please help me decide!

[jpy24]

Hi all, recently I've been very eager to know more about aviation and I'm thinking about dropping out of a university to pursue my new dream of becoming a pilot.

I'm in a dilemma and would greatly appreciate any insight on this

To be simple and clear, my question is: should I go to an aviation college or FTU?

I've been weighing some pros and cons that I could think of for each options but I still can't decide

If I were to go to a FTU (Langley Flying School)
- cheaper compared to aviation college (~40g vs ~75g)
- shorter duration (6~8 months vs 18 months)

But if I were to go to an aviation school (BCIT)
- diploma in Technical Studies upon graduation

Upon finishing the program at either place I will get PPL, CPL, Multi engine rating, and Instrument Rating.

Is a diploma worth the extra 30g?

Thanks in advance!

[Colonel Sanders]

Is a diploma worth the extra 30g?

Hell, no! What you want is hours and ratings. The
more, the faster, the better.

PS In the meantime, get a job working the ramp
at your local airport. Learn to fuel and service
aircraft. Kiss @ss shamelessly. Spend all your
free time at the airport. Smile. It won't permanently
damage you to mow grass and shovel snow
and learn how to clean and wax airplanes, and
the right people's cars. If you haven't already,
get your car driver's licence - I am continually
amazed how many teenagers do not - and be
at the airport with your parent's car, which you
use to ferry pilots into town, to go get food
and coffee and pizza, etc.

You need three things right now:

1) hours and ratings. The more, the faster,
the better

2) meet people. It's who you know, that counts.

3) have the right attitude. Smile. Work hard,
even when you aren't being paid, because
people are watching, and guess who they're
going to hire?

PS finish a 3 year (eg BA) degree by correspondence.
I think Athabasca U (not kidding, there is such a thing)
does degree credits remotely/online.

http://www.athabascau.ca/course/

Get your transcript from your registrar and contact
Athabasca U about finishing your degree with them.

[PilotDAR]

Yup, what he said....

[Colonel Sanders]

Free advice: are you really sure that you
want to be a pilot? Sometimes, reality can
be different from what you imagined.

Take some flying lessons this summer and
find out before you do anything drastic.

As a rule of thumb, you should become a pilot if:

1) no one can talk you out of it

2) you can clean toilets at your local FBO - with
a smile - because they're near airplanes

It's a long, hard road to becoming a paid commercial
pilot. Perhaps less than 1 in 10 people that start,
actually end up being paid to fly.

You have to really want it. And it helps enormously
if you are young, and have no debt/obligations, and
are willing to travel to godforsaken places that have
names with "fort" and "lake" in them. And you can
still smile, because you're near airplanes.

PS I hope no one gets the idea that I think that
education is unimportant. You're going to spend
the rest of your life learning. The hard part is figuring
out what to learn.

Despite what people tell you, you do NOT need to
be an engineer or math wizard to fly an airplane. Total
overkill. That's like saying you need a Nobel prize
in Physics to sweep the floor in the university lab.

If you can do basic arithmetic in your head, and you
know the alphabet (seriously), that's all you need to
know, to fly an aircraft.

For example: at 120 mph, how long will it take you
to fly 40 miles? You have 10 gallons of fuel left, and
you are burning 9 gallons per hour. Do you have a
fuel problem or not?

You're looking up Nanaimo in the CFS. What letters
is N between?

So. What should you take at University? Well, generally
speaking, you can get a 3 yr BA or a 4 yr BSc. Because
I can't stand waiting in line, and because no one knows
the difference, get a 3 yr BA.

Now that we've settled that, what courses? Well, if you're
like most of us, you're probably a little interested in money,
and you will probably work for a company at some point
that is a little interested in money, too.

With that in mind, I might recommend that you take some
introductory courses in:

- accounting (sigh, yes)
- economics
- marketing
- finance

If you can arrange to learn a little about the above, and
at the same time smoke a 3 yr BA out of an accredited
university, well, hot damn boy, you'll have an armlock on
the arsehole of the world!

[High Flyin]

It's a long, hard road to becoming a paid commercial
pilot. Perhaps less than 1 in 10 people that start,
actually end up being paid to fly.

I heard a very similair stat, although it was 1 in 5. Looking back though, I remember doing my training with 4-5 people my age who all wanted to fly commercially. 6 years later I'm the only one who made it.

[Beefitarian]

Yeah I've heard 80% don't make it through.

If you are in University, finish that first. I know you're thinking that will take forever but it's good to have that degree for nearly any thing, including many flying jobs in the future. Also doing the simple multiple choice exams that make up the testing for all your pilot licenses and ratings will be easier.

University won't make you smart but it is like exercise for your brain. It should help you learn how to study and absorb knowledge more effectively.

You can probably start some flying while you are in university.Or a better plan might be to work at the airport fueling planes and being nice to pilots. Save as much money as possible for later when you start flight training.

I'm pretty surprised the Colonel didn't tell you to get a better job so you can afford to fly for fun. It's probably good advice. Flying for a living has been getting tougher all the time.

[Colonel Sanders]

get a better job

I keep telling you to win the Powerball lottery,
but do you ever listen?

[slam525i]

You're looking up Nanaimo in the CFS. What letters
is N between?

You're looking up Oshawa (CYOO) in the CFS. It's in the municipality of Durham and is 60 km east of Toronto. What letters is that between? Hint: it isn't "O", and I really don't know why.

Seriously though, finish that university degree while doing flight training, getting ratings/endorsements, and build hours, if you can afford it. The market for pilots has and always will be over-saturated. There are and always will be pilot jobs, but anything except the unionized airline jobs will always be a race to the lowest living wage because of the market conditions. Being a pilot is also less-conducive to family life than other careers; this may not matter to you know, but it will in the future.

You shouldn't even be thinking about dropping out of university until you've done some flying and gotten to know what professional pilots REALLY think about their career prospects. (Don't ask them on the fam flight. They'll tell you how great everything is, trying to get you to sign up.)

[5x5]

Working for a living has been getting tougher all the time.

Fixed it for you. I've worked in a bunch of different industries and I see that most jobs aren't what they used to be. Less stability, reduced benefits, more pressure, harder to get a start and on and on. Sounds kind of like flying.

Most of the guys who have jobs in other industries and fly frequently spend most of their non-work hours at the hangar or somehow being involved with aviation. The ones who try to do it very casually tend to drop out/quit flying. It becomes either too costly or time consuming. And no pilot is actually safe and capable if they don't keep current.

It's not an easy decision, but trying to chart your life's course isn't easy no matter what you decide to pursue. The key is to pick something and go for it with vigour. Worry less about if it "makes you happy" or is your "life's calling" and worry more about putting in a full and enthusiastic effort. Success and accomplishment is what will make you happy in life so get after it.

[kmf.kenif]

Free advice: are you really sure that you
want to be a pilot? Sometimes, reality can
be different from what you imagined.

Take some flying lessons this summer and
find out before you do anything drastic.

It's a long, hard road to becoming a paid commercial
pilot. Perhaps less than 1 in 10 people that start,
actually end up being paid to fly.

+1, the deeper you go the more you'll learn about what you're getting yourself into.

[jpy24]

thank you very much for all the advice!

can't wait for the fam flight :p

[Colonel Sanders]

FYI: Please don't believe your flight school about
any "pilot shortage". They want a huge pile of your
money, to take you from zero to CPL/MIFR and
200TT.

Getting from 200TT to 1000TT is a very difficult
thing to do, for many people. That first job can
be really hard to find. Please don't forget that.

[Tail-Chaser]

Have you considered Selkirk College out of Castlegar?