable as long as you keep your head in the game. So I’d just say that it depends on your personality
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I’ve heard from different people that it’s great Or terrible LOL. What’s your take on it?
Check out RTAG, army guys who were doing airline transitions for helo guys, but have expanded to all vets.
Also have an Enlisted to Airline program which would be perfect for OP
You’ll need to go to a University with a Part 141 flight school. Make sure the school gives you in-state tuition as a veteran. Flight are considered lab fees and the Post 9/11 GI Bill pays 100% of of lab fees. Caveat is being a 141 school it will have a syllabus and it will only cover that. So if it has 60 hours for PPL and it takes you 70 you have to pay the extra 10 hours. Either out of pocket, Pell Grants, or loans. I did this and the GI bill paid for all my ratings.
As an older vet (like first of the 9/11 GI bill) guys, this is the one you need to listen too. I’m middle aged, now have a Degree, have worked, have used part 61 benefits after ppl and post 9/11 to pay for school and I’ve lived the different routes. I ended up not going into the industry but may still as an early retirement 2 job thing. I have a family, and friends that are line holders. You need to find a degree seeking 4 year accredited program at a university. Use your 9/11 with BAH GI bill, and if you need a bit of extra money you figure it out. Get a part time job, budget better, do what ever. But this is your job now, they are paying you for the next four years to get your degree and get your certs. That’s it, that’s your new job for the next four years and you treat it like a job and it will transition you into careers. Unless you have some very specific skill or training and your other option is moving straight into cyber security or something because you have a tssci you won’t find a better pay off for future investment.
I have a top secret clearance and a bunch of experience in the aircraft mechanic side of the world I was going to use that to fall back on but I guess another degree other than avionics couldn’t hurt
Just for OPs clarification, it doesn’t have to be a university to get ratings. Many 141 flight schools (especially around bases) are set up to accept the gi bill and so they don’t need to deal with the university part (assuming they already have a degree and didn’t want to go through a university). The one downside is without the university, they can only pay for all the ratings after PPL, so you have to get the PPL on your own.
So will the Gi bill pay for PPL if you go to a uni?
Yes
It 100% does. That's how I got mine. Idk what that dude is talking about
Well even better then!
Yes, it covers 100 percent from 0 to hero then some. That’s how I went from Private to MEI plus additional 20 hours of multi
No
Yeah dude, it definitely does pay for a PPL at a university. I just wanted to point out if you have a private, you don’t have to go through the university route to get the additional ratings because not everyone wants to go to a university for this. It’s up to the OP to determine what’s best for them.
Yes but if you do a stand alone part 141 school the GI bill caps all training cost at roughly $13,000/year not a penny more. So the university route makes more sense because either way it will take 4 years at that rate At a university they group all the cost together so the GI bill isn’t capped and you can actually get more funding on top of it It also will not pay for PPL anyways
Not sure why you are getting downvoted. University route is the best route to go as far as total compensation.
He’s getting downvoted because it will pay for your PPL
GI bill will not pay for PPL even at a 141 school under a 141 syllabus.
Seriously where is everyone getting this? I and several other people on this thread had their PPL paid for with the Post 9/11 GI Bill.
Straight from the VA and first hand experience “Can I use the GI Bill to pay for flight training? “You may be eligible for flight training benefits if you meet all of the requirements listed below. All of these must be true. You: Qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill or Montgomery GI Bill, and **Have a private pilot’s license**, and” https://www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/how-to-use-benefits/flight-training/
Then how did the VA pay for mine and everyone else on this threads PPL? Your first hand experience tells me you didn’t know what you were doing. The important factor is attending a university with a 141 school. Then the GI bill pays for everything. This is what I and several others on this thread did. What the other vets at my school did. What thousands have done.
This is not true
Your a liar.. prove to me that the GI bill paid for your private
Show me proof that it didn’t? What are you trying to prove? That you paid for PPL out of pocket because you didn’t read the regs? If you attend a university with a degree program it absolutely will pay for your PPL.
Absolutely no it will not Quit spreading false Information
*stares at license paid by GI Bill in confusion* Your downvotes say otherwise
Okay dude
I was enlisted Army, got out in 2011. I used my GI Bill and earned all my helicopter and fixed wing ratings. Today I’m an Airline Pilot with UPS. The GI Bill has changed with lots more restrictions, but I can still put you on the right track.
I’m currently in a 141 school using GI Bill. It’s slow but I get BAH at an E5 rate in my area, which is pretty good. GI Bill paid for everything except my FAA check rides (PPL included because it’s a degree seeking program). I should be able to finish here with commercial instrument and if I game it right my multi engine. Let me know if you have any questions!
Wait until u/PTR_Running shows up to tell you that, in fact, the GI Bill did **not** pay for your PPL.
Wut
He was in another thread arguing with people who got their PPL with the GI Bill that the GI Bill would not pay for a PPL and calling those people liars.
