You should look into accelerated Part 61 programs. I personally did AFIT (Accelerated Flight and Instrument Training) and I know they have a 14 day Private Pilot course. To me, this is the best way if you can take time off of work and it will be much cheaper than going to a bigger school. There is the requirement of doing your written exam first but you should definitely look into going that route! Here’s the link: https://www.afit-info.com/airplane-course-selection/
There is also accelerated Instrument and Commercial programs as well as CFI/II programs that can get you done in a week or two if you do some flying on your own first and come well prepared for the oral exam. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
I think I should be fine with the studying, however, the all or nothing risk of this program is making me doubt.
It should make you doubt, because the thing to remember in a flight school is that it's not 100% up to you how well you study. If for example the scheduler doesn't like you for some random reason, you may not get enough flights to do your training well. If you get assigned a bad CFI or one that doesn't click with you and the school is unwilling to let you switch, you're not going to learn to your best potential.
the lack of structure
The lack of structure can be a strength if you're able to take advantage of it. You can go through the training while you're working (like I'm doing) so a "pay as you go" is much more feasible. And if you find a CFI with plenty of availability, you can basically monopolize their time to go through training as fast as you want.
wait times for checkrides make me worry that it will take much more time to get through the process
You're putting the cart way way before the horse here, before the horse is even born lol. Besides, flight time is flight time, so the practice you do while waiting for your checkride will still count as hours you need to get your higher certs anyways. If your goal is to get to the airlines, waiting a month for your checkrides is basically nothing in the grand scheme of things.
I have also read that students at part 61 schools are not as well prepared as students of part 141s, I don't know how true this is
Lemme guess, someone at or from a 141 school told you this? In general, the opposite is true. 141 schools often have restrictions on random things, like their students aren't allowed to do touch and gos, or they're not allowed to land at untowered fields, or they're not allowed to do more than the bare minimum of "risky" training like night flying or sim IMC training. They also have a reputation of teaching only exactly what they know their hand selected DPEs will test for, which means you'll only learn exactly what you need to learn to pass the test, not everything you need to learn to be a safe pilot.
Additionally, 141 schools are typically located at busier airports, where taxi time and waiting for takeoff clearance are actually significant portions of a student's logged "flight" time. Like, for a single lesson of 2 hours, a student might log 1.7 dual received, with maybe .5 of that spent taxiing and waiting to takeoff, which means only 1.2 of actual flight time. Extended over an entire cert, a student with 60 hours logged might only have actually flown for 42 of them. Meanwhile if you do your cert at a smaller 61 school at a less busy towered or untowered field, you will likely have much more actual flight time.
Also, I am not sure if it will be harder to build hours as a flight instructor after studying in a part 61 school.
Again putting the cart before the horse is born. You're trying to plan 4 certs down the line before you've even started. I get where you're coming from though. One of the supposed value propositions of a 141 school is that you'll have a CFI job with the school after you're done. But that doesn't seem to be true anymore as airline hiring has slowed down a bit. You can look at posts on this sub, but it doesn't seem like there's such a thing as a guaranteed CFI job right now, even for a 141 student. But it's not like being a part 61 trained CFI will be a black mark against you. If you're a good CFI, you'll get hired somewhere.
Or another school that you recommend, it can be anywhere in the US, I don't mind relocating. I know this is a crazy life changing decision and I don't want to eventually ruin it for my family.
I would recommend you get at least your PPL at a 61 school near you, pay as you go, and don't quit your job while you do it. And don't move your family for it. Figure out if you can fly for a living before you make drastic decisions. Not everyone is cut out to fly, not everyone can get a class 1 medical, and figuring that out before you burn bridges is imperative. If after getting your PPL you still want to do it, then look at a 141 school, where you likely won't have to take a loan because you kept working during your PPL and saved up enough money to cover it all.
How much do you need to support your family annually? 90k isn’t enough to pay for the school, and 13% is insane ( though lots of folks do it) a signature loan or line of credit isn’t posting at 13% right now ( with good credit ). You’re going to be making peanuts as a CFI in most cases to build your hours. And it’s likely going to take years in the current market to get even to a regional, let alone a legacy.
At 90k in the bank, go get your ppl cert and inst. at a pay as you go school. THEN you can decide if the study requirements and return make it worth your while to invest further. While it CAN be done, and lots of people have done it , consider that you’re going to be using a LOT of brain sweat in a high intensity environment at the school , the come home to a high intensity environment ( toddler and newborn) where you’re going to have to do Daddy duties AND study your ass off.
Personally, I wouldn’t go the zero-hero route unless I had a support system in place that was phenomenal ( grandparents, sister, brother etc with the TIME and willingness to take on my kids a month at a time while in training), AND my spouse knew in advance that I was going to be high tension and likely short tempered throughout the program ( looking at a sectional planning an xc with varying load while my little pumpkin is shrieking at the top of their lungs running around the house for example).
