Expert: D. Norkus - 6/1/2009

Question
Hello sir, I am jinal mehta and on student visa in us.i want to get addmission in pilot training schools in north part of america.And Mainly in new york new jersey.Sir can u please help me to guide me about schools and what the fees stucture and I am female so Can I get scholarship.And I completed my bachlours in Science from India.and after completion of my course can I able get jobs here in usa?
I an waiting for ur reply.thank you.

Answer
Jinal-

1) please help me to guide me about schools and what the fees stucture

The fee structure varies based on the school. You would have to inquire with them directly for housing & training costs.

As a Indian, you would be restricted to only schools approved by the government to foreign nationals. After the Sept 11th attacks on the USA, flight training has been restricted to those who are not citizens because the terrorists took flying lessons here. This program is called the Alien Flight Student Program/AFSP. You must apply, pass a background check and be accepted into the AFSP. The mission of the program is to ensure that foreign students seeking training at flight schools regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration/FAA do not pose a threat to aviation or national security. You must also prove your ability to fund your training, so you won't be accepted of you are hoping to find a scholarship that will pay for your training. Get AFSP information here-

https://www.flightschoolcandidates.gov
http://flighttraining.aopa.org/ft_magazine/special/training.cfm


2) I am female so can I get scholarship
Flight scholarships are usually awarded by groups, institutions, universities or organizations that have specific criteria, often geographically limiting, to benefit a person for their selected demographic. They are often small one time awards that are $1,000-$3,000 USD. Not much considering flight school can cost upwards of $60,000-$80,000. As an Indian, the only places I can suggest you look for even a small scholarship would be The Ninety-Nines (you must have achieved a certain amount of flight certification already as well as being a member) - http://www.ninety-nines.org or Women In Aviation International- http://www.wai.org


3) after completion of my course can I able get jobs here in usa?

Not likely. You need an Employment Authorization Document/EAD to be able to work in any capacity in the United States.

Even if you managed to obtain one, few airlines are hiring and many are currently cutting their pilot ranks by furloughing. Also, a pilot fresh out of flight school is not qualified to apply to airlines unless they did a special flight school bridge or academy program with an affiliated regional airline. Unlike India and other countries, U.S. airlines flying Boeing or Airbus jets want many thousands of hours of flight experience of their First Officer applicants to even be considered. Currently these programs cannot place pilots as almost all regional airlines are not hiring.

This is probably not what you want to hear, but unfortunately it is the reality of aviation in the USA.

Miss. D. Norkus