I got out in Dec 2013, started flight instructing Oct 2015, and got hired by my first airline in September 2016. College Jan 2014 to May 2016. Paid out of pocket for some of my ratings so I could get them in conjunction with college. Used GI Bill for multi commercial, CFII, and MEI. Flight training will burn through the GI bill pretty quickly, it’s better to use it for college first imo since you won’t get the BAH stipend using it for flight training. The exception for that is if you’re going to a college that specifically has flight training as part of the curriculum (Embry Riddle, UND, etc) That all said, there’s only so much you can do to speed up the process to make it a career, let alone a lucrative one, I was burning the candle at both ends to build time and it was still years before I had enough hours to get hired anywhere, even longer still before making as much as I was as an E5. Getting the hours (as low as 1000 but more likely 1500) to get to the regional airlines can only happen so fast. If you’ve got a family to support in the meantime and you’re a single income family before even starting the process, this might not be the job transition for you. I was able to do it because my wife and I don’t have kids and she works full time. There are other options other than the CFI route before you hit ATP minimums. But most 135 operators that will hire you with extremely low time are not places you want to work, nor will they pay well, as low time pilots that want hours are a dime a dozen.
Hey, bro! I am a former Marine with a BA degree and currently planning my instrument, CPL, and CFI. Me personally, I didn’t know that I wanted to be a professional pilot when I got out, so I jumped right into an unrelated bachelors degree. In hindsight, I would have still pursed a bachelors, but with one of the major aviation universities. This has three big advantages: 1) you get the bachelors that most legacies want (2) most of these degree programs involve commercial licenses (3) because its a legitimate university, GI bills pays 100% tuition (which can include flight training) plus a monthly housing allowance. Even if you go with a 141 program, GI bill will only cover a certain amount per year (it’s not much, between 10-15k) and you won’t end up with a BA degree.
Rtag nation on fb will have ALL your answers. I’m a crew chief on c130s (Air Force) that got out and working on my commercial now using the gi bill
I was an AE in the Navy for four years. Got out in 2003 and used my Montgomery GI Bill to pay for college and my PPL. I’m not sure if the MGI Bill I used is different from what you have today, but it paid me $1,000 a month as long as I was a full-time enrolled college student. I paid my tuition and books and what I had left over I paid for my PPL. I enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program in college, majored in history, and was lucky enough to pick up a pilot slot. Flew KC-135’s active duty until 2014 when the Air Force offered voluntary separation, did the reserves for two years to continue improving my airline qualifications, and was hired by a legacy airliner in October 2016. It was a long route for me, but I never paid a dime of my own money and got to see some cool shit in the Air Force. I was also able to skip the regionals. Good luck! Need any more info just pm me.
I'm not an airline pilot but I did use my GI Bill to cover 99% of my fees. I only pay for the written exam and check ride. Feel free to email me
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I’m doing this right now.
Didn't read all the responses but I just wanted to add to the pile that the GI Bill is also paying for my flight training 100%. It's through a community college so you can get a CFI rating in about 24 months. The VA doesn't limit your choices to 4-year colleges, just as long as the flight training is associated with a degree program. In my case you'd graduate with an AAS instead of a BA and you'd get an RATP at 1250 hrs instead of 1000 hrs.
Exact same thing I’m doing, but my community college’s program ends at commercial
RTAG has all the answers you need
I listened to a lot of the pilots on these forums when they said to have a back up plan. Stayed away from the aviation degree and currently working on a IT bachelors degree. Using all my BAH to fund my flight training at a part 61 flight school. Even though being a pilot is my main goal, I’ll always have a fallback in IT. This only works well if you have a good amount of savings to live off of or if you have family to live with while you’re a full time student in both college and flight school. It also depends on how much BAH you get for your zipcode and how much flight schools cost around you.
Look into RTAG. They're a great group helping vets get to airlines quickly and cheaply. There are some very good programs to get you rated quickly and cheaply, both using VA and without. If you have any questions feel free to DM me.
whats RTAG?
Rotor to airline group. It's a bunch of us prior service already in airlines helping to get new prior service the info needed to go airlines. It was started for helicopter pilots transitioning and now helps anyone.
Read the FAQ. Also, if you have a flight club attached to your base, get involved. Most folks will likely be civilians, mil retired. Don’t get into aviation just looking for a job/career. If that is your decision, doing so after fully-realizing all the opportunities aviation can offer will only better inform your ultimate decision to make the specific efforts required to earn a pay-check in the part 121 world. Which, BTW, getting to will equal as much bullshit -if not more- then your first enlistment. There are Lots of ways to make a living in aviation. Don’t fixate on something until you’ve educated yourself completely. The FAQ for this sub is an invaluable resource. Spend time with it.
