Expert: David A. NewMyer - 2/6/2008

Question
Hi David,

I am 23 years old and live and Chicago.  I currently work in business development for an investment research and technology firm and am considering pursuing a career as a commercial airline pilot.  I graduated in 2006 with a B.S. in Political Science (Minor in Spanish) from the University of Illinois.  

I don't want to join the military so I'm wondering what my best option would be for flight training.  In terms of eventually getting hired at an airline, would it be more beneficial to go back to say U of I in Champaign and get a 2 year PPL degree or would it be better to go to an aviation affiliated academy?

What would be my quickest route to getting my necessary licenses so I could begin accumulating the required hours?  

Do you know of a way I could get this training while remaining in the Chicago area?

Thanks for your help,
Nick

Answer
Hi, Nick:

Nice to hear from you....I will try to assist.

As far as your options are concerned in the Chicago area, there are flight training companies located at Chicago Executive Airport (formerly Palwaukee) and at Dupage Airport.  At Palwaukee, you can check out Palwaukee Flyers, which is located right at the corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Palatine Road. There are a couple of other smaller  At DuPage, you have the choice of American Flyers or Illinois Aviation Academy.   These three companies are all set up to be able to provide your flight training as quickly as you can afford to do it.  This is the main advantage of taking flight training via an academy is the speed with which they can do it....most university flight training programs are constrained by their semester structure and demands on their aircraft.  The unviersity flight training programs are an excellent way to go if you have a goal of getting a degree in aviation.  But, since you already have a college degree, that aspect is secondary to you.

For price and time comparison, you can also check out some of the national academies in Florida, etc by going to the websites of companies like Gulfstream Academy, Flight Safety Academy and Delta Airlines Academy.

I hope that this helps.  Please send another question if you still are wondering about something.

Sincerely,

David A. NewMyer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Aviation Management and Flight
Southern Illinois University Carbondale