While it’s not exactly defusing a bomb in the middle of a rock concert, it is going to be stressful knowing how much money you’ve got on the line, that the school can cut you at any time for failure to progress ( and you’re still on the hook for an unforgivable loan) , and that you MUST succeed to have any chance of taking care of your family using this route.
Doing pay as you go for the first couple of steps, allows you to ease into this and make a more informed decision with less risk, because the training doesn’t get less complex the farther you go.
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
Hello,
I am switching careers to aviation. My goal is to work for the airlines. I am 32 years old. I am a father of a 1-year-old with another baby on the way. My wife is very supportive of my choice; however, I need to get through the process as quickly as I can to support my family. I have been thinking about this, and think that if I will go into aviation, it is now or never.
I was thinking of going to Thrust Flight in Addison Texas. I visited Skymates in Grand Prairie, US Aviation Academy Denton, and American Flyers Addison, but I like Thrust Flight more. I like that it seems they can get you through all the ratings quickly, since they are part 141 with self-examining authority. I don't like that they require payment up front, which everyone says is a big red flag. I have also read some posts of people saying they were kicked out of the program. I have 90k in savings but the program costs 118k. Sallie Mae is offering me a loan with 13% interest, which I think is too high. I really don't like the risk of taking a loan, using up my savings, and then being kicked out. I have a college degree, and I graduated with a good GPA. I think I should be fine with the studying, however, the all or nothing risk of this program is making me doubt.
Another option is to go to a part 61 school. From what I've seen I should be able to complete all the ratings with my 90k. There is also no risk of losing money because they are pay as you go. I have been to Aviator Air in Grand Prairie, Tx. They seem nice, but the lack of structure and the wait times for checkrides make me worry that it will take much more time to get through the process. I have also read that students at part 61 schools are not as well prepared as students of part 141s, I don't know how true this is. Also, I am not sure if it will be harder to build hours as a flight instructor after studying in a part 61 school.
I need your help, any of you that have had the experience, what would you recommend? Any of you that have gone to Thrust flight, or the other schools mentioned. Or another school that you recommend, it can be anywhere in the US, I don't mind relocating. I know this is a crazy life changing decision and I don't want to eventually ruin it for my family.
It looks like you're asking about getting a college degree.
A degree never hurts, get one if you can afford it. Whether it is required today or not, it may be required tomorrow. And the degree can be in anything, the major isn't that important.
Please read our FAQ, which has a ton of information and wisdom about becoming a pilot, including advice on college.
pilot76867@reddit
You should look into accelerated Part 61 programs. I personally did AFIT (Accelerated Flight and Instrument Training) and I know they have a 14 day Private Pilot course. To me, this is the best way if you can take time off of work and it will be much cheaper than going to a bigger school. There is the requirement of doing your written exam first but you should definitely look into going that route! Here’s the link: https://www.afit-info.com/airplane-course-selection/
There is also accelerated Instrument and Commercial programs as well as CFI/II programs that can get you done in a week or two if you do some flying on your own first and come well prepared for the oral exam. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
EHP42@reddit
It should make you doubt, because the thing to remember in a flight school is that it's not 100% up to you how well you study. If for example the scheduler doesn't like you for some random reason, you may not get enough flights to do your training well. If you get assigned a bad CFI or one that doesn't click with you and the school is unwilling to let you switch, you're not going to learn to your best potential.
The lack of structure can be a strength if you're able to take advantage of it. You can go through the training while you're working (like I'm doing) so a "pay as you go" is much more feasible. And if you find a CFI with plenty of availability, you can basically monopolize their time to go through training as fast as you want.
You're putting the cart way way before the horse here, before the horse is even born lol. Besides, flight time is flight time, so the practice you do while waiting for your checkride will still count as hours you need to get your higher certs anyways. If your goal is to get to the airlines, waiting a month for your checkrides is basically nothing in the grand scheme of things.
Lemme guess, someone at or from a 141 school told you this? In general, the opposite is true. 141 schools often have restrictions on random things, like their students aren't allowed to do touch and gos, or they're not allowed to land at untowered fields, or they're not allowed to do more than the bare minimum of "risky" training like night flying or sim IMC training. They also have a reputation of teaching only exactly what they know their hand selected DPEs will test for, which means you'll only learn exactly what you need to learn to pass the test, not everything you need to learn to be a safe pilot.
Additionally, 141 schools are typically located at busier airports, where taxi time and waiting for takeoff clearance are actually significant portions of a student's logged "flight" time. Like, for a single lesson of 2 hours, a student might log 1.7 dual received, with maybe .5 of that spent taxiing and waiting to takeoff, which means only 1.2 of actual flight time. Extended over an entire cert, a student with 60 hours logged might only have actually flown for 42 of them. Meanwhile if you do your cert at a smaller 61 school at a less busy towered or untowered field, you will likely have much more actual flight time.