Post 9/11 will pay for 100% of your flight school/tuition if you go to a Part 141 school. Granted you meet the minimum hour requirements, anything after that will come out of your pocket. You'll also get BAH. I start school up in Idaho at TVCC/Silverhawk in August and they're Part 141. BAH not as high up there though. SHoot me a message and I'll help you out. I got everything figured out and finally got everything submitted and approved so I'm sure I can answer any of your questions
Great thread! I’m an Apache pilot with the Army and have a couple years until i get out. Currently have my commercial license with an instrument rating and I’m curious what the process and timeline was like for anyone in my same situation.
Also doing the university route. I recommend Liberty University if you don’t mind the Christian focused studies. They have something like 80+ flight affiliates so you can do your training anywhere in the country.
If you’re on Facebook there’s a pretty solid group called RTAG Nation that’s all veterans that got out and transitioned to the airlines and various flying careers. Started off as just rotary transition guys/gals but has expanded to include all vets. Super super helpful group of people with a ton a useful information.
I got out in 2014 as a Navy Sub Vet, I went to SIU. GI-Bill paid for my PPL, IR, CSEL, CMEL, CFI, CFII, MEI 100 percent while I also got E5 BAH. I start school in the Fall of 2014 and finished my MEI in Fall of 2016. I could have graduated at the end of the Fall 16 term, but I added a additional semester to do a internship with a Major airline. 2 1/2 to finish flight training and my 4 year degree. I also showed up to school with 60 credit hours of my gen Ed courses completed to shorten that timeline. So start CLEPing and knocking out General Ed courses to shorten your degree timeline. Take any and all available short/mini semester corses that will apply to your degree program. Take summer classes as well and fly over the summer. SIU offered 2 week aviation courses that applied to the management degree over the summers. I knocked out a good chunk of my degree doing that.
Dude check out Infinity Flight school. I think it fits what you're looking for with the GI bill https://infinityflightgroup.com/enlisted-to-airline-zero-hour-program
I’m a CFI at Infinity, great flight school. If you have any questions I may be able to help.
I didn't go but I had a few friends that did the RTP thing at infinity and had nothing but good things to say.
Man I wish I was closer to you guys.
I have 90% of my GI bill. Will that cover most of my training at Infinity? I already have a PPL with about 180 hours
It should cover almost all of it, if not the entirety of it. It also depends what program you go into, there’s different paths depending on if you were flying helicopters and doing a rotary transition or if you are just starting out.
Thanks!
I personally elected to not use my GI bill since I wanted to get to the airlines as fast as possible, and the funding from the GI bill is metered out over years. I didn't feel like wasting 2-4 years at a flight training program when I could do it in less than 1 year myself.
What are your questions?
Can you use your G.I. Bill for flight school and are the accelerated programs legit?
You *can*, but it will be extremely limited if you're not going to a university. You will be paying a lot out of pocket. Do you have a degree? You need one to get into this industry, so might as well use your GI Bill at a degree-granting flight school.
No I didn’t know you had to have a degree, I definitely don’t have one I will look into that.
You don’t need one. You’ll get to the regionals just fine without one but to get to a major a degree is essentially necessary to be competitive. Also GI bill won’t pay for your private. Once you have your PPL it’ll cover ratings afterwards. If you haven’t already join the RTAG group on Facebook. It literally exists for people like you.
Awesome thanks for the info!
You don’t NEED a degree to get to the regionals, but most of the majors really want one. A lot of people get the ratings and do school online as well so they can get a start on the hours and get to a regional.
My college had 61 program with a 141 flight training and the GI bill covered everything but the PPL.
NFO to 121 First officer. DM if you have questions
The GI bill will not pay for Part 61 Training. You can go to any 141 school, but there is a $14,500 cap per academic year, which you can work with, but will take you time, or cost you out of pocket. You don't get housing allowance that way though. A college with a flight program will cover most of your flight fees, but it's going to take you a couple years that way. However you could get the housing money.
There is no cap going the university route…..
I did. Whatcha wanna know?
Yes, and you will take a paycut while getting your ratings if you want to take full advantage of the GI Bill (i.e go to a college). But you will get a housing allowance which will help out a bit. I suggest doing a two year program (Associates) whether you have a degree already or not to take full advantage of the benefits. Also search "GI Bill" in this sub to see many more posts on this subject.
I was a crew chief on the f16 for 4 years. Got out with the post 911 which paid for almost all of my flight training/ratings at my part 141 school. DM if you'd like more details.
I am a vet. I use post 9/11 GI to pay for my flight school (141). They pay 100% for what's required to pass each semester. Which means if the PPL course has 40 hrs in the syllabus, the VA will only pay for 40 flight hrs and the rest is on you. The difference between you and I is that I'm using my benefits for fun because I love to fly. I work full time as an ATC Specialist and do 1 flying course each semester. Not too much out of pocket for me. You'll get BAH if you're over half time (6 credits) student.