Expert: David A. NewMyer - 3/4/2009

Question
"I'm a 16 year old Junior in high school. I have been so confused on just trying
to figure out the path I need to take in order to get a private, then a
commercial license. I have great grades and have been considering the infamous
Embry Riddle, but I really don't have the money for it. I heard local airports
might offer commercial licenses, but I wouldn't know. I would much more
preferrably graduate highschool and get a commercial without any other extra
mumbo jumbo you get with universities. How many local airports, if any, actually
offer commercial training. And what is the adverage cost for the training. As
you can tell, I obviously do not know much in the subject so anything you can
tell me would be useful.

--David"  

Answer
Hi, David:

Thanks for your questions, I will try to assist.  You are right, there are numerous paths to an FAA Private Pilot Certificate.  As far as going through a local airport to earn your Private, you should be able to find such a location if you are in or near a major metropolitan area.  In more rural areas, it has been increasingly difficult to locate a local aviation company that will offer such training due to the costs associated with providing such training (insurance, etc).  A source for finding a local flight training provider would be to this website:  www.beapilot.com  This is a searchable website that allows you to plug in your state and city and find out the nearest flight school.  The cost for a private at a local flight school will vary widely depending on the part of the nation that you are in.....anywhere from $6500 to $9000.  University flight schools are at the very high end of that price range.

As far as considering a university or college flight training program, you can do that, too, depending on your career goals.  What many students to first is get their Private locally and then some coursework at a local community college and then transfer to a four year school.  That saves some money for sure.  The advantages of a four year aviation degree program (aside from the "mumbo jumbo" that you mention) would be connections to aviation employers through internships and through career fairs that they offer on campus, along with standardized aviation curricula that the aviation industry has had input in designing.  If, someday, you wish to investigate university aviation programs, the University Aviation Association has a publication entitled THE COLLEGIATE AVIATION GUIDE that lists college aviation programs.  Contact them at www.uaa.aero to order it.

Best of luck to you,

David A. NewMyer, Ph.D., Professor and Chair
Aviation Management and Flight
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
http://www.aviation.siu.edu