Expert: D. Norkus - 8/31/2006

Question
well I was on a plan the other day and i was talikng to the fight attendant about flying and i told him how much i wanted to ba an airline pilot and go to embory riddle school in Florida. well as soo as  said that he reached in his pocket dand puled out his licens he got from embory riddle. My first thoughts were "why are you a flight attendant with a pilots license from one of the most top notched schools there are". then he told me that he spent $70,000 on his degree but once he got out of school he said it was so hard to find a job because first he didnt have enought flight hours to apply for and job and to get flight hours you have to get a job and it is so competitive ot get a job. He told me instead of going to that school he recommened me to go to this school Called the Airline transport Professionals. he said it was alot cheaper and it was right here in atlanta for me to go to. but when i looked at the plan i would only get like 1000 hours of flight time and that isnt even enought for anything. and he told me i could be able to fly right away with that program. and he also told me about the delta connection accedemy is a good place to go and it has alot of resources to use but comming out of that school I know i can get a job because delta connection acedemy has alliences with many regional arilies that will hire me right from school.


I also want to be the chief pilot of the plane. when I go to those school am i training to be the chief pilot of a plane. and when i go to school and gradate flight school where do i got to learn how to fly a 767 of do you learn when you are being hiered by the airline. and can you please tell me the differences between the delta connection acedemy and the ATP schools. thank you i really appreciate it.  

Answer
Justin

The flight attendant is correct. Even though you pay $70-100K for a degreee from Embry-Riddle, you will not have enough flight hours to get an airline job when you graduate. They are an aviation university. You get your pilot certificates and your degree there, not flight experience. Even though you spend a small fortune to attend, you still need to build up flight hours like everyone else after you graduate (Unless you are a very busy flight instructor while you attend college.) Also, your pilots license only comes from the FAA- not a specific school. No matter where one does their flight training, they get the same pilots certificates in the end. There is no school name attatched to them. Airlines do not care where you train either as long as you have the proper certifcates and ratings with experience.

I also second his opinion about ATP. I have very little experience with flight schools (I trained via a local flying club) but what I know about ATP is very impressive. I fly with two First Officers who trained and got hired via their Career Track Program. They are very happy with the results (start to job in 15 months) and it cost them $39,000. While nothing is guaranteed in life, their program certainly seems to have a high success rate. (Both the pilots I know also got hired with less than the standard 1,000 hours regional usually require and both taught in Atlanta.) I suggest you go to the ATP site and ask questions of the "pilot mentors" on their message board for more info- http://www.atpflightschool.com

An additional note- No matter where you go (ATP, DCA ect), you are NOT guaranteed a job when you graduate. You are only guaranteed an INTERVIEW. You may or may not get a job offer from that interview. If you do, you must still pass the airline training program.

I cannot comment on the Delta Connection Academy. I suggest searching the message boards at these sites for info on them and any other flight schools/academys you are considering:

http://www.flightinfo.com
http://www.jetcareers.com

"I also want to be the chief pilot of the plane. when I go to those school am i training to be the chief pilot of a plane."

A "Chief Pilot" is a pilot who has gone into a management position and is like a ground based supervisor to airline pilots. It is a desk job. I think you mean you want to be a Captain. That is a position you will not get until you have some substantial experience as a First Officer/Co-pilot. PIlots get their positions by their tenure or seniority with the airline. No one right out of flight school becomes a Captain.

"...and when i go to school and gradate flight school where do i got to learn how to fly a 767 of do you learn when you are being hiered by the airline.

You will be trained to fly the equipment you are assigned by the airline. "Flight schools" do not give you that kind of training. All airline new hires get to pick their initial aircraft assignments and bases out of what needs to be staffed at the time their class starts and in the order they fall in class by birth date (or sometimes SSN). The oldest/most senior gets first choice, the youngest gets what is left. The Boeing 767 is a widebody aircraft and the pay scale is higher than narrowbody. As such widebody pilot vacancies are generally filled by current narrowbody company pilots. New hires rarely (if ever) get awarded widebody vacancies.

"...and can you please tell me the differences between the delta connection acedemy and the ATP schools."
Sorry, I cannot. I haven't been to either. Ask questions at the message boards I recommended above. Many former and current students frequent those forums.

Also, see my training and careers site for additional info-
http://www.geocities.com/av8trxx99/FAQ.html

Dottie