Again putting the cart before the horse is born. You're trying to plan 4 certs down the line before you've even started. I get where you're coming from though. One of the supposed value propositions of a 141 school is that you'll have a CFI job with the school after you're done. But that doesn't seem to be true anymore as airline hiring has slowed down a bit. You can look at posts on this sub, but it doesn't seem like there's such a thing as a guaranteed CFI job right now, even for a 141 student. But it's not like being a part 61 trained CFI will be a black mark against you. If you're a good CFI, you'll get hired somewhere.
I would recommend you get at least your PPL at a 61 school near you, pay as you go, and don't quit your job while you do it. And don't move your family for it. Figure out if you can fly for a living before you make drastic decisions. Not everyone is cut out to fly, not everyone can get a class 1 medical, and figuring that out before you burn bridges is imperative. If after getting your PPL you still want to do it, then look at a 141 school, where you likely won't have to take a loan because you kept working during your PPL and saved up enough money to cover it all.
Kermit-de-frog1@reddit
How much do you need to support your family annually? 90k isn’t enough to pay for the school, and 13% is insane ( though lots of folks do it) a signature loan or line of credit isn’t posting at 13% right now ( with good credit ). You’re going to be making peanuts as a CFI in most cases to build your hours. And it’s likely going to take years in the current market to get even to a regional, let alone a legacy.
At 90k in the bank, go get your ppl cert and inst. at a pay as you go school. THEN you can decide if the study requirements and return make it worth your while to invest further. While it CAN be done, and lots of people have done it , consider that you’re going to be using a LOT of brain sweat in a high intensity environment at the school , the come home to a high intensity environment ( toddler and newborn) where you’re going to have to do Daddy duties AND study your ass off.
Personally, I wouldn’t go the zero-hero route unless I had a support system in place that was phenomenal ( grandparents, sister, brother etc with the TIME and willingness to take on my kids a month at a time while in training), AND my spouse knew in advance that I was going to be high tension and likely short tempered throughout the program ( looking at a sectional planning an xc with varying load while my little pumpkin is shrieking at the top of their lungs running around the house for example).
While it’s not exactly defusing a bomb in the middle of a rock concert, it is going to be stressful knowing how much money you’ve got on the line, that the school can cut you at any time for failure to progress ( and you’re still on the hook for an unforgivable loan) , and that you MUST succeed to have any chance of taking care of your family using this route.
Doing pay as you go for the first couple of steps, allows you to ease into this and make a more informed decision with less risk, because the training doesn’t get less complex the farther you go.
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
Hello,
I am switching careers to aviation. My goal is to work for the airlines. I am 32 years old. I am a father of a 1-year-old with another baby on the way. My wife is very supportive of my choice; however, I need to get through the process as quickly as I can to support my family. I have been thinking about this, and think that if I will go into aviation, it is now or never.
I was thinking of going to Thrust Flight in Addison Texas. I visited Skymates in Grand Prairie, US Aviation Academy Denton, and American Flyers Addison, but I like Thrust Flight more. I like that it seems they can get you through all the ratings quickly, since they are part 141 with self-examining authority. I don't like that they require payment up front, which everyone says is a big red flag. I have also read some posts of people saying they were kicked out of the program. I have 90k in savings but the program costs 118k. Sallie Mae is offering me a loan with 13% interest, which I think is too high. I really don't like the risk of taking a loan, using up my savings, and then being kicked out. I have a college degree, and I graduated with a good GPA. I think I should be fine with the studying, however, the all or nothing risk of this program is making me doubt.
Another option is to go to a part 61 school. From what I've seen I should be able to complete all the ratings with my 90k. There is also no risk of losing money because they are pay as you go. I have been to Aviator Air in Grand Prairie, Tx. They seem nice, but the lack of structure and the wait times for checkrides make me worry that it will take much more time to get through the process. I have also read that students at part 61 schools are not as well prepared as students of part 141s, I don't know how true this is. Also, I am not sure if it will be harder to build hours as a flight instructor after studying in a part 61 school.
I need your help, any of you that have had the experience, what would you recommend? Any of you that have gone to Thrust flight, or the other schools mentioned. Or another school that you recommend, it can be anywhere in the US, I don't mind relocating. I know this is a crazy life changing decision and I don't want to eventually ruin it for my family.
I sincerely thank you for your help.
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It looks like you're asking about getting a college degree.
A degree never hurts, get one if you can afford it. Whether it is required today or not, it may be required tomorrow. And the degree can be in anything, the major isn't that important.
Please read our FAQ, which has a ton of information and wisdom about becoming a pilot, including advice on college.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.