4 Year University paired with Pilot Training to the Airlines
The best approach to becoming an airline pilot within four to five years of graduating from high school is to enroll in a four-year university with a professional pilot training department. This is because completing the same pilot ground school as you would typically, earning your pilot licenses and ratings, earns you college credit.
These reputable universities, such as Purdue University or Oklahoma State University, provide a professional pilot degree program that enables you to work as a pilot for an airline. Additionally, most of these universities have agreements with airlines that will grant you straight admission once you graduate.
You effectively receive a degree as a Professional flight upon completion of the program, which combines flight training with academic instruction in aircraft operations and pilot expertise. Government agencies and businesses in aviation-related fields will find you skilled and desirable even if you choose not to pursue a career as a pilot. Thus, you benefit from both worlds.
These programs' true beauty lies in their simplicity. It's enjoyable. These programs are not pilot projects that aim to push you through the training process as quickly as possible. You receive instruction from actual professionals, or at the very least, from other students who have been in the industry for a while and are similarly training for the airlines.
You have more time to appreciate the experience and fully incorporate the aeronautical knowledge into your piloting skills when you're not compressing the training procedure into one or two years. To put it another way, unlike many professional pilot programs outside of universities that guarantee you will become an airline pilot in two years, you have time to absorb the deluge of information that improves your flying skills without having to cram four years of flight training into two years.
The four-year university is also a far better value financially. First off, the university can better assist you in funding a comprehensive education that includes both academic coursework and pilot instruction because it is a Part 141 flight instructing school. You will get hired as an airline pilot and be able to pay back your student loan four years after graduation, at which point you will no longer be responsible for loan repayment.
By the conclusion of your sophomore year or the start of your junior year, you will probably be working as a flight instructor, earning $30 per hour or more while accruing the required flight time to be eligible for an airline job.
Because the airlines know the students will receive top-notch instruction utilizing cutting-edge simulations to get them ready to fly complex aircraft jets, airlines appreciate collaborating with reputable colleges. Because they get to spend four years in college and get ready for a career they love, with jobs waiting for them right after graduation, students are often considerably more satisfied and fulfilled.
So, for recent high school graduates or young people who are pursuing a 4-year degree, this is the perfect option. It’s a little more complicated for people in their late 20’s or 30’s who probably already have a good job and may already have a college degree. Our 3 or 4 year independent roadmap is a much better fit.
You'll see that this roadmap closely resembles the airline's 4- to 5-year Independent Roadmap. Because the training procedure is not hurried and you have time to grow as a pilot, this is the method that the airlines actually prefer.
The timeframe for these programs is summarized as follows:
YEAR 1
Private Pilot Ground and Flight Training and License
Instrument Rating Ground and Flight Training and Rating
Additional Aircraft Operations, Weather, Aircraft Industry curriculum
YEAR 2
Build flight hours for Commercial Pilot Rating
Commercial Pilot Rating
Multi Engine Rating
Flight Instructor Rating
YEAR 3
Flight Instructing to Build hours to qualify for Airline Pilot Position
Instrument Flight Instructor
Multi Engine Flight Instructor
Various academics instruction focusing on airline operations or the aircraft industry
YEAR 4
Continued Flight Instructing to Build hours for the airlines
Airline Transport Pilot Training – Advance simulators modeling the aircraft you’ll be flying in the airlines
Crew Concept Indoctrination
Airline Transport Pilot Rating (ATP)
Airline Pilot Interviews
Various academics to complete degree
The PROs and CONS of this Program:
PROs
- Direct Entry into Airlines after graduation
- Universities partnership with airlines
- Advance simulator training to prepare you for airline advance flight deck
- Federal loans and grant assistant
- Financial process is handled by university
- Loan pay back is 4 years after graduation when you most likely are working as a pilot
- Much lower dropout rate
- Student and career contentment
- Structure process to the airlines – No guess work
- Better accommodates of students who learn at a slower rate
- More individualized flight instruction
- Better environment and mentoring for minorities and women pilot
- Idea for recent high school grads
- Some schools use a combination of online and in-person classes
- Experience college life while embarking on your dream job
CONs
- Total flight training cost is higher
- Not suited for students who already have a bachelor’s degree
- Out of state tuition is higher
- Online training may be limited
- Not suited for students who only need flight training
Universities with Professional Pilot Programs
See the Lesson "Universities with Professional Pilot Programs" to access these school's websites and find out more information on program and admittance.
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