is embry riddle the best flight school besides the air force?

Question

i live in cleveland ohio and i was wondering if its worth it too go to erau rather than a place like kent state or bowling green, can you tell me what you think of these flight schools i have mentioned and also if erau is actually that much better when you are trying to become an airline pilot. also is erau a big party school and is daytona beach a safe area and are the people nice

Answer 1

If you are looking to get a degree as well as all your pilot ratings ERAU or UND are the premier schools to do both. I went the ERAU, Prescott Campus, were a large majority of students were either becoming pilots. If you can fork out $40,000 a year $30,000 for school an additional $10,000 for flight costs you can say its worth it. You do get to talk to representatives from American and United as well as other major airlines for internships but it DOESNT guarentee you a job but it does opportunity for full motion 727 sims, even jet training. What it comes down to you get ratings and you will have to build hours through flight instruction before regional airlines will even consider hiring you. I have heard as low as 300 hrs for desperate airlines but most usually like them to have close to 1000 hrs. I had a few friends who graduated from ERAU and they just instructed for the school to build hours. UND has similar programs but is not a whole lot cheaper but it still is less then ERAU.

The Reason ERAU is looked at as the premier flight school I think is because of the relationship it has with the military and it DOES have the best Aerospace Engineering Program for a 4 year school. At the time I went students who were ROTC who wanted to become pilots in the military had a higher selection rate then even the Air Force Academy. ERAU was around 73% and the AF Academy was around the 50%. If you have the money to go to ERAU do it because they do have full motion 727 and you will build a lot of connections at the school, but at the same time if you cant you will probably build up a ridicoulous amount of debt, where you can go to a flight school get it knocked out for close to $60,000 in a year and start building hours right away.

If you want to become a pilot for the cheapest way it is probably the air force. Right now the AF likes pilots to have a background in Engineering, so you could probably go to college then if you do good through all your testing and get a pilot slot that is by far the cheapest and best training you will get.

I've seen the things ERAU offers and they are top of the line, but in my opinion its not worth it to stack up over a $100,000 where you can go through the AF or Flight School for much cheaper.

Answer 2

Embry Riddle Cost

Answer 3

Embry-Riddle is good, as is ATP, Daniel Webster, Purdue, University of Illinois, U. of Arizona, Spartan....
Look around, I would suggest looking at U of Arizona, the weather is great for flying out there, so you won't have the seasonal weather woes that Florida has.
A lot of the Airlines have acedemies to go into the career pilot pipelines, like Comair, ASA, etc. They will at least get you a Colgan Air Beech 1900D job, or right seat in a ERJ-135/145 or CRJ-100/200. Look around at all the options, there are a lot!
Also, most local airports offer flight training, if you are just looking to get your PPL, thats your best bet.
Also, take a look at the Sport Pilot rating, thats a great way to get your foot into the door for aviation. Keep in mind, you have to be 17 to get your license, but you can solo at 16!
I hope this helps!

Answer 4

Embry Riddle Reviews

Answer 5

I am a graduate of ERAU-Prescott, AZ Campus. I am also a US Army helicopter test pilot. The question you need to ask yourself. What kind of pilot do you want to be. Commercial air, military, crop dusting, fly-for-fun etc... That will help you narrow down which school you should attend.
While ERAU is a good school. The training you will receive is nothing better than you would receive a well respected local FBO. And the cost will be SUBSTANTIALLY less. Save your money. If interested in the military, my reccomendation is the USAF. You will be required to have a BS degree in order to become a USAF pilot but the opportunities are limitless. Heavy or light transport aircraft, fighter or helicopter. ERAU has a great reputation but the cost DOES NOT reflect the training. Seriously save the cash, you will need it if you decide to fly for a living outside the military. Starting out the salaries are not that great.

Answer 6

In my opinion,Euau is overrated, the cost is ALOT more than
the University. Ohio State (in Columbus) has a great flight school as well as a top university. You ask for my opinion so I am going to give it to you. Go to a State College or University, major in anything other than aviation related.That way if for any reason the aviation career does not work out for you , you have some thing to fall back on. You also wont be so deep in debt you have to eat noodles for four or five years.
after graduating. Begining pay getting to the "majors" is quite low.
Go to http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/? and post a question for Capt Ron
on his opinion on this matter, he can recommend some good schools. He is the past dean of the aviation dept at the University of Maryland.
Currently flight instructs for PIC

Answer 7

Cannot elaborate on the party part of the question, but ERAU is the premier school for learning to fly. That is their main goal in life to make you an aviator, and you can get some degrees also. The other schools mentioned , aviation is secondary. The only major university that I have seen advertising their aviation programs is the University of North Dakota. Check them out also.

Answer 8

As someone who went to an aviation college (Western Michigan University), I highly recommend NOT getting a degree in aviation. I wish I could go back and get a degree in something else.

A degree in aviation is essentially worthless. It won't help you get too many jobs outside of aviation, and most aviation employers could care less about an aviation degree. If someone hires a pilot, they simply want someone the a bachelors degree. It could be in underwater basket weaving for all they care.

If you lose your medical, or aviation takes a nose dive like it dive after 9/11, you are better with a degree in something else that will give you a backup career. Also, it will probably make you more employable in aviation since many corporate jobs require you do some kind of double duty.

Answer 9

Like you, I am also from Ohio. I went to ERAU last fall (August 2005) and began working on my degree in Aeronautical Science. Disgruntled with costs and flying time, I packed my bags and transferred to a school, somewhat closer to home. I spent the spring semester of that year at Western Michigan University. After experiencing a lack of organization and structure within the flight department, I packed my bags at the end of the semester with no intention of returning to Western Michigan. Currently, I am finishing my degree with ERAU Worldwide Online and I am slated to finish in April 2008 (a year ahead of schedule).

If you end up going to ERAU, I would reccomend doing your flight training at an off-campus FBO. Rates are a little more reasonable and you have more interaction with your instructor as well as fewer restrictions. Sure, the ERAU Flight environment is GREAT and you will be prepared for whatever is throw at you.

I toured both Kent State and Bowling Green, but I would stay away from either of those programs. Kent State did just sign a training agreement with ExpressJet, but that is about the only perk of being a Golden Flash Aviator.

If you wanted to stay in state for your education, Ohio State would be the place to go. I like what they have to offer. The only reason I am not at OSU is because my course work from ERAU and WMU will not transfer appropriately and would put me behind the eight ball.

Daytona Beach is great. There is always something to do. Plenty of oppurtunities if you are interested in part time employment. Like most locations, there are "bad" areas of town and you should avoid them. The Daytona 500 and Bike Week bring plenty of tourists and guests which makes it seemingly impossible to navigate on the roads, but it just adds to excitement. Also, Daytona Beach is a popular Spring Break destination for college students nationwide.

As far as a "party school," what do you consider to be the definition of that term? Students drinking on campus, big parties off campus, greek involvement? Sure, there will be drinking, partying, etc... every night of the week. It all depends on what you want to do with your time. If you are a flight student and plan on drinking, be responsible because if you get caught, you will be terminated from the flight program. There are plenty of intramural and recreational activities at ERAU, as well as many clubs and organizations.

All in all, when I finish my bachelors degree in April, I would like to further my education with a masters degree from the Daytona Beach campus while working as a CFI. I hope I have provided some information you were seeking, and if you want any more info, please email me at [e-mail]

Answer 10

Don't know about the party school, but Daytona is a nice area and yes there are lots of nice people there.